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"The upcoming Spark EV is the most efficient production electric vehicle in the world, according to GM. The company backs up that audacious claim with some hard numbers about the Spark EV's EPA mileage stats for combined city and highway driving \u2014 measured at the equivalent of 119 miles per gallon. \nAn equally impressive stat for the Spark EV is the EPA's estimate of its range, 82 miles per charge. That puts it in the same range as the Honda Fit EV, but not quite as long-range as the Fiat 500e, which can go 87 miles on a charge. \nBut the Fiat has a larger battery than the Spark EV, and the Honda gets 118 MPGe \u2014 meaning neither are quite as efficient as the Spark EV.\nMashable got a sneak peek at the Spark EV at CES in January, where GM flaunted the car's Siri capability. We found Siri in the Spark EV to be delightfully responsive, and liked the way it kept things safe by refusing to do anything that would require us to look at a smartphone screen.\nStill, the metric I'm most eager to experience is its torque \u2014 the most important factor in a car's acceleration from a standing start. This is the capability that makes electric vehicles such a joy to drive. \nThe Spark EV will practically slam you into its seat if it can actually deliver the 400 lb-ft of torque Chevy claims. That rivals the 450 lb-ft of torque provided by the awesome 2014 Corvette Stingray.\nTorque is most important in the lower range of speed; the Spark EV will be slower than the Corvette from 0 to 60, covering that distance in just under 8 seconds, compared with the 2014 Corvette's 3.9 seconds. \nSEE ALSO: Chevy Unveils 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible\n\nAn added convenience of the Spark EV is its new DC Fast Charging capability, which GM says will enable the Spark EV to recharge up to 80% of its capacity in approximately 20 minutes. That's getting closer to the amount of time it takes to fill up your car with gas. (Compare it to the Tesla Model S, which takes about 45 minutes to get to 80% recharged.)\nWhat we really want to know is the exact date this cute car will hit the whole U.S. Chevy says the 2014 Spark EV will roll out first in California, Oregon and Canada \"sometime this summer.\" Exact pricing hasn't been announced yet, but it will probably cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000 \u2014 which will drop to $25,000 or less with tax incentives, depending on your state. \nChevy promises us a chance to review the electric version of the Spark as soon as possible. In the meantime, let us know in the comments if you're looking forward to it.\nPhoto courtesy GM"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/04/25/spark-ev/>