General Motors rolled out the battery-powered Spark EV on Wednesday, marking the first time it has introduced an all-electric car since it scrapped the infamous EV1 a decade ago.
The $25,000 mini-car-sized Spark EV will be targeted at US and Asian buyers and is expected to help GM meet California's Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate. It also reinforces a commitment to plug-in cars that GM has repeated over the last several years.
"We're taking what we've learned in the EV1 and the Volt and using it in the Spark," GM spokeswoman Annalisa Bluhm told Design News prior to the rollout at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Bluhm added that 40 percent of the components in the Spark's motor are used in the Volt motor and much of the Spark's battery technology builds on lessons learned from the EV1 and Volt.
Click on the image below to check out the Spark.
Unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV uses a GM-designed, coaxial drive unit and electric motor that deliver 130 hp (110 kW) and 400 lb-ft (542 N-m) of torque. (Source: GM)
The new five-door electric car will employ a 20-kWh lithium-ion battery from A123 Systems Inc. that will give the Spark "one of the best EV battery ranges in its segment," GM said. With its 130-hp permanent magnet motor, it will go from zero-to-60-mph in eight seconds and will be the first vehicle to employ the new DC fast-charging standard from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), which will enable it to reach an 80 percent battery charge in 20 minutes at public charging stations. Using a dedicated 240V home outlet, it will charge in seven hours.
Inside, the vehicle will employ two high-resolution, seven-inch, color LCD screens; a MyLink radio for infotainment; and apps for navigation and global Internet radio.
The vehicle's 20-kWh battery is slightly larger than the Chevy Volt's 16-kWh battery and smaller than the Nissan Leaf's 24-kWh version. GM did not reveal the car's all-electric range, saying that it is awaiting EPA estimates.
The use of the A123 nanophosphate battery came as a surprise to some, given the fact that A123 filed for bankruptcy in October. GM had said in 2011, however, that it planned to employ an A123 lithium-ion battery. "The bankruptcy proceedings have no effect on the development of the battery," Bluhm told us.
Since announcing the Chevy Spark in late 2011, GM has said the vehicle will be partially targeted toward buyers in Asia, where smaller vehicles are more accepted. "When you get into the mega-cities and the shorter driving commutes that they have in those regions, the Spark EV might be a better fit than a vehicle like the Volt," a GM spokesman told Design News in 2011.
Industry analysts believe GM's introduction of the Spark EV is also an effort to comply with California's looming ZEV mandate. "There's an argument that they're selling them in markets outside California, so it's supposedly not just a compliance issue," Kevin See, an analyst for Lux Research, told Design News. "But the ZEV mandate really is the primary reason for rolling it out. Obviously, that's why it's coming out in California first."
The rollout comes at a time when battery-electric vehicles are still struggling. A study by J.D. Power released in November contended that American consumers still have little interest in EVs, and will continue to be uninterested for some time to come. Nissan sold just 6,791 Leafs through October, according to caranddriver.com.
See believes that the low sales figures will continue with the Spark. "My response is a shrug of the shoulders," See told us. "They're not going to sell a ton of Spark EVs."
I perceive that the Spark is primarily marketed for in-city and suburban driving, which would involve only short spans at 65MPH model.
We'll have to see what sorts of range numbers come back from ... well, forget GM, and take EPA numbers with a bag of rock salt; I'll listen to Consumer Reports. :-)
From what I've seen so far of the Spark, which is very little, I'd find the Leaf more interesting. However, if the Spark does come back with a substantially larger real-world range (probably not likely), then that might change.
A DC Fast charge can do this but not a home charging system. The DC fast charge is in the 50KW range and isn't needed for home based charging. EV's have an on board charging system that operates at 3.3KW to 6.6KW resulting in a capacity recovery of 15miles of range per hour to 30 miles of range per hour. And to take advantage of lower electrical pricing, programable timers provide charging windows which are easy to setup and use.
I have been driving a LEAF for 19 months, completely trouble free. When I plug in to charge I don't wait to watch for it. It's like plugging in your phone to charge, plug in and when you are ready to go, unplug and go.
It's really hard to convince people that it works. Just look at all these comments - at least Design News is getting the story out.
Indeed. Range between "fill-ups," more specifically. "Fill-ups" taking 5 minutes once a week for a gasoline car, vs. 10-15 seconds nightly for a battery EV.
No, you just misunderstood it. This is attainable ONLY with an industrial-type charger hard-wired to 3-phase power (480VAC?). Even the 7-hour home recharger runs ONLY on a dedicated 240VAC line.
You are correct, Ratsky. And since I started this debate by not being specific enough, let me expand on this. SAE's DC fast-charge standard is for three-phase power. The vast majority of homes do not have three-phase (although I've heard of rare exceptions). But this is NOT THE ONLY type of charging called out in SAE's standard. SAE's J1772 standard specifies four kinds of charging: AC Level 1; AC Level 2; DC Level 1; and DC Level 2. AC Level 1 operates at 120V and recharges a battery-electric car in about 17 hours. AC Level 2 operates at 240V and recharges a battery-electric car in a range of times, from 1.2 hours to seven hours. Chevy Spark is CAPABLE of using DC Level 2 charging, which operates at voltages ranging from 200V to 500V, and currents up to 200A. With this type of charging, the Spark's battery can be charged to 80% capacity in as little as 20 minutes. But again, three-phase is generally used in industrial settings, although it is beginning to be employed in public charging stations. Most homes use single-phase, not three-phase, power. So if you charge at home, and if you have a dedicated 240V charger, you can re-charge the Spark in seven hours.
In Design News, much confusion about chargers, time, capacity. Very frustrating and aggravating to those of us who value our engineering profession and study before we publicly spew.
Cars with glove compartments in the back that house volatile, high energy storage connections are not hatch backs. They are emergency response calls waiting for a time and place.
Cars that demonstrate drag coefficiencts of .3 and above are not smart.
Cars with back doors that require you to be as agile as gumby and weigh less 120 lb. are not four doors.
EV are not ICE. Never will be. Not in range, load, power, or availability. ICE spew combustion products at point of use. EV cars spew energy generation combustion byproducts in somebody else's backyard. Stop having your thought processes being manipulated by marketers and regulators.
Compliance cars benefit the manufacturers not the consumers. Their distribution(sale) should be by lease only.
The fact that EV cars have so little range and are so complex as to be likely incapacitated or unsafe to drive with as little as a 5 MPH collision, their location and status should be continuously monitored and retrieved like rental cars. If you want freedom, you don't want an EV. You want a harley.
The fact that the front grill and the "fuel" hatch look like an ICE configuration should tell us that the designers are not being smart. They're hood-winking us. We should be offended.
Charles--has there been any mention of Federal rebates relative to purchase? $25K for this car, in my opinion, is excessive and it definitely would be a "commuter car" and not used for long road trips or a lengthy commute. I would expect some monetary incentives to be a necessity to promote sales.
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