The first electric vehicles expected to benefit from the Society of Automotive Engineers’ (SAE) new industry standard for DC fast charging are the Chevrolet Spark EV and the BMW i3.

This industry-coordinated early confirmation of DC Fast Charge hardware and software was done in order to accelerate efforts to roll out SAE Combo DC Fast Charge infrastructure in the coming months.

Among the suppliers participating in the testing were ABB, Aker Wade, Eaton and IES.

“This unprecedented cooperation among OEMs and equipment suppliers demonstrates the maturity of this important technology that will help speed the adoption of electric vehicles around the world,” said Britta Gross, GM director, advanced vehicle commercialization policy.

Just as most major automakers adopted the SAE’s 120V/240V AC connector standard to assure plug-in vehicles could access all charging infrastructure, eight automakers – GM   Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche – have committed to adopting the SAE combo fast charge connector, assuring standardization of the DC Fast Charge connectors.

“Our goal with this cooperation was to ensure that DC fast charging stations be available to provide BMW i3 customers the premium fast charging experience in time for the arrival of the BMW i3,” said Cliff Fietzek, manager connected e-Mobility at BMW of North America LLC. “We are pleased that we will meet our goal.”

The companies involved said that this new combined AC and DC charging, or combo, connector provides added ease of use for DC Fast Charging, including a single charge port on the vehicle, and allows electricity to flow at a faster rate, making EVs more convenient and reliable to use for consumers who may not  have  access to overnight charging at home.

DC Fast Charging allows EV owners to recharge their batteries up to 80 percent in less than 20 minutes.

“This successful testing is an important milestone that underscores our commitment to enable the next generation of electric vehicles,” said Cal Lankton, director of ABB’s EV Charging Infrastructure for North America. “By offering a broad charging portfolio, we can fully support the needs of all EV drivers and infrastructure providers.”

The DC Fast Charge option is expected to be available a few months after the Spark EV launches in California and Oregon this summer.

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GM revealed early Spark owners indicate their most important reasons for purchasing a Spark were fuel economy and price to value.

Clearly, people interested by the Spark also like color. GM said 23 percent of Spark owners are choosing Salsa Red, making it the Spark’s most popular exterior color. Jalapeno Green and Denim Blue are the second- and third-most popular Spark colors.

GM also realized fifty-one percent of Sparks are purchased by women, which is a proportion greather than any other Chevrolet vehicle. Meanwhile, nearly 54 percent of Spark purchases are conquest sales – buyers who are new to the brand. More than one in five buyers is coming from an import car brand.

Chevrolet dealers have sold more than 12,000 Sparks since it went on sale in the summer of 2012. Originally launched in 18 markets, the Spark will be available in all 50 states in 2013.

The Spark is rated at an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 38 mpg highway.

The Spark offers more passenger and cargo room than other mini cars, with 225 percent more cargo room than a Scion iQ and 20 percent more than a Fiat 500.

Launched in Korea in 2009 and now available in almost every country in the world, the Spark came to the U.S. market in response to the growing popularity of mini cars among U.S. consumers.

An electric version of the Spark will be the next step in the Spark lineup. The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV will be priced under $25,000.

The post Fuel Consumption, Price And Color Spark Interest In Chevy’s Minicar appeared first on HybridCars.com.

“When our team set out to develop the propulsion system for Spark EV, we knew we had to provide surprising fun-to-drive acceleration with maximum efficiency,” said Spark EV Chief Engineer Chuck Russell. “What we think customers will enjoy most is how fun the Spark EV is to drive; it’s seamless and power is available at every stage of the drive. This will help us to provide an exciting option for those customers who are looking for an EV that’s as much fun to drive as it is environmentally responsible.”

As per GM, the Spark EV’s electric motor is an oil-cooled, permanent magnet unit that will produce at least 100 kilowatts (130 horsepower) and provide instantaneous torque of about 400 pound-feet with the coaxial drive unit, resulting in 0-60 mph acceleration in less than eight seconds.

The electric motor gets its power from a 20-kwh lithium ion battery pack that is comprised of 336 prismatic cells using Nanophosphate lithium ion phosphate chemistry.

“Spark EV’s battery has undergone more than 200,000 hours of testing in our global battery systems labs,” said Larry Nitz, executive director of GM’s global electrification engineering team. “This testing paved the way to allow Spark EV customers to use the recently approved SAE combo charger for DC Fast Charging to recharge up to 80 percent of the battery capacity in about 20 minutes.”

According to GM, the Spark EV team was able to reduce development time and cost by using many of the same components and systems from the Chevrolet Volt and GM’s Two-Mode hybrid truck programs.

GM says more than 75 percent of the propulsion system components used are from other GM vehicle programs.

The Spark EV will go on sale in participating dealerships throughout California, Oregon, Canada and other global markets next year as a 2014 model-year vehicle.

The Spark EV will be eligible for coveted high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes in California.

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