Photo: Chevrolet
Revealed in 2012, the Chevrolet Spark EV didn’t have anything going for it. Sure it may be torquier than the Ferrari 458 Italia, but other than that, the Spark EV is lamentable even at being an EV.
Based on the third-generation Spark, which went on sale in 2009, the Spark EV didn’t sell all too well. General Motors even tried to convince people to buy the damn thing by cutting $1,650 from the retail price, but sales didn’t take off from there. And so, the golden bowtie noticed the writing on the wall.
The Spark EV is no longer featured on the Chevrolet website. Chevy’s PR department tries to hide the unceremonious death of the damn thing, but they ain’t fooling anyone. When asked by The Detroit News about the fate of the Spark EV, spokesperson Fred Ligouri tried his best to sweeten the deal.
“We’re excited to build on the great experience of our electrification program, including Spark EV, to introduce the first affordable, long-range electric vehicle, the Bolt EV,” he said, basically affirming that the Spark EV was a fluke and the Bolt EV is the real deal. For what it’s worth, the all-new Chevrolet Bolt has a lot of things to love about it, whichever way you want to look at it.
At $29,995, it’s affordable and tempting to those who have never considered going electric before. Then there’s the EPA-rated 238 miles of range per full charge, which is plenty enough for both city dwellers and commuters. It’s pretty well equipped too. The Premier takes things up a notch with low-speed automatic braking and such, without cutting back on value for money.
There are some bad points as well, but they’re not what I’d call dealbreakers. DC fast charging, for example, is an optional extra even on the range-topping Premium grade. A further kick in the teeth comes in the form of no adaptive cruise control, which doesn’t fare well in a segment where Tesla Motors keeps pushing the pure electric vehicle yardstick further with every passing day.
When all is said and done, the Bolt EV is so much better than the Spark EV.
The Spark EV is no longer featured on the Chevrolet website. Chevy’s PR department tries to hide the unceremonious death of the damn thing, but they ain’t fooling anyone. When asked by The Detroit News about the fate of the Spark EV, spokesperson Fred Ligouri tried his best to sweeten the deal.
“We’re excited to build on the great experience of our electrification program, including Spark EV, to introduce the first affordable, long-range electric vehicle, the Bolt EV,” he said, basically affirming that the Spark EV was a fluke and the Bolt EV is the real deal. For what it’s worth, the all-new Chevrolet Bolt has a lot of things to love about it, whichever way you want to look at it.
At $29,995, it’s affordable and tempting to those who have never considered going electric before. Then there’s the EPA-rated 238 miles of range per full charge, which is plenty enough for both city dwellers and commuters. It’s pretty well equipped too. The Premier takes things up a notch with low-speed automatic braking and such, without cutting back on value for money.
There are some bad points as well, but they’re not what I’d call dealbreakers. DC fast charging, for example, is an optional extra even on the range-topping Premium grade. A further kick in the teeth comes in the form of no adaptive cruise control, which doesn’t fare well in a segment where Tesla Motors keeps pushing the pure electric vehicle yardstick further with every passing day.
When all is said and done, the Bolt EV is so much better than the Spark EV.
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