Chevrolet Stands Behind Volt With Standard Eight-Year, 100,000-Mile Battery Warranty

[Jay2TheRescue]

http://media.gm.com/content/media/us...4_volt_battery

* Volt?s long-life battery warranty most comprehensive of any electric vehicle
* All 161 battery components validated to withstand extreme temperatures, terrain and driving patterns
* GM?s Brownstown Township, Mich., battery plant will begin regular production in August

Brownstown Township, Mich. ? The Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle with extended range will provide customers with an unprecedented, standard, eight-year/100,000-mile warranty on its advanced, lithium-ion battery. It is the automotive industry?s longest, most comprehensive battery warranty for an electric vehicle, and is transferable at no cost to other vehicle owners.

?The Chevrolet Volt?s batteries have exceeded our performance targets and are ready to hit the road,? said Micky Bly, GM executive director, global electrical systems. ?Our customers are making a commitment to technology that will help reduce our dependence on petroleum. In turn, we are making a commitment to our customers to deliver the highest standards for value, safety, quality, performance and reliability for an unprecedented eight years/100,000 miles.?

The Volt?s comprehensive battery warranty covers all 161 battery components, 95 percent of which are designed and engineered by GM, in addition to the thermal management system, charging system and electric drive components.

The Volt is the only electric vehicle that can operate under a full range of climates and driving conditions without limitations or concern about being stranded by a depleted battery. It has a range of about 340 miles and is powered with electricity at all times. For up to the first 40 miles, the Volt is powered solely by electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery, using no fuel and producing no emissions. When the Volt?s lithium-ion battery runs low, an engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 300 miles on a full tank of fuel. (see Volt Freedom Drive)

The Volt?s advanced, lithium-ion battery is designed to deliver the value, safety, quality, performance, durability and reliability Chevrolet customers expect. Key battery features include:

* 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 -13 degrees Fahrenheit (-25 C) and as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit (+50 C). 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 liquid 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.

Testing for durability, reliability, safety and performance

GM engineers have completed more than 1 million miles and 4 million hours of validation testing of Volt battery packs since 2007, as well as each pack?s nine modules and 288 cells. The development, validation and test teams have met thousands of specifications and validated each of the Volt battery?s components.

Tests include short circuit, corrosion, dust, impact, water submersion, crush and penetration, and extreme temperature swings combined with aggressive drive cycles, also known as ?Shake, Bake and Roll.?

Ready for production

GM?s Brownstown Township plant, which began building prototype batteries in January, soon will begin regular battery production. (see GM First Battery Build)

"We?re moving fast to deliver for the customer and ensure the Volt launch stays on track,? said Nancy Laubenthal, plant manager of the Brownstown Battery Plant. "Last August we announced the investment in the Brownstown facility and in January built our first completed battery pack. Now we are finishing pre-production batteries and soon we will begin building production batteries for Chevrolet Volts that will be delivered to dealers before the end of the year."

Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy selected 45 companies, universities and organizations in 28 states ? including GM?s Brownstown plant ? to share more than $2 billion in awards for electric drive and battery manufacturing, and transportation electrification. Nearly half of the awards are designated for cell, battery and materials manufacturing facilities in Michigan.

About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers ?gas-friendly to gas-free" solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com or join the conversation at www.chevroletvoltage.com.

About General Motors: General Motors, one of the world?s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 205,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 157 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM?s largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and Italy. GM?s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. General Motors acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation. More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

[theholycow]

Hey, cool stuff.

I learned something new:

Fully charging or fully depleting a battery shortens its life.

I knew depleting a battery shortens its life but I didn't know that fully charging it does too.

[trollbait]

I believe it depends on the battery's chemistry. The Prius, and other NimH hybrids, keep the charge between 40% and 80% for longest life, and I've heard it's keeping a laptop always plugged in will shorten the battery life.

As to the warranty, it isn't ground braking, it's the law. The traction battery of a hybrid vehicle is considered part of the emission control equipment, and thus falls under the federal mandated emissions warranty of 8yr/100k miles. 10yr/150k miles in CARB states. All Toyota and Ford hybrids already have this warranty. GM's marketing the Volt as not a hybrid but range extended EV allows them to spin it as being the first EV to have it. But dedicated EVs don't fall under emissions laws. They don't produce their own.

[bowtieguy]

i'm not certain i follow...

we use dry cell batteries at work for fork lifts, electric pallet jacks, and such. my observation is that a battery dies prematurely if it is charged too quickly(before it nears "zero" charge). fully charging, even beyond the time it takes to reach "full" has no affect.

obviously batteries vary by brand and type so...

[trollbait]

Are they NiCads? My understanding with them is that they can develope a 'memory' if charged before dead, and you lose the the full run time from them i.e. If you charge it when it drops to 50%, eventually the battery will die at that 50% mark instead of going the full 100%.

At least it appears that way with the cordless phones I've had in the past. Headsets kept in the cradle all the time seem to hold a charge shorter than the ones that only got charged when they died.

[JanGeo]

in the case of the NiMh cells in the Prius they don't full charge them because when you fully charge NiCad and NiMh cellls they get hot towards the end of charge and waste a lot of charging power in the process and since the car could go into regen at any time it is better not to fully charge the battery at any time so it can take some charge if needed. By keeping the cells from fully charging they don't have to worry about overcharging a cell or two that may reach full charge before another cell in the pack - this would require a lot of charge balancing circuitry for the battery pack. Same goes for the discharge - should there be a low cell it would get damaged if run too low so they just avoid that.

[GasSavers_Erik]

I can see that if they completely fail so that the car won't move, the warranty would kick in, but what if your car would only drive 2 miles on the initial charge (instead of "up to 40 miles")?

I wonder if a "reduction in capacity" would be covered by warranty?

[theholycow]

For whatever it's worth, the lip service says "In turn, we are making a commitment to our customers to deliver the highest standards for value, safety, quality, performance and reliability for an unprecedented eight years/100,000 miles.”

[GasSavers_GasUser]

Some more volt stuff. I have been following this with interest myself.

http://www.chevrolet.com/pages/open/...es_|_volt_pics

Hope I can get the link to work.