General Motors has detailed its upcoming 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV.
The vehicle will initially be available in California, Oregon, Canada, South Korea and other international markets, and looks to carry an approximate price tag of $25,000 after tax incentives, which may be a bit of sticker shock for some. Indeed, if you remove the federal tax incentive for EVs, it kicks the price up to just under $32,500.
The push of the Chevy Spark EV is part of GM’s aggressive strategy to have 500,000 green cars on the roads by 2017. When the electric car goes on sale early next summer, it will mark the American automaker’s first true electric car releases. The company’s primary green vehicle of the moment is the Chevy Volt, which is more of a plug-in hybrid design.
What consumers buying into the Spark EV will get is “a technology-filled, all-electric mini car that goes from zero-to-60 mph in less than eight seconds,” noted Mark Reuss, president, General Motors North America, in a statement.
It will have under the hood an oil-cooled, permanent magnet motor that produces at least 100 kW (130 hp) and instantaneous torque of about 400 lb.-ft. with the coaxial drive unit. This is mated to an over 20 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that can be charged up to 80 percent of battery capacity in approximately 20 minutes when one connects it to DC Fast Charging technology.
Inside the Spark EV, vehicle functions are displayed on one of the vehicle’s two reconfigurable, high-resolution, seven-inch color LCD screens, including “a confidence gauge” that shows the expected driving range based on driving habits and other conditions.
As for what the driving range of this electric car will be, that’s a bit of a mystery at the moment as GM didn’t reveal that little detail, only saying it “is expected to have among the best EV battery range in its segment.”
Those looking for a little extra technology to play with will be happy to take note of the Spark EV being equipped with Chevy’s MyLink radio that comes standard and brings smartphone-based infotainment – including apps for BringGo full-function navigation, TuneIn global internet radio, Pandora and Stitcher – into the vehicle.
And, as an interesting added bonus, it will also play nice with Apple’s Siri voice activated system for customers with compatible (4S and newer) iPhones.
