Quote:
Originally Posted by hayden55
Chevy limited all the output on their EVs because the batteries typically get really warm with high amperage outputs so no high speeds homies, and people complained that the cars ate tires since they had too much torque *see the laughable 2011 Chevy Spark with 400lb-ft of torque lol*
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I have one of those "laughable" Spark EVs (Made from 2014 to 2016) Yes, it has 400 lb-ft of torque at 0 RPM and will spin the tires at will. It is the hot hatch of the EV world. I was attempting to merge this week and was spinning the tires at 45 mph at partial throttle. That said it isn't the tire spinning that kills the tires on the Spark it is the absolutely horrible tires GM chose to install. I was down to the wear limits on all 4 tires in 6000 miles. Today I have performance all-season which help with the tire spin and lack of grip but knocked 10% off the range. 6K miles later the new tires still look practically new.
All in all it is a fantastic car for my use. I drive it 50 miles round trip to work and around town (Dinner, shopping, etc). Even at only 82 miles of EPA range that it works fine for my daily use. When we go out of town hiking, backpacking, skiing, etc we take my wife's Prius.
Charging at work (free) or home is very convenient. It doesn't matter that it takes hours to charge because I'm either working or sleeping. There is no maintenance besides changing the cabin air filter every 30K miles and changing the coolant at 120K miles.
Economics. The lease ($0 down 39 months) is $100 a month. Insurance is $600 per year ($100 more than a 10 year old Prius). If I had to pay for the electricity it would cost about 2.6 cents per mile. (Gas for the Prius is 5.6 cents per mile.) So running costs are half the cost of driving a Prius but the Spark is fun to drive while the Prius is not)
Battery replacement: It's a lease so I don't care. That said, I wouldn't buy my Spark because it was a compliance car that GM built 2000 a year to fulfill the CARB EV mandate. I don't expect to have parts available in the future and a replacement battery pack is more than $20K. On the flip side Nissan has sold hundreds of thousands of LEAFs and an upgraded battery pack is only $5500. I suspect in 10 to 15 years if Chevy Bolts need battery packs they will also be reasonable. I also suspect the aftermarket will have remanufactured packs available like those offered for the Prius.
To sum it up, EVs make sense for city dwellers that can charge at home or work and have more than one car. The good news is that is most of the US population.