Wringing every last mile from the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV % 139.7mi/6hours= 23.28mph average speed %
http://planetsave.com/2014/02/22/ev-chevy-spark-driven-nearly-140-miles-single-charge/ Electric Chevy Spark Driven Nearly 140 Miles on Single Charge [2014/02/22] [image http://c1planetsavecom.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2014/02/electricspark.jpg electric chevy spark ] The Chevy Volt is more popular with the press, but the all-electric Chevy Spark is the more environmentally friendly one. Recently a Portland man decided to see how far he could go on a single charge. After driving for six hours he clocked 139.7 miles. Nick Jaynes, the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends, showed up at the Portland International Raceway one morning at 7 a.m. where a new electric Chevy Spark was waiting for him. He was advised by Chevy engineers that the Spark might go 160 to 180 miles on one charge under ideal driving conditions, but that meant driving at about 18 miles per hour for up to nine hours. Cruise control doesn’t work at speeds less than 24 mph, and holding the accelerator at a steady 18.5 for hours on end seemed too challenging, so he went with the cruise control. This decision is understandable considering the Spark is a sub-compact and probably isn’t as comfortable as vehicles one would normally choose for a very long drive. A sub-compact typically is just a commuter vehicle though, not one for longer trips, so ‘range anxiety’ is somewhat unjustified. In other words, if you have a place to re-charge at your destination such as work or school, then the electric Spark could be an efficient vehicle. The expected range per charge in normal driving conditions is 82 miles. This number will vary according to how it is driven and under what circumstances. For example, a writer for Extreme Tech said, “Of course, mileage is a key selling point. Chevy says normal drivers will get 82 miles per charge with the EV. I got as little as 65 miles when I pushed the car hard on the freeway and as many as 95 miles with cautious acceleration and deceleration. All that’s about normal for a small EV: with today’s cars you’ll get more than enough range to commute to and from work, not enough for a weekend trip.” Of course, driving solo on a race track at 24 mph for a handful of hours is not at all typical for most drivers, so squeezing out almost 140 miles isn’t an example that most can relate to well. However, it was done to make the point that the vehicle is capable, under the right conditions and a mindful driver, of going well past 82 miles on a single charge. For example, the record-setting driver disabled the MyLink system and the climate control in order to conserve electricity. The temperate on the day of his attempt in the morning was only about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, so that was a sacrifice that most people would be unwilling to make. The fact that electric batteries are more efficient at warmer temperatures could be a good thing to consider when one is shopping for an EV. Preheating an EV when it is plugged into an electricity source, before it is driven can reduce drawing down the battery during a drive. In short, there are small things you can do (though some may consider them fanatical) to extend your EV’s range. If the automotive editor for the Digital Journal had waited until it was spring or summer, he might have extracted a few more miles. Another consideration for buying an EV would be if the weather is too hot in summer, such as a place like Phoenix. If you are concerned about driving range per charge, then you wouldn’t want to have to rely too heavily on air conditioning. The unofficial record set for the EV Spark is impressive, but it probably still can be broken by someone who is even more meticulous about arranging the best driving conditions. The Spark EV has a list price of about $27,000 but federal and state tax credits could reduce that cost by up to $7,000. [© 2014 Sustainable Enterprises Media] http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/spark-ev-world-record/ How I (kind of) set a range record in the Chevy Spark EV By Nick Jaynes — February 5, 2014 [images http://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/spark-ev-world-record-front-right.jpg Spark EV world record front right http://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/spark-ev-world-record-front-motion.jpg Spark EV world record front motion http://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/spark-ev-world-record-nick-jaynes-driving.jpg Spark EV world record Nick Jaynes driving http://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/spark-ev-world-record-final-milage.jpg Spark EV world record final [mileage] ] Few men get to break records. Fewer still get to break automotive records. Some 115 years into the common automotive era, most worthwhile automotive feats have already been achieved. Delightfully for me, there’s at least one automotive yardstick to be set: wringing every last mile from the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV. We’ll leave history to decide whether it’s “worthwhile.” The EPA rates the Spark EV range at 82 miles on a single charge, which puts it at 119 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent). But when I asked some Chevrolet representatives how far the Spark EV could travel on a single charge in ideal conditions, they admitted no one had yet tried. I prodded the Chevy team for more info. The Spark EV engineers admitted that in ideal conditions, the Spark could probably go 160 to 180 miles on a single charge, which – at 18.5 mph – would take around nine hours of non-stop driving. Challenge accepted. Granted, it’s not the most glamorous challenge, but someone had to do it, and Chevy said it could be me. The track When I got to Portland International Raceway at 7 a.m. the morning of the record-setting run, I found the light blue Spark EV awaiting me at the start of the track. Still wet with dew, the cold little mini EV glistened in the early morning light. Knowing I would spend the next several hours behind the wheel of the eco-friendly subcompact, I patted it proudly and gave it an once-over. Someone had to do it, and Chevy said it could be me. While it may be possible to hold 18.5 mph, Chevy’s engineers warned it might get extremely tiring, as cruise control wouldn’t activate below 24 mph. So to squeeze the most from the Spark EV, I’d need to hold the throttle steady with my foot for hours. Along with a steel ankle, other things would have to be ideal to maximize range, too. Weather should be warmer than cooler; I was told 60-ish would be best. The transmission should be warm, to negate unnecessary drag. And the tires should be at the full-recommended psi. I had no way of controlling the 40-degree weather that morning. So, in order to offset any drain cold weather might have on the powertrain, I disabled the MyLink system and the climate control. Eager to get the mind-melting monotony of the range test started, I hit the ignition on the Spark EV, clicked my seat belt, put it into drive, and set off. I set the cruise control on at 24 mph and settled back for my great odyssey. On the track Driving 24 mph on a track for six hours sounds like it’ll be pretty darn boring. Don’t get me wrong; it is. It’s just not as horrid as I thought it’d be. Electric vehicles are often derided for causing range anxiety. On the track in pursuit of a range record, I experienced the opposite sensation: range eagerness. I wasn’t worried how far it would go, but rather jazzed to see how many miles I could squeeze from the onboard 21-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. This wasn’t the only sensation that overcame me mile after mile. With the climate control disabled, I was forced to play a delicate game of wiggling my extremities to stay warm. I hadn’t ever really noticed how limited my toe dexterity was until forced to keep them moving every few minutes. This kept me entertained for a few hours. Eventually, though, nature came calling. I began debating with myself out loud. “Do I pee into my now-empty Gatorade bottle or do I try to hold it for another four or more hours?” I went back and forth on the subject, looking at myself the rearview mirror, as I lobbed counter arguments at myself. “There’s no way you can hold it that long.” “Going in a bottle is part of the challenge.” “What will you do if you fumble the bottle or miss?” Eventually I gave into my lesser self. Doing a seated leg press, I lifted my self in the seat and emptied my bladder into one my several Gatorade bottles. It went surprisingly smoothly. When I was finished and the bottle was capped, I found myself with a new decision: what to do with a liter of piping hot urine. Hunger games Around hour four, after I had eaten my apple and emptied and refilled all my Gatorade bottles, the hunger pangs set in. So, too, did the boredom. Without a better idea of how to alleviate either, I called my friend and contributor Peter Braun. I asked him to go to my house, get money off my dresser, go to a burger joint, and bring me a meal at the track. Also a glutton for punishment, Peter obliged. Within an hour or so, he was on the track, burger sack in hand. This is where the adventure got tricky. As I was not able to slow down, Peter would have to devise a way to hand the burger off to me at speed. First, he tried to match speed on the front straight of the track in his pickup, driving from the passenger seat. He quickly discovered, though, that his first gear topped out before 24 mph, as he watched me whiz by. On the second pass, he tried to get going into second gear before sliding into the passenger seat. This almost worked. But when I grabbed the bag, he didn’t let go. The speed difference between our two cars caused my arm to slam into Spark’s b-pillar with such force, I was surprised I didn’t break my arm. Peter would have to devise a way to hand the burger off to me at speed. For the third attempt, Peter was on foot. He stood on the centerline with much trepidation and tried to lean the bag out within an arm’s length, as I dangled out of the Spark. At the last second, he chickened out and dove backward. On the fourth pass, he just lobbed the bag into my open window. It wasn’t pretty but it worked. It was then I called him and told him to forget the coffee I had also requested. It wasn’t worth the risk. After finishing my burger, I didn’t have to wait much longer for the Spark EV to give up the ghost. At 138.9 miles, the Spark EV threw a warning on the dash reading, “Out of Energy, Charge Vehicle Now!” I assumed that an EV – like a gasoline car – would under estimate its range, as a safety precaution. Accordingly, I assumed it had a few more miles left. It didn’t. At 139.5 miles the motor cut out and the car coasted to a stop, reaching a total of 139.7 miles on a single charge. I put the car into Park, put on my coat, and walked back to the main Portland International Raceway office to get a tow back to the charging station. The hard-earned payoff Later, I shared my hard-earned mileage record with the fine folks at Chevrolet. Apparently a room of EV engineers gasped when they learned of my range achievement. When I prodded the Chevy reps to see if my effort was an official record, though, they were unwilling to say specifically. The most they would reveal is that they know of no other range test that exceeded my 139.7 miles, making it an unofficial record. Why the aloofness from Chevrolet? Simply, the reps were concerned with upsetting the EPA. So there we have it. I walked into the Spark EV range test expecting to have a miserable time, and determined to set a world record for the Spark EV’s single charge range. I did neither. My feet got cold. I urinated into several bottles. I got wickedly hungry. I nearly broke my arm. And I did 139.7 miles on a single charge. And official or not, that’s a record. [© 2014 Designtechnica] http://thenewswheel.com/chevy-spark-ev-range-handiness-empty-gatorade-bottles-tested/ Chevy Spark EV Range, Handiness of Empty Gatorade Bottles Tested February 25, 2014 - Early this month, Digital Trends writer, Nick Jaynes, took it upon himself to test the all-new 2014 Chevy Spark EV range to see just how far he could go in one charge in “ideal conditions.” Technically, the EPA rates the Spark EV at 82 miles (119 MPGe), but Jaynes was determined to discover how far one could go on a single charge if put in the most ideal circumstances possible. After enough begging, he got Chevy’s approval to be the one to test it ... For all EVLN posts use: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=evln&sort=date Here are today's archive-only EV posts: EVLN: 1st 100 EV'rs win tickets&discounts+more @skibowl.com 2p 2/28 OR EVLN: Its OK to have curbside horse hitching posts, but not EVSE (?) EVLN: 2014 Honda Fit EV coming soon, fit-n-wait EVLN: AutomotiveAddicts.com sez Tesla-S is quietly amazing EVLN: Twizy EVs now on sale in UAE and Qatar EVLN: Zytek high-efficiency e-powertrain in Yamaha’s MOTIV.e EV + EVLN: RAV4EV-gen2 servicing issues> Watt-Me-Compliance-Car {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Spark-EV-Driven-140Mi-on-Single-Charge-23mph-7-3mi-kWh-tp4668172.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
