Spark EV Review - Bought used for ~$11k
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ธ.ค. 2017
- This Chevy Spark EV review is the longest video yet for reviewing a car. I really like Electric Vehicles (EVs) and chevrolet got it right with this one in so many ways! The DC fast charging blows the leaf out of the water... and the Bolt too of all things.. regarding the charge curve at least
Spark EV battery video from chevy here: • 2014 Chevrolet Spark E...
Funny commercial for the spark ev here:
• Chevy Spark EV more to...
News Columb video for bolt fast charging here: • Chevy Bolt EV Selma EV... - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
![ภาพนี้ก็ฮาเหมือนกันนะเนี้ย #1 SS8 [ พากย์นรก MEME.EXE ] | easy boy](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ytc50m91QK8/mqdefault.jpg)
What's up guys, if for some crazy reason I am the one who helped you make the change to an EV .... AND you decided to go with a new Tesla.... well, I have a referral code you can use to get some sort of perk when you buy it (perks constantly changing). I get some kickback from Tesla too. Here it is: ts.la/jonathan33053 . If you decide to go with a new Tesla and i am NOT the one who persuaded you but another person who is actively engaging online to educate you about Tesla did, ask them if they have a referral code. If they are an owner they will have one. As for Nissan, I've got no sort of perk plan I could help you with. Same with Chevy, I got nothing. The Leaf and the Spark EV are still all over the used market and very much worth it when it comes to low cost EVs. Also, tesla.com/used is a source for used Tesla vehicles with a warranty. We are currently in the early stages of that experience and i plan to make a video regarding it soon (bought and received the car but there are issues being worked out). I will add any EV related videos to my EV playlist. Finally, I recommend autotrader.com for looking for used EVs in the US. Keep on charging!
TRY to HELP you own both the Leaf and the Spark but which one you prefer if you got to pick just one.
Workaround for the screen not coming on when you open the door: close the door and open it again. It's annoying but you can see your state of charge.
@@Angel-gc6fv spark for commute and longevity. Only get the leaf if you need the fifth seat.
@@samueljackson856 right, thanks. But the thing is it is inconsistent. Sometimes on first open it shows. Sometimes it doesn't.. strange.
@@TRYtoHELPyou then just check the SoC in the Chevy/onstar app. Then you don't even have to go out to the car. Duh...
14:53 "I really prefer the blue balls" - said no other guy, ever.
Haha
I own a 2014 Spark EV as well as a 2017 Bolt EV. I love them both. The Bolt obviously has some things that are better, but the sheer power to weight ratio of the Spark always keeps me coming back for more.
does the 2014 also have the DC fast charge feature?
@@samueljackson856 yes on later 2014s models, not early 2014s
Give me a 2014 Spark (which I own) with a Bolt range any day. Love this little bastard.
one day. one day.
does the 2014 have dc fast charge?
Yes, the small size and styling of the Spark is better.
Great review man I am very excited about getting this car as my first ever car this Monday! This review just made even more impatient to get it haha!
glad to hear :) welcome to the EV Club!
The best club! I am vegan and I try to reduce my environmental impact as far as possible and practicable so EVs are PERFECT for that! Love them
After 2 years of owning your spark ev how do you like it?
Awesome review! I own a 2014 Spark EV which has the full 400 ft-lbs of torque.
Very quick is an understatement. I've accumulated 22,000 miles on it. I love this
car more than any car I've ever owned. I've seen every review there is about this
car on TH-cam and your review Is the best one to date. Yeah, sure it's not the most technical.
There's a lot of people out there that don't want to hear about all the technical's.
What I got from your review was that the car was cheap to operate and FUN TO DRIVE!
Your narration was so entertaining. Very funny at times. Thanks for what you do and keep
it up. I'm now a lifetime subscriber.
Chris Zeitvogel thanks for the good words! Of all the reviews that dive into the technical stuff... They never take shots of what's under the hood. Crazy huh? Glad to see another spark EV owner out there!
The jittery feeling in steering when you give it the beans is called "torque steer". I was hacking the Volt/Spark and took a break (sad story)... learned a lot. The reason the range gauge is so accurate is because you're limited to the middle of the HV pack by GM. Along with a russian dude we discovered developer mode and found the whole center console runs windows ce. (i installed winamp because it really whips the llamas ass). We released what we found in the decompiled code. More can be found by googling "chevy 20110827". Fun review, keep it up.
JuliansRandomProject Can you add backup camera AND the unique Spark EV charging screens and menus?
backup camera, yes. not sure about the menu screens, never tired
JuliansRandomProject Do I need a Russian guy to install the back up camera? Or is it fairly simple?
You should hack a Tesla next.
@@JuliansRandomProject were you able to get more performance out of it?
Omg thank you! I'm getting a new one off of carvana on Monday! I'm so excited! Your review was thorough, concise, and funny!
Thanks, gratz and welcome to the club! Still have mine and I really like it.
Fun fact, on EVs the throttle is not wide open, it is wide closed
This comment has some potential.
I want one now! Do more reviews of this Spark please! 😬
Excellent review btw
It took me 7 and a half minutes to realize you were saying pro and not BRO! lol liked this review a lot though
Thank you for the light-hearted and detailed review. It was most enjoyable and informative. We're going to test drive one today so this vid is great for perspective. Keep up with the outstanding reviews!
thanks for the good words! EVs are great, i wish you well on your search/testdrive.
@@TRYtoHELPyou Thank you! We are now proud owners of a fully electric car. Loving the Fiat 500e 😁
Just found out about this car.
I really enjoyed your review!
You're videos are great buddy. very funny and so much interesting than the rest... "Like a ninja!"
+Robb McDonnell thanks for the good words :)
I think this is the best piece of work I’ve ever seen on demonstrating a car you are excellent
I have a 2014 GAS Spark. I loved this review and think it would be a great car to have! Thanks for making this!
Thanks for the good words. Glad you liked it. I hope you get to drive one of the electric no ones at least once. It will make you laugh quite a bit because the power in some cases is too much. It's really quick and fun.
Really helpful (and entertaining) video! This has solidified my desire to buy a Spark, thanks for all the down-to-earth observations and thorough analyses!
thanks! The spark EV is a fun one. I have my sights on a used Tesla though.... one day.... Maybe even the new Model 3.. if you can wait a year or two (must reserve a Model 3), i highly suggest getting a model 3.... or if you have 50 thousand dollars, look into a used model S from tesla.. I think the maintenance costs you will want to pay up front, but its a magnificent car. Plus, you can take it on road trips... But if all you can afford is an 11k car like i did, then yes. The Spark is super awesome!
www.tesla.com/used
I know I'm a little late to the comment party for this video but thanks for it as it helped me to follow through and purchase a 2016 Spark EV 9mos ago. Now with some ownership time I can say your review was pretty spot on. This car is great! As a retired guy this car fits my needs perfectly, however, my only gripe is I enjoy it so much my 2004 GTO is not getting much love lately. My car is a 2LT and one thing that is a surprising pro is how easy it is to clean the seats after a trip to the dog park and muddy paws.
I love your driving and monologue. This looks like a great around the city car or going back and forth to work
Fantastic video - made me buy one for myself - thanks for doing all this
+David Keane thanks for the good words. Wow, that simple huh? The car is totally worth it! I almost have 7k miles on it. I keep hearin about people who have spent thousands less than I too. So there are possibly more good deals to be had. Better ones.
Yeah! I am going to look at my local Chevy dealer who currently has 3 2015s in stock for $7000!
oh my that is an amazing price!
I actually watched the whole video! Great reviews. More practical than many other "professional" but cheesy reviews. What year is your Spark?
Thanks for the good words :) 2016 and I'm loving it! Dude.... Yeah. Go test drive one for fun. It will be hilarious. Stupid fast. The other day a tundra was wide open and couldn't pull away or ahead untill I let off (speeding is not good you know). They just don't see it coming :D
This is the best review I've ever seen in my life
Thanks for the video!!! Honestly when I started I figured I'd watch for 10 minutes and see what I wanted and switch. Watched all half hour lol.
Thanks for the good words and I'm glad you watched it. Believe it or not I watch it a double speed at least once every two months. I really like the spark. Now you gonna maybe buy an EV?!
@@TRYtoHELPyou I'm really thinking about it. Bolt seems the best all around but I like the sparks lower price tag used and honestly I mostly drive 12 miles round trip to work and do minor errands. Seems like a good fit.
I had a 2014 Chevy Spark via lease. I could never make friends with the size but it's so damn efficient.
man.... im makin all the friends from the size of my car..... its like a friends magnet....
Thank you for the in depth video. Give us more car reviews!!!
Thanks for the good words. Definitely want to. Maybe I will sooner than later
I really like your attitude and personality, I was entertained the entire time no matter what you talked about, you even made the floaty ball entertaining, most people wouldn't even mention it, but you made it funny!
Thanks for the food words :)
I own a 2015 Spark EV and I thought this review was awesome! Very accurate, both on the pros and cons! I wish this review was around when I was deciding to buy this car because it literally covers everything. I love my Spark EV! Just wanted to let you know that I think this review rocks.
this is an enjoyable review. good job!
I appreciate the good words, thanks :) glad you enjoyed it
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I'm so excited to watch because I loved the Leaf review!! =S
Still the best Spark EV review ever.
Thanks for that. I did not lightly say that in the beginning of the review. It's a challenge more than anything. I think of Doug got a hold of one of these cars he would kill it tho... So just don't tell Doug. Yeah :)
What year?
Great review! I have a solution to bypass the charge delay. I found in the Manual if you plug in the car wait till the green indicator on the dash starts flashing for delay charge indication then unplug and plug in again within 10 seconds and for that session you will charge immediately! Thanks again for the great review!
Thanks, yep I ended up seeing this later on... Thanks for the good words!
I'm grateful for your long video. I'm going to be an owner in about a week (shipping from Cerritos CA to LV, NV), I will add and subtract some of your ideas on mine.
Glad to hear I could provide info. The spark will be perfect for that climate. It's best to keep it plugged in on those super hot days. However, if it has plenty of charge the battery thermal management works even when not plugged in and parked. The AC pump is oversized to be able to cool the battery and the cabin so when it goes full blast the AC gets really cold. Enjoy the car!
Most excellent video! You talk about the real, everyday stuff people experience with their cars, not super techno talk. I just picked up a silver ‘15 with the DC fast charge option. Just came off lease for under $10K with 18K miles. This is a second car for commuting. I too was putting too many miles on my main car, a ‘17 CT6 Plug-in, so she’ll be parked for the weekends while the Spark does the heavy hauling.
Thanks for the good words and welcome to the club!
Very good review. Had fun listening and learning.I just bought a off leased Ford Fusion Energi.
+Ellipse40FD thanks for the good words. Gratz on joining the plug in club! You will soon have the itch to get a pure EV i bet. You will be saving with that fusion energy in fuel cost tho...
Thanks for showing us you Blue Balls @ 14:50.
Hey man just got my 2016 spark EV same color as yours, I love it! But I have some issues with it I wanted to ask you about, first of all when I charged it fully through DC fast charging it got to 100% and all but the range is only 77 miles, it is supposed to go up to 82 but this seems very low even for a used car, it is 3 years old with 25 K miles on it used, is this decreased range normal for those specs? Also the speedometer screen turned off mid drive once out of nowhere! That was scary, you couldn't see your speed or range or anything, has this ever happened to u and do you know how to fix it? The battery was not low or anything, it just happened randomly once and haven't happened since.
Gratz! As for the miles reading, it jumps around based on your driving habits. Mine says 58 to 60 miles on a full charge because it's winter and I use the heat a lot. The radio turned off on me once. That was it. Summer time will have your range increase. When sitting for long periods, don't have the car in a fully charged state and your battery will likely last longer/degrade slower. For instance, mine is at about 75 percent. I have depart charge time set and will leave right when it is done in the morning. The car has almost 19k miles. As for degradation, 77 is very good when compared to a Nissan leaf. Tesla is the only company vi know that keeps the EPA estimate on the screen readout (if you have 'rated' selected). They are really good at EVs. The spark tho, I still have mine and plan on keeping it a LONG time. Stick around. I will have a hitch video coming out soon. Gratz again!
P.s. I am doing rapid fire responses to comments. Forgot I replied to your others earlier. But just for good measure, welcome to the club! (Again :)
Nice job. I've had a couple of the Spark EVs and you are spot on with Pros/Cons. We purchased a Bolt a few weeks ago and I still won't give up the 2014 Spark. 1 1/2 years / 22,000 miles later in the AZ heat no battery degradation.
+droid2084 tks for the good words. Great batteries! I noticed at a full charge, according to a volt app i downloaded, the highest voltage was 4.08v at the cell level... that is very conservative if true and i hope to do more research soon. They really seem to know how to take care of battery management. Glad to hear you are liking your EVs! That bolt is an entirely different type of EV im certain you will enjoy. Gratz on getting it too!
Love your style, man! I am looking at used EV's, mostly "Compliance Cars" that have made it to the Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois area. This was very helpful, Thanks! Prices went way up in 2021 for same cars, though!!
Tks for the good words. Yeah, used car prices will go down when people are not buying as much. If there was a major pause to purchases for a few months then prices would prolly adjust.
love your video PRO!!
Fantastic review! I have the Sparky EV as well and I love it. It does most things way better than the Leaf but like you said, a few things are terrible. I recently discovered a great way to extend the cold weather range. I use an electric blanket that plugs into the 12 V outlet and turn the heater off. It only draws four watts and along with the seat warmers keeps me toasty warm.
Benjamin Greenberg Please make a video!
Fact Check. 4 watts wouldn't warm a finger.
I have put 43K miles on my'14 Spark EV and I bet my cold weather is cold than yours...jk.
I'm considering velcro-ing in a clear sheet of window film behind the front seats and heating only that area.
Mine is also a Cali 'Buy-Back' car that was trailer to Ohio where I bought it and towed it home to KC.
It has been FLAWLESS for 2.5 years !!
Fantastic review. Buying a used 2015 Spark tomorrow for a little over $8000usd in Seattle area. Pretty excited. Your review helped me decide after the Bolt just wasn't coming together for us financially.
This will be an amazing 8k spent. I still have the Spark EV. Love it!
Great informative and entertaining video 👍🏻👍🏻
thanks for the good words!
Nice review. Amusing commentary. Keep it up.
it's summer 2019, you convince me, I will buy a 2016 Spark EV. Thanks for this video! O! You are a funny guy! :)
Thanks. Glad I could help. As long as it fits your needs, range wise, to oh will love it!
Great review! your review actually changed my mind, was going to wait and get a Electra Meccanica: SOLO $16,250 MSRP, but your review changed my mind and got me to purchased a 2016 Chevy Spark EV. I got it from a local dealership too, a small dealership. It wasn't that expensive either. It had 23,300 miles on it. It is a black Spark EV. which looks great in that color, IMO. Great interior too, the gray inside mix with black is a nice touch. In all, I am happy with the purchase. The "SOLO" is a fun ride, test drove it too, but the whole thing of it only having 1 seat and costing over $16K, basically $18,000 after taxes and registration fee and other dealerships added stuff, It pretty much would've been a bad buy. I got the 2016 Spark EV for around $10,300...and with a $2000 down. My monthly payment for the EV is nothing! especially since I am saving lots of money on gas. There are also free charging stations near my place, one of them is close to a library. I can just park there, for 4 free hours of charging, and just do work there and relax. I am very happy. :) The Solo is still a nice fun ride, but I think the price should be a lot lower. I think people will buy it just to that looks from others, and to pretty much collect it as a very interesting looking car. Oh well! thanks for the review.
Awesome review! Seems like a highly underated ev. If I had more CCS around me I would definitely look at one. Just got my used Model S and keeping my Leaf. Really like the Leaf better still.
+Neil Mayo ooohhhh eeemmmm geeee! Grats on the model S... pullin the trigger on that... i still am not ready.... im jealous tho... model S is an excellent choice.. wanna talk about charge speed? U got us all beat with that... puts your leaf to shame in that realm too.. keeping both EVs is a great choice too.
"Like a ninja!". Love the videos - I can't get one of these in UK but.. Awesome Dude! Is there a button for that????
Steve Charnock thanks for the positivity and good words!I shall petition an awesome button!
You're really good. Excellent. I watch your videos serval times.
I actually made it through an EV review. Amazing video!
This.... This is shocking!
I’ve been waiting for this! If you’re ever in Ohio, you’re welcome to steal my Bolt for the day/weekend and review it.
Great video! Thanks!
+Bill L thanks!
Love your sense of humor and general demeanor. Great info on a car I had dismissed. Too bad they stopped making it.
yeah, too bad. the bolt tho, if you are willing to pay the 10k more than this one cost, gives much more than the spark by way of range and space. Not DC fast charging though, this little spark still beats it out when you consider the speed vs. state of charge percentage. Bolt still is fast enough to use.
The active liquid-cooled battery seems like a much better idea than passive air-cooled LEAF. Why Nissan did not add this to new LEAF is baffling. I'd rather pay a little more to have it, especially for multiple fast charge road trips.
+RVA Andy yeah... they cool the fluid using the AC system too... as for the new leaf... i think they are just thinking on the volume with the manufacturing and that no active cooling saves them a large amount of money vs. the opposite. Im absolutely loving the spark... my wife prefers it too in many instances. Its fun to drive. Also, the spark battery heats up too. I see the temp go from freezing ish to high 40s Low 50s when its plugged in during preconditioning. 110 or 220. My leaf has a heater but it doesnt kick in till really low temps.
A couple of days ago, I learned from Bjorn Nyland's channel (Tesla Bjorn), that the Nissan ENV200 (minivan that shares most LEAF components) actually has active air cooling (akin to Kia Soul, Hyundai Ioniq, Mit IMIEV, etc)! I'm "guessing" that due to larger vehicle weight and capacity, they had no choice. Very interested to know the impact on degradation. There's a guy in the UK who has a channel (Ian Simpson), who has a LEAF leased and an ENV200 who might be a good resource for this....
Correction, Ian Sampson is his name. Also, I believe, there is an American Expat(?) living in Japan (YT Channel: ElectricJourneys Japan), that owns a first gen LEAF and ENV200, and has a ~2 hours of test driving video content with the 2018 Leaf. It's good stuff if you're interested or have little to no life like me ;)
thelondonbroiler I'm a huge EV geek too, and subscribe to all of the channels you mentioned :)
I refuse to buy another EV without active cooling for that reason. I was spoiled by my Spark EV as my first EV. When I bought a used Nissan it was a nightmare in my triple digit heat out here.
Wow useful information!!! at 17:47 For the same amount of time and money Spark added 3-4 more kWh. Really impressive that it can charge so fast
nah man, it added 3-4 more kWh in way less time. 13 mins less. check out the time betwen the price and the kWh added. in this case i was charged the "minimum" charge to charge by chargepoint.
Holy shit, I didn't think I'd be laughing so hard during a car review. You're hilarious man, thanks for making videos.
I have to admit, that was a pretty darn good review. I was thinking of just getting a new Ioniq but now I'm going to look at getting a Spark EV for less than half.
Thanks for the good words. An Ioniq would be a wonderful choice. But yes, the Spark EV truly shines right now with its cost. (looking at selling our leaf and getting a used tesla, the EV bug has bitten hard)
Cup holders! The front cup holders are "offset" for lack of a better term. Think of two take out cups, the offset takes advantage of the typical taper that cups have allow them to sit upright instead of the rims pushing against each other.
It staggers them. If that makes any sense.
Great review!
Thanks for the explanation however i don't think i said it clearly in the review. The diameter of one is larger than the other, measurably. Also, he depth of one is deeper than the other, measurably. Very strange. I didnt mention this at all. The slot between the two lets you put a normal coffee mug in there with the handle going down the slot area.... open coffee mug is not a thing for me while driving.
Do you still have the Spark EV? If so...more videos about it please?! 🙏😃
These were a best by for the years it was made. Used I think it's still a best buy. I use a TORQUE AP and OBDII unit to monitor lots of great data. I can even see the BATTERY CAPACITY. My dealer couldn't even pull that data.
Awesome review, I'm so glad someone made a review this thorough on such an odd ball car. I'm pretty broke but this car seems like the best value for the money in my price range in terms of fun and practicality. I have my eye on a couple and I think I'm gonna go for it.
If you find one buy it. Thet are the most fun you can have for 8-10 grand. They have an 8 year 100,000 mile battery warranty. This little car really scoots. I get 65-90 miles per charge if I can keep my foot out of it. The 2016 infotainment is upgraded so you can use google maps and car play. Get one with ccs dc fast charging, very quick charging. I found an Lt1 with 20,000 miles for 8500. You just can't beat that.
@@matthews8576 Good news, I found one! I bought a 2014 for $7,250. Going from a 1995 civic with no AC to this is amazing. It has DCFC, which is fantastic. There's a free 24kw DCFC right by my house, which sadly just broke but is getting fixed soon. I'm so happy to join the EV club! And I didn't have to settle, this car is great
I have a 17 Bolt EV. I prefer the more colorful display and I am disappointed Chevy has not put that style into their other vechiles. I really like the spark EV especially after this review and I think we will be getting a Used spark EV for our second car to replace our aging 95 Civic. I find that I only drive 40-60 miles a normal day in average and only have to charge twice a week. That's plenty of empty charger time so both cars can share the same charger. Thank you for your good review.
Wow! $.13 per kWh...I found out mine is $.0511 per kWh flat rate! I really like my 2019 Chevy Bolt! You have inspired me years ago to get an EV! Thanks!
Just bought one for my son...Thx for the review...
Gratz!
Hey! Thank you so much for the upload-- I was wondering how the battery has been holding up since you uploaded the video. Has the range remained the same? How has the multiple times a day fast charging affected the battery life? Thanks for reading. You've inspired me to get a Spark
Thanks for the good words. The battery has been near bullet proof. Have a little over 20k miles. Fast charging has not seemed to have worn it down prematurely. Also, I recently depleated the battery in around 20/30 minutes while towing. That was kind of scary (steep climb and kept up with traffic) I thought I did some damage to the battery but it has been several charges sonce and it seems to be recalculating back to near original capacity. Unless you find one for around 9 grand or less, I suggest finding an ev with longer range. We also have a Tesla model S we bought used from tesla.com/used and we are very pleased with that car (S 85) also, check out the Chevy bolt (with a B) if you have the means, they are going for around 20k used and go much farther than the spark. 40k? Consider a Tesla . Final remark, I suppose, I do not regret buying the spark and still really like it.
@@TRYtoHELPyou It would certainly be an investment otherwise, haha. I've caught a few Sparks on Craigslist ranging from $5-8K. An alternative would be a Leaf, which doesn't seem to maintain its battery life as well. I like the Bolt very much, but alas, it's out of my price range. Thank you for the thorough response! Range anxiety is a cruel beast.
Fun review!!
I wish you reviewed all cars. haha. too damn funny. you really need to start doing more car reviews
I appreciate this comment. I do feel the same, time and work and covid really have put a slow down to the norms. TKS for the good words :)
YAAS! The Spark EV review cometh!
its a big one too... lil too big im thinkin
TRY to HELP you No way, it's a fun one!
+Andy Berry also, MB still had a couple spark EVs posted on auto trader. Under 10k now... Good deals I would say!
TRY to HELP you The buybacks still scare me, but I'm tracking a 2015 at VroomDC right now. I have no idea if there is any difference in '15 and '16 models.
So how does it do on snow and ice upstairs hills and curves? And also would you take a cross country trip with this?
Great video! How has it been owning the Spark of over one year? does your home charging station fit your Spark and Leaf? Any issues sharing 2 EVs on one home charger?
Thanks for the good words. Owning those cars has been good. The charging EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) both use j1772, so yes. As for issues sharing one charger, sort of.... so i have many. Its just like if you had to plug in two phones but only had one charger... yep... BTW, we bought a model S in october... may do a video soon on that. Car was great, experience..... well they have room to improve. Tesla is growing and doing better.
"makes me feel like im in a washing machine" made me laugh so hard!
Glad :D
What to look for when buying an used spark EV and what's the best year to buy? Debating between spark EV, used leaf or new maverick ford hybrid truck
I wonder if it is possible to muffle the sound leaking in the passenger compartment by putting some batting over rear side doors and rear hatch back.. and to preserve ability to see the rear add a rear facing camera (whixh could also be used as a back up camera)?
Bypassing charge timer.
On my Volt if charge timer is selected you can bypass it by disconnecting then reconnecting the charge cable. Wroth a try on your Spark.
yep, this works. the comments below it was mentioned by others as well. thank you!
Sounds like a fun car. I'll seriously consider getting (cheap) one for myself after the family gets a Leaf too! I like small cars you can toss around
I'm thinking about buying a used Spark EV. I might move to Minneapolis in a year and I'm in Denver now. How does it do in cold snowy weather, hopefully I'll be able to live in a way that I can leave the car at home on snow days. Thanks! Great review!
Charge timer... To override it when you want to charge immediately plug in, unplug, plug in and it will start charging immediately. Nice video.
Note: 1. For parking distance use a ball on a string to pratice with?
I gave five stars.
Thank you for this incredible car I bought an EV Spark from Blake it had only 64 electric miles charge coming home from your dealer ship you said I should be in the 20's on the charge suprise I was like 35 miles left that's taking the freeways to get home. I am impressed. I did a charge and it would only charge up to 84 full charge but after a few days of driving to my wife's work it went to 88 full charge and then 95 to full charge. My wife works a total of a little over 10 miles one way and 20 miles round trip. I start out at 95 electric miles I did a round trip and through regeneration I came back with 88 Electric miles the 20 miles at a loss of 7 electric miles with 95 electric miles divided by 7, I should be able to make 13.57 round trip trips so at 20 miles x 13.57 times would equal over 270 miles off of one charge. Today we had a full charge 100 miles the car keeps readjusting my miles
My wife's comments she started off with 100 electric miles Vicky's first day driving to work she texts:
"I'm at work now, I got 94 in my battery Hon. It was good, so smoothly nice car Honey!😍😍"
Like I said I am impressed Thank You once again Blake We are very happy for our Chevy Spark any one who wants please contact Blake because I have offered my contact number with him I can give hints on driving an electric car to get the most out of it ?
Thanks for the good words and grats on the new-to-you car. Mine is showing summer ranges above 90 estimated. The winter time will reduce the range quite a bit so keep that in mind. If you live in an area like me where it goes below 32 degrees, you will see it fall to around 60 miles per charge showing at the end of a charge. What is interesting is Tesla seems to be the only company who is sticking to the EPA estimate to how many kWh go into the battery. I like that better but the spark, we still have, and is just a great car. Keep an eye out for a video i am working on where i install a hitch.... pretty cool stuff.
What sunglasses are those? Love the video btw
Go to Amazon and find sunglasses that for over glasses. Choose the 9 dollar ones and you can be just like me :) glad you enjoyed the vid. Man I love EVs.... We bought a Tesla model S used two months ago now. Totally different world
I bought new 2018, Chevrolet Spark LS, Gas Engine. I believe around 39 MPG. Yes....Radio is not great. Two speakers in front and two in door. Mind does have back up camera and Bluetooth, 7in touch screen. And OnStar. For the price with tax $14,200 not a bad car to run errands. And to me it's a GM. Or in name. My current mileage is around 8K.
I had thought of that EV
Spark. California, does offer a good lease on the electric cars.
For Los Angeles traffic, I'm pleased. Thank you
Hey, did you have a bluetooth obdII plugged in? And if so, what software are you using to monitor the car with? Just bought one, taking delivery on Saturday. And you're right, the acceleration, just nuts.
Gratz! Pretty sure you will like the car :) as for the OBDII, yes Bluetooth. I used some Chevy volt app and it only read out top, low and average voltage of the pack. Im still looking for a good app for the car.
@@TRYtoHELPyou Sounds good. I bought a 2015 spark ev. Lovin it! Let me know if you find something.
Do you still have it?
If yes, how's your battery capacity and battery life? Thinking of getting one as a second car along my Volt
Still have yes. Battery cap showing 12 to 14 ish kWh according to the in car circle delay Bob on the infotainment screen. I have towed some heavy stuff with it (see my hitch video) and I may have degraded the battery due to towing at an awesome rate. 65 miles showing on full. I keep AC on or heat in winter. Would not buy again due to uncertainty of future work situation. I do use it frequently and still enjoy driving it. I must say, when driving it you may experience what I call "small car syndrome". Lots of drivers around me drive too close and are unwilling to just pass.
Great job! I have a Volt and I an sold that this WILL be my next car!
Nice :) glad I could help! I still really like our spark EV. Be sure to research the Bolt EV, it's good too if you have the money. And for a bit more, tesla.com/used has good choices.
TRY to HELP you
Thanks again. My ultimate goal is to get into a Tesla. One day. One. Day.
Update: I got a Spark LT2 through CARVANA! So I charged the battery and it says I have 71 miles of range. Has your Spark lost any range?
@@jeffreykistner5872 Did yours get better with time? Or?
Would love to get ahold of one, but super rare. Nice grab!
if you are in the states you can find one fairly easily on autotrader.com Super rare would definitely be a Cadillac ELR or whatever that Volt equivalent was. Less than 3k made i hear.
If the charging works the same as on the Volt, you can plugin, then pull the charge cable out and plug back in (within a couple seconds) to bypass the delay charge to charge immediate.
You know what, I have found this out. And I don't know if it's in the manual but YES the spark does this too. And it's a pain in the but if your connector is having issues because you unplug and then plug in then do it again and it goes back to sched or something. Anyway, yes, spark does do this too.thanks for the comment!
Just set the car to always charge immediately in the settings. That's what I did on mine. No fiddling with the charge cord, just plug in and walk away.
I'm saving for a Spark EV, they're so affordable in the secondary market and have low miles.
Bet you loving the little spark today :) love my little leaf.
Nice, leafs are good. Yep to the spark. Still got it. We bought an S too... But I like the spark it is mine. Can fit anywhere :)
@@TRYtoHELPyou Nice :)
Does the passenger seat fold flat so you can put (somewhat) long cargo in it?
Not really but lean it back and 8 foot 2x4s can fit from footwell over seats toward back and/or out window
Dude! I love this and the leaf review. I'm trying to decide between the two for an Arizona, 20 mile round trip commute. I also have a little one at home, and hopefully having more.
Which would you prefer? Mostly looking at battery longevity. 2015 Nissan Lizzard Battery... Vs. Chevy Spark EV 2014 or later.
Appreciate it!
Jonah Reinholz thanks for the good words! If you don't need the 5th seat and space is not an issue, go with the spark.its thermal management system for the battery is necessary for your neck of the woods. Know that it does take up some energy but you are saving yourself a headache down the road if you plan on keeping the car. Go to a local Tesla shop in the summer. It's funny. All the cars are on cooling the batteries because the ambient temperature is so high. Also, they turn on cabin AC (this is Tesla) and keep the cabin uat or under 115f, if I'm not mistaken. "Lizard" battery or not, I don't think the leaf is a good choice when comparing the two... Now if you have the money, look at used Chevy Bolts. That would be primo....
how would type the ev version of the spark in google for used one i keep getting only the gas versions ..no option to sellect drive train in many sites to buy used cars?
TRY to HELP you yeah, cost is King right now. There's a used 2015 lt2 with about 20K miles, selling for a firm 8K. I have a used super Dependable Prius, so not sure if it's the right time to pull the trigger
@TRY to HELP you
What are your thoughts on the Volt? Seems like I could be using it as EV 99% OF the time and have the benefit of the battery with an amazing track record.
28:20 - That's an issue with a lot of cars, especially eco-cars. The hoods are usually slanted at a very similar angle as the windshield to help create a 'wedge' shape to enhance the aerodynamics. This has an unintended consequence of making the hood impossible to see from the inside of the car. I had the same issue after getting my 2014 Volt. Fortunately my car has parking sensors, but those don't detect small things like sign posts and parking stops (Most cars will clear a parking stop, but the Volt has such low clearance that I have to be careful with those).
Mount these on your bumper and you will be able to better judge. www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200321754_200321754?cm_mmc=Google-pla&Google_PLA&Snow%20%2B%20Ice%20Removal%20%3E%20Snowplow%20Accessories&Buyers%20Products&gclid=CjwKCAjw9qfZBRA5EiwAiq0AbWUGsQ6fLyO86JTNHCrNpt-uWYvYpjBjCeV9nypr9c5yhXQafN2VmBoCQSsQAvD_BwE
Confirmed -- this is the best Chevy Spark EV review there ever was.
:)
I wanted to know how you felt almost a year down the line, and degradation of the battery, etc?I wanted to pick up a used 2016 chevy spark ev in the next few months!
Your use of past tense is confusing however I will answer in hopes that you still want to know :) . Battery degradation seems non existent. I have almost 10k miles on it. Love the car still. We recently bought a used Tesla model S and like the 200+ mile range. The spark very much fills it's role as the go to work and get around town car.
This is the review that made my decision easier to get a Spark over a Volt. I really want to go all electric but dropping$35k on a Tesla right now is hard. I'm going to take advantage of a state offering to buy back my current car, an 01 Civic and they'll give me around $7500, good for a healthy down payment on a Spark. Gotta have DC fast charging. I go to work and back 99% of the time my commute is 50 miles RT. Free level 2 charging at work, plus free charging at any of our stores, and about 15 L2 chargers less than a mile from my apartment so I should be good. Just remember to charge every day.
My Chevy Spark EV is amazing, so glad I got an EV! Once I have my Raptor 2 I'll have it fully charged in the trunk, then while my car charges at a station (and everything else in it, laptop etc) I'll ride the Raptor around while it charges. Then, while I drive to the next destination the Raptor 2 will be charging in the trunk. Rinse and repeat. (just need to verify it can still charge if not provided enough wattage) :D Free data service (400MB/month) at the push of a button to make the car into a WiFi hotspot (FreedomPop mini router)? Yea, I'll have that too! ;)
Well I bough a spark ev last night gonna take some time to get the range anxiety out of the way, ended up getting it for $9500 with 14.000 on it's a 2015 white with cloth interior thanks for the video with all the information, one last question which home charger did you go with and why?
Glad you enjoy the vid. Congratz on the EV club entrance! i have several versicharge EVSEs because i got them for a deal on ebay. I would suggest chargepoint because it seems to be good overall though. I also bought one off of amazon for 200 bucks but they no longer sell it. Get something with a warranty...I discovered these guys though amazing-e.com/ Look at them. As for your spark, it only charges at 3.3kw so that charger they make will be more than fine. Looks like its 266 on amazon right now.
TRY to HELP you one more question which amp charger am I looking for the 16amp or the 30 amp for the spark ev?
Jack-Spicer either works. However the spark only pulls 16.. a 30 amp EVSE is overkill however.. if you have the appropriate installation and the 30 amp EVSE installed.. you can charge cars with more powerful onboard chargers at the higher amperage.
TRY to HELP you ahh so no need to buy the 30amp one the spark is our only ev car
Jack-Spicer how is your spark EV doing?
Any update on this car after 1.5 years later?
Was in Korea for the better part of the last year. It didn't get driven much. Currently shows 78 miles when fully charged. Hoping to drain it all the way and recharge soon. (It did just pass 10k miles). We bought a Tesla model S in October from tesla.com/used. The pickup experience was bad. The condition of the car was not the best (I don't care about cosmetics or scratches). The service since has been great. The warranty has come in handy and the tech can come to your house in our area. I plan on doing a vid soon bout it.
Wow I actually enjoyed this rather unconventional review. Thank you. I've been planning to buy one of these for about 2 years. But so far can't get over my scares over range. I sit in traffic a lot. Most of mile 35 mile round trip is stop and go traffic. Could this car do that in one charge you think?
Sorry for replying to a two month old comment, but yes EVs in general do excellent in stop and go traffic. Instead of fueling a gasoline engine as it idles at 500-700rpm, you only "pay" for what you use in an EV. While stopped the battery is only being drained for heat/AC/lights/radio and not for the motor itself. The projected range will barely be affected unless you live in some extreme temperatures.
Is 60 miles round trip too much for this? I can plug it in to a 110 outlet during my workday.
No android phones work with this car? That what i caught during the review?
Which year is best? 14 15 or 16? I have a 15 here in toen for sale im going to check it out.
60 in the summer time is good, winter too but as the battery ages it looses capacity. 110 only charges 3 to 5 miles into the battery per hour (at 12 amp setting). Android Bluetooth works fine, no apple car play or Android auto. As for OBDII connection, that is what I discussed. The 2015/2016 years are better in my opinion due to the LG Chem batteries. The 2014 has lower gear ratio for higher torque but A123 batteries? Meh... Happy EV hunting! I still have the spark and really like it.
Glad you did this review. There is not that much information on this car. I don't think many people even know Chevy makes a more affordable EV. Used its not a bad little EV. Because it's efficient 6 miles per kWh like you said.the 19 kWh battery isn't a big deal.
Hey Jonathan, I am deciding between a 2016 Nissan Leaf for 10k and a 2016 Chevy Spark for 8k. Both have similar miles. What would you recommend?
Oh jeez man. I would buy the spark. Does it have DC fast charging? If so it is a beast. Also the battery will last longer due to active thermal management. Either car is good tho. The leaf is a bit more comfortable and has that fifth seat.... But the spark is much faster/40kw more power. Yup. Hope that helps.
Oh jeez man. I would buy the spark. Does it have DC fast charging? If so it is a beast. Also the battery will last longer due to active thermal management. Either car is good tho. The leaf is a bit more comfortable and has that fifth seat.... But the spark is much faster/40kw more power. Yup. Hope that helps.
Haha so many laugh moments. Thank you for this!
Thanks for the good words :)