Ten Things I like better in the Spark EV than the Volt. And one thing I really miss.

24388 Views 36 Replies 23 Participants Last post by 2002tii, Jun 28, 2015

drowan

Discussion Starter · Jun 25, 2015

The Electric range...Getting 100 miles consistently vs the 40 to 50 electric miles per charge from the Volt.
The acceleration.of the Spark EV..0 to 60 in 7.6 sec.
The regen....The regen readout in KW is great...lets you see what kind of regen you get in L and D
The SAE combo DC fast charger Now if they will just install some of them!
The clearance of the front end....haven't 'bottomed out in the Spark EV yeti...in the Volt it was every day
The leg room in the back seats....more passenger room than the Volt
The turning radius....Volt's was good...Spark EV is better
The charge door....I had a Volt '12 whose charge door always 'stuck'...Spark EV no problems.
The mp kwh read out...Thank you GM for listening. The Spark tells you your mpKWH and I really like the last 50 miles bar graph of recent efficiency performance in the Spark EV.
The energy efficiency..Volt was great at an average of 4 mpKWH,136 mpge) Spark is fantastic at 5 mpKWH (170 mpge)
and eleven..the price! At a base price of around $14,000 less than the Volt ($40 to $26) the Spark EV is a great value. I loved the Volt and still do, I really miss the Volt's look, but it's great to see how much GM has learned and incorporated into the Spark EV. Bodes well for the Bolt!

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ClarksonCote

· #2 · Jun 25, 2015

#3 2013 Volt and beyond has the instant kW readout too, for power use and regen.
#5 The Volt never really "bottoms out", it's just that the low air dam for aerodynamic efficiency is intended to scrape at times.

I'm sure you're aware of both these things, but just adding for general context for people that may be unaware and reading the thread.

srmarti

· #3 · Jun 25, 2015 (Edited)

The regeneration on the Volt indicates in KWs also. (at least my 2014 does)

The better energy efficiency to me just shows how good a job they did on Generation 1. I'd expect it to be easier to get a higher efficiency without an engine and all it's accessories. The price of course is giving up the range extension, which is just fine if you can manage without it.

rhodomel

· #4 · Jun 25, 2015

Riding in Spark EV is like riding in an econobox. Very noisy road tires and very noisy cabin compared to the Volt when driving over 50 mph in the freeway, and worse noise if driving near 75 mph. Very bad rigid suspension that hurts my back when driving the bad roads of California. The only time it feels quite is when driving in parking lot or traffic at less than 25 mph.

Mister Dave

· #5 · Jun 25, 2015

10 things I didn't read, sorry. I'm sure it was a fun list though. Gotta run, out and drive my Volt somewhere that is....

Enjoy your debate.

drowan

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 25, 2015

Yeah I think I see you way back there in my rearview window.

drowan

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 25, 2015

Oh there you are way back in my rear view mirror. Good luck merging with the new technology.

Fyodor

· #8 · Jun 25, 2015

drowan said:
Oh there you are way back in my rear view mirror. Good luck merging with the new technology.

I think he will cruise by in comfort down the road a bit, somewhere before the 100 mile marker. And at 250 or so he will be passing that Tesla, too.

jdulac

· #9 · Jun 25, 2015

11. NO ERDTT
12. 6.6kwh charging.

Loboc

· #10 · Jun 25, 2015

Charge door and kwh readout were fixed 2014 and later.

ELR is quieter (because of noise cancelling) and more comfortable (because of 20-way seats) than Volt. Some of the ELR features are incorporated in 2016 Volt such as collision detection and heated steering wheel.

Loboc

· #11 · Jun 25, 2015

Fyodor said:
I think he will cruise by in comfort down the road a bit, somewhere before the 100 mile marker. And at 250 or so he will be passing that Tesla, too.

Lets do a cross-country race. Who would win? SC or gas?

Loboc

· #12 · Jun 25, 2015

drowan said:
Volt ($40 to $26) the Spark EV is a great value.

If you want a Korean econo-box. Volt hasn't been $40k since early 2013.

Norton

· #13 · Jun 25, 2015

True, a Korean S-box with American Made Muscle where it counts!
37% American content.

mtndrew1

· #14 · Jun 25, 2015

jdulac said:
11. NO ERDTT
12. 6.6kwh charging.

The Spark EV has the same 3.3 kW charger as the Volt, amazingly.

peterdaniel

· #15 · Jun 25, 2015

I would love to have one of each..

KGG

· #16 · Jun 26, 2015

i think this bodes well for the future Bolt.

Kevin

2015 volt

Bavarian13

· #17 · Jun 26, 2015

mtndrew1 said:
The Spark EV has the same 3.3 kW charger as the Volt, amazingly.

The charging strategy is the deal killer for the Spark.

Opting for SAE instead of chademo + 3.3 kWh charging = pure EV fail.

Oh, and that cargo area. Yeeouch.

It's a zippy golf cart, that's all. At least the Leaf can conceivably be charged when you get tight on range.

rob

· #18 · Jun 26, 2015

Bavarian13 said:
The charging strategy is the deal killer for the Spark.

Opting for SAE instead of chademo + 3.3 kWh charging = pure EV fail.

Oh, and that cargo area. Yeeouch.

It's a zippy golf cart, that's all. At least the Leaf can conceivably be charged when you get tight on range.

Chademo goes to 50kW, SAE Frankenplug goes to 100kW.

Yes, Chademo has a head start on installations. In 5 years it probably won't matter.

If they REALLY wanted to do it right they'd negotiate Supercharger access from Tesla.

Dave C

· #19 · Jun 26, 2015

Loboc said:
Charge door and kwh readout were fixed 2014 and later.

Just to clarify: 2013 has kWh display. 2014 has push-push charge door.

Raymondjram

· #20 · Jun 26, 2015 (Edited)

jdulac said:
11. NO ERDTT
12. 6.6kwh charging.

13. No oil changes, no oil or air filters, no gas tank, no tailpipe!
14. Coolant change once every 92,500 miles or ten years.

1 - 20 of 37 Posts

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