Posted on 12/09/2011 1:23:56 PM PST by jazusamo
With investigations into the safety of the Chevrolet Volt’s battery pack on-going , Automotive News reports that GM is going to go with a whole new battery technology in the upcoming 2013 Chevrolet Spark Electric that is safer, more stable, and will have a longer life than the Volt’s lithium ion battery pack.
Currently most electric cars and hybrids including the Chevy Volt and Buick LaCrosse E-Assist use lithium metal oxide chemistry in their Lithium Ion battery packs, sourced from LG Chem in South Korea. According to Automotive News GM’s planning on using phosphate-based lithium ion batteries on its Chevy Spark Electric , sourced from Massachusetts-based A123 Systems.
Lithium phosphate chemistry is being touted as the next big thing when it comes to battery technology . Lithium phosphate has the advantage of having better heat management, longer battery life, and being safer than current lithium metal oxide chemistry. GM announced its deal with A123 Systems back in October, months after the May Volt fire at the NHSTA’s testing facility.
When GM was engineering the Volt, it accepted bids from multiple manufacturers to produce the Volt’s battery pack. Two of those manufacturers were LG Chem and A123 Systems. GM chose to go with LG Chem’s lithium metal oxide chemistry batteries because the technology was more proven at the time.
When GM was soliciting bids for batteries, 123 Systems couldn’t prove that they could manufacture its lithium phosphate chemistry batteries at the volume GM required for the Volt. At the same time, lithium phosphate technology was in its infancy and wasn’t yet proven. According to Automotive News, it is now.
With lithium phosphate chemistry ready for prime time and slated to be implemented in the Chevy Spark, the report says that other automakers are starting to use the new technology as well. Fisker is planning on using lithium phosphate batteries for the Karma, and BMW is using them for the ActiveHybrid 5 and ActiveHybrid 3.
With lithium phosphate making its way into the Spark, we see no reason why the new tech won’t find its way into the Chevy Volt in the near future.
How’s this for an advertising slogan?
“The Chevy Spark. Despite it’s name, this car won’t explode on contact”
Nobody likes this car.
The fact that something better is on the horizon doesn't mean they're admitting" a "problem" with today's stuff.
The real problems with the Volt are not the battery-fire incident (how many gas-tanks exploded last year?).
They are the expense of the bloomin' thing, and the fact that NHTSA tried to cover up the battery fire for months.
I agree. It’s just that they now announce a different type battery in the midst of the fiasco with the NHTSA testing and fires in the Volt.
I believe this will hurt the already dismal sales of the Volt.
lol.......
The battery technology that has that capacity to store and produce enough power MAY exist currently, but the successful experimental units are the size of quarter coin batteries, and it is not known if they can be made large enough for the needs of the Volt. It's definitely not going to be next year.
I know nothing of battery technology but from what I’ve read about the Volt and other EV’s in the last year or so, I’ve suspicioned what you just posted is true though. I believe they’re trying to push the EV before the technology is there.
“This is kinda like GM admitting the Chevy Volt battery has a problem.”
Not at all. GM was being driven by the FedGov to market an electric car at a time when GM was being bailed out by same. They were in the process of investigating the available battery technologies at the time and the company with the new Phosphate-based LI battery said they could not deliver the needed volumes to support Volt production. This isn’t so much an admission of a battery problem as it is an admission of the state of battery technology. The other thing that’s grating to me is that the “fire” happened three weeks after a crash test and reportedly was occasioned by the fact that the appropriate post crash measures with respect to deactivating the battery pack were not followed. I’ve looked at the Volt. It’s a decent car, not a clown car like the Hondas and the Toyota Prius. It’s actually comfortable and reasonably spacious. For me though, Electric cars are simply a novelty that don’t meet my transportation needs as does an IC Engine-powered vehicle.
You'll get a charge and a fiery passion for driving again!!!
GM initially blamed NHTSA for not following protocall, the fact was GM didn't have a protocall at that time, they lied.
excerpt:
GM claimed that NHTSA did not follow safety protocol. The fact that, at the time, no safety protocol existed for the vehicle gives insight into how Government Motors spins facts to the point where it becomes outright deception.
Deep cycle, the ability to maintain voltage and amperage output at necessary levels for nearly the entire storage capacity, and the ability to be quickly recharged in the same manner.
Very large capacity in Farads.
Very large capacity in Amperes on demand (lights, power assist, safety, climate control, and accessories gotta work too).
Reasonable heat generation and dissipation with low internal resistance.
A working voltage within an acceptable range.
Weight is a serious consideration, as is the ability to be shaped to fit.
As of now, no battery has all the criteria. Research says they are possible, and will likely be full of rare Earth elements. Successful physical construction so far consists of coin sized batteries that will power model cars quite well.
There was an article this week that mentioned that GM has a “Rapid Response Team” that IMMEDIATELY goes to the scene of an accident of the Chevy Volt (alerted by On-Star, of course), and drains the battery.
Amazing that they have to do this to support their POS.
Yep, and I wonder what they mean by immediately, this is a big country. LOL!
Screw the battery car, give me Mr. Fusion and leftovers from last night dinner.
“Yep, and I wonder what they mean by immediately, this is a big country. LOL!”
Yea, it is. But they need this small army of people ready to get out there quick. The first reponders, garages, and even dealers would be blowing up their entire city blocks if they tried to defuse these vehicles after an accident - you must get very highly trained people out there. This is a lot trickier than draining a fuel tank.
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