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GM Kills Support For The Spark EV, No Battery Replacement Available

4/21/2022

14 Comments

 
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UPDATE 4/27/2022: EV Resource has received the following statement from Kevin M. Kelly, Senior Director, Chevrolet Communications:

"Recent reports speculating that GM will no longer provide battery pack replacements for the Spark EV are incorrect. While we are currently experiencing a temporary disruption in the supply of new Spark EV packs, GM remains committed to providing replacement packs to Spark EV owners who need them in the future and will work with owners until we get the supply issues resolved."

It is unclear what this means regarding the timeline for expected battery packs. It is also unclear why multiple people within the company would have so clearly stated that battery packs were no longer being supported for the Spark EV. EV Resource has responded to Mr. Kelly with these questions and will update the situation as we learn more.
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The Chevy Spark EV, unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2012, was General Motors’ first attempt at an all electric vehicle since the recall and destruction of the EV1 vehicles of the ‘90s. With an 82 mile EPA range, this small hatchback was a low volume compliance car targeted at metropolitan areas in CARB states. Even with that being the case, it was a vehicle option that provided tons of fun at an affordable price.

In many ways it was revolutionary. It was the first EV in North America to offer the CCS charging standard and in 2014 its electric motor provided more torque than a Ford Mustang GT of the same year. It has been a great entry level option in the years since it’s introduction, even in the used car market after GM discontinued it’s production in 2016 in favor of the Bolt EV.

​But as all good things come to an end, the end for this piece of EV history is near.

No Factory Support

EV Resource has confirmed that GM will no longer be providing replacement battery packs for the Spark EV. This means that when the high-voltage (HV) battery fails, owners will have zero options to repair their car. None. Their vehicle will never drive again.

Parts departments at various Chevy dealerships seem to all agree as well. While they confirm that there used to be a part available (although backordered), as of April 7th, no more are available.

One GM representative, a district executive who wished to remain anonymous, said, “we are no longer going to supply that battery.” GM only had a select number of HV batteries stored for the Spark EV, and now that the supply has run out, there are no options for the vehicles.  EV Resource has contacted multiple GM dealerships in Virginia, Maryland, Oregan, and California and spoken with workers in the parts departments, We have been told that the part number for the HV battery has changed multiple times, but at the bottom of the page they view for the most recent battery pack, it is showing discontinued, but that you can backlorder the part. In an attempt for clarification, we were told that in this case, "backorder" simply means to request the part, and doesn't mean that it is available. The personal experience of the author has taken this process one step further and he was told that the battery has in fact been discontinued and the vehicle will not be repaired. All other attempts by EV Resource for comments from the company were ignored.

Because of this decision by the company, GM has effectively killed all hope for the future of the Spark EV. As reports of HV battery pack failures are becoming more and more common within the Spark EV community, the hope of owners driving for many years to come is quickly dying as well.

​Unlike the EV1, which you can still find a few examples of in museums, in a few years the only place you’ll likely find a Spark EV is the junkyard.

Battery Failures

While hard data has been nearly impossible to gather related to the frequency of Spark EV battery failures, in addition to experiencing this myself, quite a number of other Spark EV owners have experienced this as well and shared their story publicly. However, only a few (since April 7th) have run into the situation highlighted.

So now, when the high voltage battery fails, owners who are still covered by the factory 8 year 100,000 mile warranty should consider themselves the lucky ones, but still won’t drive away with a working vehicle.

Vehicle owners are not given any option by the company to repair their car, but instead are offered buyback value from GM. In some cases, this offer is equal to the purchase price of the car, but that varies from state to state.

​However, for owners of the earliest 2014 model year vehicles, who are coming up on the end of the warranty period, if their battery fails they will have a vehicle that will not be operable, and will not be repairable.

No Aftermarket Support

For some other older electric vehicles, like the Nissan Leaf, early Tesla Roadster, and Tesla Model S, aftermarket companies have provided continued support for aging and failing battery packs. Companies like Gruber Motors and Fenix Power have been known to restore and even improve battery packs for these older EVs.

However, for a low volume and inexpensive car like the Spark EV, there is no value in a company providing aftermarket support.

​YouTuber and owner of the Electrified Garage, Rich Benoit, expressed concern for the situation with the Spark EV saying, “if you go online and type in ‘Tesla battery pack’ you’re going to get quite a few results. But for the Spark EV, there’s nothing really there. This is a really, really tough scenario. This is so difficult, not many people have even bothered to take apart a Spark EV. It’s actually really sad.”

​Spark EV Owners

​What this ultimately means for current Spark EV owners is this:
  • If the HV battery pack fails under warranty, owners may get their money back for the price of the car, but they won’t have their car anymore.
  • If the HV battery pack fails after the warranty ends, owners will be left with an inoperable car that cannot be repaired.

Understandably, the Spark EV community has been shaken up since learning about the situation. Some members of the Spark EV Owners Facebook Group have been looking to sell their cars by selling to companies like Carvana, Carmax, Vroom, and others while the market is still hot for used EVs.

Members of the Facebook group, like Bob Mann, admitted to looking to trade up to a Bolt EV.

​“With used prices so high,” he said, “my wife and I were thinking of selling our Spark EV to trade up to a new Bolt EV. In a discussion with Criswell Chevrolet (of MD), they said, 'if the battery had failed we wouldn't replace it. There are none available so we would buy the car back.' So, since the future of the Spark was in question, we sold it."
​
However, the situation isn’t as straightforward for everybody. Some Spark EV owners who bought the car because of it’s affordable price are finding themselves car shopping in a market that has inflated the price of electric vehicles due to low supply and high demand. This situation forces them to choose a more affordably priced gas powered car, even though it will cost them more in the long run due to fuel and maintenance costs.

The Worst Possible Scenario

Ultimately, the worst case situation would be that somebody who still has a car payment on their Spark EV ends up with a car that they can’t use… and can’t afford another car. What are they to do then? It’s heartbreaking to think about, but it could be a very realistic future for some should they decide to keep their Spark EV as long as possible.

EV Resource Point Of View

At this point, the Spark EV has a very limited future. With battery packs failing and no factory or aftermarket support, owners have very few options to avoid potential disaster.

​As much as I loved my Spark EV, I am one of the lucky ones who will be getting a buy back under warranty. But others, hopefully not many, will be left in a far worse place. My only hope is that people learn about their car as soon as possible, and use that information to make the best informed decision for their life and family.

Zack Hurst is a Spark EV owner waiting on an official buy back offer from GM. His love for the Spark EV started almost immediately after purchase and his car will be missed. 
EV Resource can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube
14 Comments
Nick
4/21/2022 09:40:14 am

I believe the Spark EV was also considered the world's most efficient production vehicle when it debuted, and it was also had the quickest 0 to 60 time of any car you could buy under $20k in north america.

Reply
Nick
4/21/2022 09:54:12 am

If you compare the specs of the EV1 and the Spark EV, it's amazing how similar they are. The top speed, battery range, and even the tire size are nearly identical. The Spark EV was the true successor to the original car that kick-started the modern electric vehicle industry.

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Jacques Pagé
4/21/2022 03:21:12 pm

Could it be possible to repair the failed battery? I once saw a video on YouTube that showed how to repair a Prius battery. EV batteries are somewhat similar, using cells that I suppose can be replaced...

Reply
EV Resource link
4/25/2022 01:20:51 pm

In theory, yes it is possible. You could open up the HV pack, identify the few pouch cells that have failed, replace them, bottom balance the cells of the pack (this takes weeks), and put it back in the car.

Unfortunately, because there are no battery packs available from the company, you would have to find a Spark EV in a junk yard or source the battery in another way. At the end of the day, it likely isn't going to be worth it for anybody to take this action. It would be costly, and very time consuming... especially if you had a shop do all of that work for you.

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Robert
4/21/2022 05:16:41 pm

You may be jumping the gun I talked to Chevy about this and they said that all EV components are on sale hold because of the bolt at the moment. So if you have a bad pack they won’t sell one to you they would buy the car back. The person I talked to seemed to think they would still support them after the stop sale is lifted let’s hope this is the case

Reply
EV Resource link
4/25/2022 01:19:16 pm

Hey Robert,

I (Zack) have contacted dealerships in Virginia, Maryland, Oregon, and California and spoken with parts departments. I called GM's EV Concierge department. I spoke with individuals at the company in the Customer Service Assistance Center. And finally, the EV Resource Spark EV (mine) had the HV battery fail and I was told that the battery is not available. I've updated the article above with a bit more information to hopefully clarify this point.

Thanks for your comment!

Reply
John Iozza link
4/23/2022 09:12:52 pm

The Spark EV, was only sold in a FEW STATES and Prices should sharply drop now.. Could the battery pack be BY PASSED in some way??? By putting golf cart lithium batteries in back of the back seat just like in the day's of home built conversions

Reply
EV Resource link
4/25/2022 01:11:35 pm

Yes, in theory you could completely bypass the battery and use a different battery. Unfortunately, the software that GM uses for all of their components is very complex. Each part communicates via the CAN BUS with the other parts and nobody to date has been successful cracking the software. You would likely have to replace the motor controller, and maybe other parts as well.

But at what cost? The Spark EVs are worth less than the likely cost of this type of conversion work.

Reply
Daniel
4/24/2022 12:29:16 pm

With normal use, how long and miles can we expect it to last?

Reply
EV Resource link
4/25/2022 01:09:27 pm

Unfortunately, each vehicle is going to experience battery degradation and eventual failure differently from the rest. For our 2016 Chevy Spark EV, we were able to get 76,000 miles on the odometer before the HV pack failed.

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John
4/26/2022 11:31:19 am

It's an absolute WIN for current owners still under warranty. You've driven your EV for xxx years and are being paid for it if it fails under warranty. In some cases, the purchase price. Count your blessing.

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Andrew
4/28/2022 06:08:54 pm

I haven't seen such an irresponsible, improperly researched article written article outside of politics in year.

This is equivalent to yelling fire and calling the fire department because you see smoke and flames rising behind a fence without seeing the actual cause. Because actually it would be an open pit fireplace burning wood.

Reading this I can't help but wonder if the author has an axe to grind with GM.

GM Regularly discontinues specific part numbers when they do revisions or sometimes manufacturers of certain parts. If they are having trouble finding a battery manufacturer that has the capacity to make the batteries or new designs they may not have issued a new part number yet, it's conceivable that the old part number will be discontinued and no new part number available until the new packs enter production at a new site.

Yall need to switch to decaf or something and settle down.

If GM PERMANENTLY discontinued any part for any vehicle they are still required to warranty. A smart person would scour the internet to find one in warranty, somehow BREAK that part, then line up in line in the class action lawsuit that would ensue. Claiming loss of use and repair damages.

I mean COME ON PEOPLE a little common sense goes a long way. But only if you USE IT.

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bryan
4/29/2022 08:13:36 am

Correct, Andrew - Zack cites a response on the issue from - "

One GM representative, a district executive who wished to remain anonymous, said, “we are no longer going to supply that battery.” - so, it could have been Mary Barra or the janitor in the Parts Department.

Bolt uses same cells as Spark, in similar cell configuration. Batteries are and have been available, and there IS a part number, but evidently no one besides me looked it up...

No mention from Zack if he asked about MY 2014 in specific, with any knowledge that the '13-'14 production cars used obsoleted A123 cells, as being the cars having 'no longer supported/available' battery packs.

Reply
Mike Kelly
5/3/2022 09:06:08 pm

Under Australian Consumer Law, a full refund would be ordered, so I'm guessing no Spark EVs have been sold here.

Reply



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