Chevrolet will debut its Spark Electric Vehicle (EV) at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show on 29 November 2012. The Chevrolet Spark EV is designed to offer industry-leading EV power with notable range and fast charge capability.

??Chevrolet Spark EV embraces electric power

The Chevrolet Spark EV will be fitted with a oil-cooled, permanent magnet motor that develops 100kW and will be able to accelerate to 100km/h in 8.0 seconds. A 20kWh lithium-ion battery pack will be capable of handling multiple daily DC Fast Charges. The industry-first SAE combo charger will allow DC Fast Charging of up to 80% of battery capacity in about twenty minutes while a full charge using a 240V socket will take less than seven hours. A 120V charge cord will be available as standard and charging can be monitored remotely using a smart phone application provided by OnStar.

Larry Nitz, executive director of GM’s global electrification engineering team said, “Spark EV’s battery has undergone more than 200,000 hours of testing in our global battery systems labs. This testing paved the way to allow our customers to do multiple DC Fast Charges daily to help alleviate range anxiety and improve convenience.

”??The Spark EV team used expertise gained from the Chevrolet Volt Program for its components and systems and the Spark EV uses about 75% of propulsion system components derived from Volt and GM’s hybrid truck programs.

“Spark EV is the latest demonstration of our growing expertise in electric motor and battery technologies – expertise we will need as we grow our portfolio of electric vehicles to address the needs of our global customers,” Nitz said.

The Chevrolet Spark EV will go on sale in the United States in 2013 and there is no indication that the Spark EV will be available in South Africa.