NCD. My first EV!

[JTEX]

Woohoo, I just bought my first EV! I needed a secondary car mostly for commuting and city driving, so I can free up the main one for when my son needs it. I started the day looking at a couple of Smart EVs. Couldn't resist the cuteness, and they'd be all I need in a city car with mostly just one person inside. Much to my surprise, I ended up buying a 2015 Chevy Spark. It just drove a lot better and felt 100% like a real car, as opposed to a glorified golf cart. Good times!

 

[Erik S]

Cute!

 

[jwin615]

Congrats! But daaaaaamn the cost of a replacement battery pack! Granted, it's 19kWh+

 

[JTEX]

If it lasts me 3 years, I'm happy. The car was only C$5k. And unlike the Nissan Leafs, the Chevy has proper battery thermal management , so it doesn't degrade as fast. It only needs to do 50km on a charge in the dead of winter and I'll be happy, for a second car.

 

[jwin615]

If it lasts me 3 years, I'm happy. The car was only C$5k. And unlike the Nissan Leafs, the Chevy has proper battery thermal management , so it doesn't degrade as fast. It only needs to do 50km on a charge in the dead of winter and I'll be happy, for a second car.

Cool short term solution for a short term problem.
For $13kUSD, I bet you could come up with your own refurb solution if needed

 

[JTEX]

Yeah, for a mere $13k

 

[JTEX]

Hey, I found these 9V/30Ah Li-Ion batteries on AliExpress for about $3 each:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007900031654.html

According to math, I'll only need around 70 of them to build a new 19kWh battery pack for my EV, at a total cost of around $210 + shipping. Sounds totally legit, right? . Does Elon Musk know??????

 

[HamishR]

Are you going to trace it?

 

[JTEX]

Are you going to trace it?

Sure, if Robert makes the PCB

 

[pricklyrobot]

…Does Elon Musk know??????

Pretty sure selling counterfeit 9 Volts (no lithium, just a spoonful of Cuyahoga River water in each one) on AliExpress is Elon’s side hustle

 

[JTEX]

Update: I don't think I'll ever buy a gas powered vehicle ever again. Little Sparky delivers.

 

[Nostradoomus]

5k? Hell of a deal (i'm in canada too)

 

[CheapSuitG]

We drive 200 mile round trip during the summers to our sailboat in the mountains, no charging points anywhere near where we go other wise we would sell the hybrid and get an EV.

 

[jcpst]

Sure, if Robert makes the PCB

Since it’s a relatively modern vehicle, you might want to go with PCB mounted axels.

 

[JTEX]

Long range EVs are still expensive. Hybrids are a good option if you do occasional long trips and don't need more than one car. I am doing the "distributed hybrid" now, with a gas car for long trips and a short range EV for commuting, shopping and such. The upside is than both can be used at the same time by two drivers going different places.

 

[jcpst]

sailboat in the mountains

My imagination is running wild

 

[CheapSuitG]

My imagination is running wild

On a lake in the mountains*