The last time we heard of anything stirring up the US electric car market was the second generation of Nissan LEAF which, with a huge price drop, extended range and upgraded warranty, appeared much more promising. And as it promised, Nissan has managed to significantly improve its US electric car sales numbers. The new LEAF, out in March this year, has consistently beaten its arch rival Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid in sales numbers. The vehicle, which reported modest sales of 400-500 units a month last year, has almost quadrupled sales year-over-year, so much so that the automaker’s US arm is struggling to meet demand.
Can GM, which has finally brought a more appropriate rival (in terms of fair comparison) to LEAF in the market, further charge it up?
The all-new Chevrolet Spark all-electric car has gone on sale in the US, though initially only in California and Oregon (GM plans to gradually expand sales to pan-US over the next year). The vehicle has been launched at a price of under USD20,000 after factoring in the US federal tax credit of USD7,500. That is almost at par with the base model of LEAF after credit, and is way below the price of other electric car rivals including Ford Focus electric, Honda Fit EV, Fiat 500e, and the other more comparably-sized Mitsubishi i-MiEV hatch.
GM seems to have got the price right, but that’s not all that matters. What about range? That’s another area where GM may have done its due, having awarded over 80 miles of real world range to the 3,500 pound car. That is made possible with a 21kWh battery pack containing over 330 cells and an 85kW electric motor, combining to deliver 400lb-ft of torque. Top speed of the car stands at 90mph and zero to 60mph takes about 7 seconds. Several car reviews describe the vehicle to be agile and fun to drive, handling smoothly and quite comfortable in front and rear despite the small frame.
The vehicle can be charged using a 120V charger which is included with the car; a 240 volt charger kit is optional. Spark EV is also claimed to be the first vehicle featuring the SAE J1772 combo connector which allows for fast DC charging of the battery (up to 80% capacity) in less than 20 minutes.
At an effective price under USD20,000 and the small power-packed EV, GM may have done a good job with Spark EV but skepticism on the vehicle being just a compliance car remains. And that will continue to be there until we see how well (or not) users embrace this newest electric car on the block. In a recent interview with Auto News, Cristi Landy, marketing director for Chevrolet’s small and electrified vehicles recognizes the challenge when she says, “The difficult thing is that it’s a small, slow-growing market that a lot of players are moving into”. GM executives are visibly wary of showing too much enthusiasm on the vehicle’s prospects and have clearly stated that the initial production of the vehicle in South Korea will remain modest (the vehicle will also go on sale in Korea and Europe later this year).