An all-electric version
of the Chevrolet Spark will debut this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It is
scheduled to go on sale this summer in California, Canada, South Korea and
Oregon. It will be available in other markets shortly afterwards.
Unlike the Chevrolet
Volt sedan that can operate on all-electric mode, the Spark EV is a pure electric
automobile. General Motors Company(NYSE:GM) would not reveal details on how far
the car will go on a charge, however, it does mention that it will be a top
performer among the small number of EVs that are available. The present
pioneer, the electric Ford Focus Sedan can traverse 76 miles on a single
charge.
The Spark EV will
supposedly be cheaper than most of its electric competitors, as GM says.
Precise pricing has not yet been revealed, however the car will start at less
than $25,000 in the US when a federal tax credit among to $7,500 is taken into
account. The electric Nissan Leaf will kick off at $27,700 with the tax credit.
The Spark is way expensive compared to its gasoline-powered counterpart. The
gas-powered Spark starts at $12,245.
The Spark EV operates
on an electric motor and a 20 kWh lithium ion battery. The car can go from 0 to
60 mph in less than 8 seconds, which makes it faster by several seconds than
the gas-powered Spark. General Motors says that the Spark EV is the first
all-electric automobile in North America which is offering SAE Combo DC Fast
Charge functionality that can charge the battery to 80% if capacity within 20
minutes.
Although, it is a mini
car, Spark EV has lots of touches like a big car. Leather seat and OnStar
safety system are among such features.
The hatchback is
miniature and about 5x inches longer than a Fiat 500. It is available in lime
green color and some other rare hues.
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