Chevy Volt will get 8 year battery warranty
GM are trying to deflect possible obstacles for sales of the Chevy Volt by offering an 8 year warranty on the batteries and their components.
You have to admire GM. They’ve come out and answered critics of electric cars – like us – who claim that not only are electric cars pointless in anything other than a congested urban environment, but that – just like your laptop – the batteries will get less and less useful as they age and be poor performing when it’s hot or cold.
We’re not the only ones citing the likely problems with BEVs (battery electric vehicles). Glass’s Guide reckons that because of the cost of the batteries and their propensity to fail an electric car is likely to lose 90% of its value over five years.
So GM are offering an 8 year guarantee on all the Volt’s 161 battery components, thermal management system, charging system and electric drive components. Which should take away the anxiety of potential buyers about being lumbered with a big bill for a useless battery after a few years.
Mind you, they also said that the Chevy Volt would do 230mph, which the US EPA is now saying is a complete nonsense.
GM also say that:
- Thermal management for durability and reliability: The Volt is the only mass-market electric vehicle with a battery that can be warmed or cooled. The battery is designed to provide reliable operation, when plugged in, at temperatures as low as ?25 degrees Celcius and as high as +50 degrees Celcius). In cold weather, the battery will be preheated during charging to provide full power capability. In hot weather – the most challenging environment for a battery – the Volt’s battery can be chilled during charging. The Volt’s thermal management system can also be powered during driving by the battery or engine/generator.
- Diagnostics for safety and performance:The Volt’s battery management system continuously monitors the battery real-time for optimum operations. More than 500 diagnostics run at 10 times per second, keeping track of the Volt’s battery pack; 85 percent of the diagnostics ensure the battery pack is operating safely, while the remaining 15 percent keep track of battery performance and life.
- Cell design and chemistry for performance and efficiency: GM’s selection of a prismatic cell design and LG Chem’s manganese spinel lithium-ion chemistry is designed to provide long life and high power output, with a properly maintained temperature. This enables better vehicle acceleration and increased regenerative braking capability for improved vehicle efficiency.
- Energy management for durability: Fully charging or fully depleting a battery shortens its life. The Volt’s energy management system never fully charges or depletes the battery. The Volt’s battery has top and bottom “buffer zones” to help ensure long life.
Which does answer many of our criticisms. Whether it works out for the Chevy Volt and the batteries actually last 8 years, only time will tell.
But if they don’t, I suppose GM will go back to the US taxpayer to be bailed out again when the rotten battery claims flood in.
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