Comments on: GM Official Chevy Volt E-Flex Briefing Part 1

By: Doug Korthof

Doug Korthof — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 02:31:18 +0000

If Lithium doesn’t work out — LOL! Lithium works fine, but doesn’t last longer than 50,000 miles in an EV. In the Tesla, you are going to expect that even with very careful treatment, you will be buying a new pack shortly after 50K miles.

So what would GM do if Lithium only lasted 50K miles? Well, they will call the VOLT a failure, of course, and claim that they lost a billion dollars on the program.

Just as they did in 1997 with the EV1, until Toyota and Honda came out with the NiMH RAV4-EV and HondaEV.

But now, Toyota is in the Auto Alliance, and is tamed and humbled; they won’t violate the restrictive agreements to fight Chevron, and thus, they can’t build a NiMH EV either.

But the ironic thing is, if GM stopped LYING about the EV1, they could use off-the-shelf PSB EV-FC 1260 lead-acid batteries to drive the VOLT 40 miles on a charge! Because the very similar EV-EC 1260 PSB batteries gave the EV1 a 100 miles range.

So even if Chevron forbids use of NiMH (in my view illegally and outrageously), and even if Lithium fails from a cost and life-cycle perspective (in the VOLT, it’s not a problem in the Tesla, they will just pay for new packs), GM could, if it stopped lying, use lead-acid for the VOLT.

And could, if it were serious, force Chevron to disgorge control of the patents. Actually, ownership of the patents resides in Ovonics, it’s the exclusive worldwide patent licensing rights that are being squatted on by Chevron; so you can’t say it’s exactly “patent” squatting!

By: Grizzly

Grizzly — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:04:48 +0000

I’m guessing they’re pretty confident at this point that scaled up Li-ion will work. It’s already working on a smaller scale in B&D’s premium DeWalt tools.

Gotta’ believe they’d be more apt to delay the Volt than to consider another batt technology.
There is really only 1 alternative and that won’t meet the Volt’s design criteria.

By: charley

charley — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:54:45 +0000

I was just wondering, has anyone heard of a plan B for the volt if the lithum battery doesn’t work out? CW

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:00:58 +0000

“This video is no longer available”

By: AES

AES — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:08:14 +0000

re:A123/Chevron – neither has done any “gobbling”. The two companies are merely doing a technical collaboration, and the patents have not come into play. A123 builds the cells, and Chevron builds the packs for the Saturn Vue.

It’s the same situation with A123/Contintental for the Volt pack.