Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Why SparkEV by SparkEV Blogspot

As of Sep. 2015, these are my reasons for SparkEV.

Look! Out on the road! It's quick! It's quiet! It's SparkEV!
Yes, it's SparkEV. A fantastic EV that's risen from the ashes of crushed EV1. SparkEV, which can out accelerate any new car under $20,000 in 0-60 mph and more efficient than any EV in its class. And who, disguised as a mild mannered five door subcompact car with safety of 10 air bags, fights a never ending battle to reduce importing oil from ISIS, Russia, Venezuela, and EV stereotype of over-priced, under-powered glorified golf cart that can only drive 80 miles a day.

1. SparkEV costs as low as $13,500, which is cheaper than Spark gas version.
Spark EV MSRP = $25,000 - $7500 (federal tax credit) - $4000 (CA rebate) = $13,500
Spark gas MSRP with automatic transmission = $15,100
*note: Income greater than 3 times poverty level qualify for only $2500 CA rebate. 3X poverty level is about $45,000/yr for single, bit over $60,000 for family of 3. Income greater than $250,000/yr do not qualify for CA rebate.

2. SparkEV lease could cost less than $1,500 used car.
SparkEV GM factory lease of $139/mo for 39 months with zero down = $5421
CA rebate = up to -$4000 (-$2500)
Total lease cost = $1421 ($2921)
*note: New car insurance is higher, but that's offset by fuel savings and practically zero repair and maintenance of SparkEV. Individual savings will vary depending on used car's condition, insurance premium, driving habits, and subsidy eligibility.

3. SparkEV is quickest new car under $20,000 in 0-60 mph, EV, gas, diesel or anything else.
SparkEV = 7.2 seconds ($13,500)
Mazda 3 with 2L engine / automatic = 7.7 seconds ($19,995)
VW Jetta with 1.8L Turbo / automatic = 7.4 seconds ($22,815)

4. SparkEV is quickest EV under $30,000 in 0-60 mph.
SparkEV = 7.2 seconds ($13,500)
Mitsubishi i-Miev = 13.0 seconds ($23,000-$11,500=$11,500)
Fiat 500e = 8.7 seconds ($32,600-$11,500=$21,100)
Nissan Leaf = 9.4 seconds ($32,950-$11,500=$21,450)
BMW i3 = 6.5 seconds ($43,395-$11,500=$31,895)
Tesla P90D = 2.8 seconds ($119,200-$11,500=$107,700)

5. SparkEV is most efficient EV under $30,000 (lowest use of imported oil) .
SparkEV = 119 MPGe ($13,500)
Mitsubishi i-Miev = 112 MPGe ($23,000-$11,500=$11,500)
Fiat 500e = 116 MPGe ($32,600-$11,500=$21,100)
Nissan Leaf = 115 MPGe ($32,950-$11,500=$21,450)
BMW i3 = 124 MPGe ($43,395-$11,500=$31,895)
Tesla 70D = 101 MPGe ($75,000(?)-$11,500=$63,500)
*note: US electric grid is energy independent in that it uses virtually no imported energy. Oil is up to 60% from imported sources (in 2006) such as Russia, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and "blame" Canada.

6. SparkEV can fast charge 80% in 20 minutes (able to drive over 1,000 miles in single day).
SparkEV with fast charge option = Combined charging system fast charge (CCS)
Fiat 500e = no fast charge available
Mercedes B class = no fast charge available
Nissan Leaf with fast charge option = Chademo fast charge
BMW i3 = Combined charging system fast charge (CCS)
Tesla Model S = Tesla Super charger
*note: 65 mph driving for 1 hour and 10 minutes to get off/on highway and 20 minutes to charge, get food/coffee, use bathroom would result in 44 mph average speed. 24 hours would result in theoretical 1056 miles. Without fast charge, even 130 miles would take upwards of 8 hours. Fast charge is a must for any EV.

7. SparkEV uses smallest battery in EV that gets over 80 miles range per charge.
SparkEV = 19.5 kWh, 82 miles range
Fiat 500e = 24 kWh, 87 miles range
Nissan Leaf = 24 kWh, 84 miles range
BMW i3 = 22 kWh, 81 miles range
Tesla P90D = 90 kWh, 300 miles range
Chevy Bolt = ??? (50kWh? 200 miles range?)
*note: Small battery means potentially lower replacement cost after warranty period of 8 years. It is estimated that Lithium battery raw material prices are around $100/kWh, an eventual lowest cost for battery.

8. SparkEV uses thermal management (liquid cooling) for battery.
SparkEV = liquid cooled thermal management
Nissan Leaf = blow hot air
Tesla P90D = liquid cooled thermal management
*note: Liquid cooled thermal management increases battery longevity and faster charging by better dissipating heat generated by charging and discharging process.

9. SparkEV is safe, practical, and works well with fostering homeless dogs.
SparkEV = 5 doors, 10 air bags (think of Pathfinder landing on Mars), high head room
Fiat 500e = 3 doors, difficult rear seat access when used with doggie barrier
Tesla P90D = would you want to have its leather interior covered with dog hair, windows splattered with drool, and sand on floor/seats from dog beach?
*note: Volunteer to foster homeless dogs and/or adopt foster dogs. It's a rewarding experience for humans and saves dogs' lives. SparkyV will thank you.

10. SparkEV has been sold out in much of So Cal since about mid May 2015. Reason is obvious; it's the best car for the money, EV or gas. Grab'em if you can before they sell out again!

If you want to see how SparkEV stacks up against other EV, see

http://sparkev.blogspot.com/2015/09/ev-ranking.html

4 comments:

  1. A question on performance: if you replace the Spark EVs stock 40 lb 12v lead acid battery with a 10 lb lithium battery. You make the car ~1% lighter, but you probably reduce the weight over the front wheels by 2%. This will slow launch but improve acceleration once the speed makes it non-traction limited. How do these graph out? What's the optimum battery weight for 0-60 mph?

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  2. I have a blog post dedicated to SparkEV performance. You can tweak the code to any way you see fit to run your scenario.

    http://sparkev.blogspot.com/2016/06/sparkev-performance-analysis.html

    As for saving 30lb, it won't change anything for 0-30 MPH since traction won't hold. It will be quicker from 30-60 MPH, but exact figure needs calculations since aerodynamics won't change and the result will be less than 1% quicker.

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  3. Thanks. There's a video on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aTA1f-cidY
    that shows a 2015 Spark pulling a peak power of 120 kw. With the quoted efficacy by GM of ~85% city ~92% highway, the true peak power may be a little more than 140 hp.

    My 2015 Spark EV gets delivered by truck tomorrow :-)

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  4. spark ev, I've seen the SPARK EV as the best deal and fastest charging electric for years. I was disappointed when Chevy stopped making them when the Bolt came out.
    Could you contact me directly. I've measured the DCFC and they seems to go right to 100% with no slow down. jstackeaa@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete