http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83013273/ Chevy to unveil 2016 Spark By Charles Fleming March 9, 2015
General Motors said it will unveil a 2016 Chevrolet Spark on April 2 at concurrent auto shows in New York and Seoul. The subcompact is being repositioned as a "sleeker, more aerodynamic" vehicle, the company said, aiming for a customer interested in a more traditional design. Could a new Spark electric vehicle be part of the 2016 lineup? GM won't say. The Spark news comes less than two months after GM's announcement that it will build the new Chevy Bolt, an electric car that can travel 200 miles between charges and sell in the low $30,000 range, after government incentives. GM executives said the spacious four-door hatchback Bolt will go on sale in 2017. That announcement charged up auto industry spectators, who predicted such a vehicle could easily sell 100,000 units a year and make electric vehicles a real alternative for many American drivers. The Bolt will join an expected improved version of the Chevy Volt. The two vehicles, plus a Spark EV, could strengthen GM's position among U.S. electric vehicle producers. GM said it has sold 1.1 million Sparks, globally, since introducing the subcompact, in India, in 2009. The company sells more Sparks in South Korea than anywhere else -- which explains why Seoul is one of the unveiling platforms -- followed by the U.S. and Mexico, the company said. GM unveiled the first electric Spark in 2012, at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The first version, a model year 2013, offered 130 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, and was advertised as one of the fastest electric vehicles on the market. Stateside, the 2015 Spark EV has a starting MSRP of just under $20,000, excluding tax and destination charges. It boasts a range of 82 miles between charges. GM did not release pricing information on the 2016 model. Though non-hybrid electric vehicles have struggled to find a place in the U.S. car market, the segment is increasingly crowded with consumer choices. Top drawer Tesla's Model S has been joined at the high end by the BMW i3 and the Mercedes-Benz B-class sedans, while at the middle to lower end of the price spread are less expensive electrics like the Nissan Leaf, Kia Soul, Toyota RAV 4 EV, Fiat 500e, Volkswagen e-GOlf, Ford Focus Electric and Mitsubishi i-MiEV. [© latimes.com] ... http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-chevy-2016-spark-20150309-story.html Chevy to unveil 2016 Spark By CHARLES FLEMING [20150309] http://autoweek.com/article/car-news/chevrolet-teases-2016-spark-ahead-auto-show-debut Chevrolet teases 2016 Spark ahead of New York auto show debut March 10, 2015 Justine Woodard will feature a “sleeker, more aerodynamic profile.” ... Chevy also offers an all-electric Spark EV ... [dated] http://autoweek.com/article/car-reviews/2014-chevrolet-spark-ev-review-notes 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV review notes November 7, 2013 DIGITAL EDITOR ANDREW STOY: Taste being subjective, I'll posit that a powder-blue Spark, powertrain independent, is not the kind of thing bound to get enthusiast blood running. Rather, it's possibly the least appealing vehicle color/shape combo I've encountered in quite some time. My first instinct was to walk slowly around the vehicle (it still only takes a second due to the car's diminutive size) and sort of poke the outside to make sure it was actually metal. Upon determining the Spark EV was in fact a real car, and that I was about to take part in what essentially served as a phase in our exciting electrified future transportation experiment, some semblance of acceptance set in. The interior contributes to the toy-like aura: Sitting in the Spark EV is sort of what I'd imagine being inside an M&M might be like. With its baby blue accents and shiny, hard plastics, you've got a candy coating surrounding the occupants. A digital display screen replaces the speedo/LCD combo directly in front of the driver, and Chevy's excellent MyLink system lives in the center stack. One complaint -- give me a volume knob, not “touch up/touch down” buttons for the audio. There's also no rear-view camera -- it may not seem an issue at first considering the driver can basically reach out of the back hatch, but the parcel shelf is quite high obscuring most of the view in the first few feet behind the vehicle. Those quibbles aside, the Spark EV offers the same excellent outward visibility as the standard model with a high seating position and tons of glass. The climate control works particularly well, with rapid warm-up and an air conditioner that felt capable of cooling a Chevy Suburban. Granted, both sap some of your range, but if comfort is a priority the Spark EV will happily deliver. Out on the road, the Spark EV is a much more entertaining driver than the standard gasoline model, largely due to the huge electric torque on tap. With torque and front drive comes torque steer, but I found the throttle very easy to modulate, and the steering wheel doesn't get squirrely unless you really mash it; at that point you're so amazed at how quick the car feels that hanging on is just part of the fun. The high-pitched whirr and nonstop thrust is like takeoff roll in a Learjet, and it's worth finding a straight stretch of highway and blowing a whole battery pack just doing acceleration runs. After all how much more fun can you have with two bucks worth of electricity? The regenerative brakes are also very easy to get used to, but the steering is less so. It's not a function of the electric Spark (ha!), but rather this car's tiny shell, high profile and low rolling-resistance tires. It squirms a lot at highway speeds, and the driver needs to keep both hands on the wheel and really pay attention to what he or she is doing. Sounds like a no-brainer, but here in America that requirement will likely disqualify 98 percent of the driving-age population. That won't matter though, as very few folks will be able to purchase a Spark EV. Chevy's web site states quite clearly the car is available only in California and Oregon, and even then only at select dealers in limited quantities. And that's fine -- admirable even. While I'm sure there are EV intenders in all 50 states, focusing on the goodwill they've gotten from the Volt among green-leaners and trendsetters on the West coast is a smart move for Chevy. With a price point under $30K before federal tax credits, the Spark EV is right in the hunt with the current crop of electrics, and well worth the attention of any EV intender. ASSOCIATE EDITOR JAKE LINGEMAN: First things first, make with the stats. I jumped in the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV with 39 miles on the battery and finished my 12-mile ride home with 26 miles left, meaning I only burned one extra mile with my lead foot. This morning I woke up to 25 miles, so only one mile lost, and got to work with 9 miles left. It burned a little more power in the cold morning, which is expected. Still for me, living only 12 miles from work, this could be my all-of-the-time car. Like Andy, I disliked the radio with its hard-touch buttons that I hate switching stations with. Please give me a regular knob, please. I also tried to turn the heater on this morning, and didn't know I had to touch the “Temp” button; otherwise it was just blowing cold air. I do appreciate that the radio asked if it should turn itself off when the mileage hit 10 to go. So, the stubby little scooter did blow around a little bit on the expressway, when I actually got up to speed. Even though I left early I still hit rush hour, and spent 15 minutes idling. I suppose that's when the EV should really make sense. Sitting in traffic, you'd normally be using fuel and therefore money, I could at least rest easy in the fact that though I spent an hour in traffic, I only used the money equivalent of driving home, and probably less. Besides the wind-catching abilities of the Spark, I though it handled pretty well. It seemed to stay flat in corners and I thought the weight in the steering wheel was dialed up pretty well. I'm not really a fan of the Spark's shape, nor that color. But with all it offers, for less than $30k, it might make a dent in the growing electric market. ASSOCIATE EDITOR GRAHAM KOZAK: I'm always excited to get behind the wheel of an EV, even if they don't particularly suit my interests or lifestyle (or budget or driving habits or…). They're a blast to drive because they're different -- the oversized golf cart comparison gets thrown around a lot -- and beyond that they're a little bit of The Future (or at least someone's interpretation of it) in the present. So despite not really having a taste for the internal-combustion Spark I was eager to see what the electrified version could do on my very short daily commute. Then I realized I needed to make a long trip after work to Metro Detroit's far-flung northern suburbs for dinner. I was immediately gripped by range anxiety. Forget hitting the range-eating “sport mode” button: I might be walking the last few miles home. Here's how it all broke down. Trip from One Autoweek Tower to dinner: 28.9 miles. From there to home: 32 miles. The range on the EV after a weekend at the charger: a stated 85 miles. The numbers worked out, sure, but still felt like it was going to be uncomfortably close. I ran a number of mental calculations -- Is it better to use the AC or crack the windows? (I went with AC) Does turning up the radio volume decrease the range? (probably not, that's silly) -- before simply hitting the go-pedal. Between nervous glances at the range meter, I managed to familiarize myself with the Spark's interior. Some areas were surprisingly cheap; windows, for example, have no automatic up/down feature. Since the car stickers at close to $28,000, I have to imagine that Chevy cut corners wherever possible to offset the high cost of all that electric technology. The infotainment system didn't seem to have built-in navigation, but GM thoughtfully supplied a smartphone with the car. Using the phone's navigation app through the car's infotainment system worked surprisingly well. Implementation wasn't seamless (there were a few extra menus to negotiate when switching between the radio and the map), but expect to see more of this setup -- which frankly makes sense given the capability of the average smartphone -- in future vehicles. Driving like a granny, I arrived at my first destination with 60 miles or so left in the battery. Thanks to that conservative real-time range projection, I'd forgotten to even worry about running out of juice a few minutes into my return drive. By the time I pulled into my driveway, I had a comfortable 31 miles of range remaining. I plugged in anyway. Woke up the next morning, and after a night of slow charging using the portable, 110-volt power thing I was back up to…a somewhat disappointing 45 miles range. Good thing work is 10 miles or so from home. If I had the car, I'd get a home fast charger installed and would have had full power by the time to leave for work anyway. For predictable everyday commutes, the Spark EV will serve its intended purpose as a frugal city car pretty well. There isn't a lot here for the enthusiast -- sneaky-smooth acceleration and regenerative braking aren't terribly exciting after the novelty wears off. The key here is the car's cost, especially once state and federal credits shrink that $27,800 sticker to a figure that is a lot easier to swallow. Though $20K is a lot for a city car, it's a price at which the economics of running a small car in a state with high gasoline costs might begin to tip in favor of the EV. 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV Base Price: $27,820 As-Tested Price: $27,820 Drivetrain: 105-kW permanent-magnet electric motor; FWD, six-speed automatic Output: 130 hp, 400 lb-ft Curb Weight: 2,989 lb Fuel Economy (EPA City/Highway/Combined): 128/109/119 mpg-e; 82-mile range Options: None [© 2015 Crain Communications] ... http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=subject%3Aevln+subject%3Aspark+NOT+subject%3Are&days=0&sort=date Read more Spark EVLN items on evdl For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=subject%3Aevln+NOT+subject%3Are&days=0&sort=date http://nodawaynews.com/pages/?p=17723 Allen's EV in World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade @Maryville MO https://www.google.com/#q=St.+Patrick%27s+Day http://www.maplevalleyreporter.com/news/295386391.html 2 “Green on Scene” leased Leaf EVs @Station76 kentfirerfa.org WA http://www.kentucky.com/2015/03/16/3750334/merlene-davis-during-womens-history.html Windshield-wipers for EVs invented in 1903 by Mary Anderson http://www.google.com/patents/US743801 http://cleantechnica.com/2015/03/07/proterra-unveils-180-mile-electric-bus/ Proterra Unveils 180-Mile Electric Bus http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/2015/03/07/westchester-county-electric-car-charging-stations-clustered-white-plains-bedford/24581953/ EVSE are an investment tool to make downtown a desirable destination http://www.ncnewspress.com/article/20150306/NEWS/150309919/-1/opinion 2 L2 EVSE installed @nebraskacity.com NE + EVLN: From plodding ice to Leaf EV encounter> surprising&intriguing {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-GM-sez-unveiling-2016-Spark-EV-NY-Seoul-shows-on-4-2-tp4674295.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
