Q&A With the CEO of Compact Power Inc.

Prabakhar Patil is the CEO of Compact Power Inc.  CPI is a subsidiary for LG Chem, the Korean company that was awarded with the Chevy Volt cell supplier contract.  CPI helped GM to develop the packs for the Volt.  I had a chance to interview Dr. Patil on the current status of the relationship and [...]

IBM Launches 500 Mile Range Battery Development Project

IBM has a long history of putting its brainpower behind projects of significant societal importance.
Apparently they have chosen to focus a new endeavor on the electric car.
The so-called “Battery 500″ project is staffed by a consortium of the nation’s leading scientists and engineers, and the inaugural meeting kicked off last week in California.
IBM believes that [...]

Compact Power CEO on the Cost of Lithium-ion Batteries

Prabakhar Patil is the CEO of Compact Power Inc, the subsidiary of LG Chem that has been working with GM to produce the Volt’s battery packs.

I recently had the chance to ask him about the cost of lithium-ion batteries.  As some sources suggest cost could be as high as $1000 kwh, I asked him what [...]

Compact Power/LG Chem to Produce and Assemble Battery Packs for GMs 2-Mode Plugin Hybrid, Not GM

GM has been developing a plugin 2-mode hybrid since 2006. It was at first to be deployed in the Saturn VUE.  The host vehicle was later changed to a compact Buick SUV when the Saturn division was sold. That decision too was scrapped, however, GM still intends to sell the drivetrain in some [...]

Zenn Motors CEO Announces Change in Company Plans, Says EESU Development Remains On Target

Zenn Motors is the Toronto-based electric car company that was founded by Ian Clifford.
To date the company has only produced low volumes of low speed neighborhood electric vehicles, but had been planning to introduce a highway capable electric car called the cityZENN.
Zenn has based its future and that car on a partnership with EEStor, which [...]

Nissan to Lease LEAF EV Battery for Under $150 per Month

When Nissan debuted its all electric Leaf on August 2nd, the indication was that they intended to sell the car and then lease the battery separately for most parts of the world.
At the time, Carlos Ghosn (Nissan’s CEO) told the media that the price of the car would be competitive with its peers, and that [...]

Chevy Volt Underwater Testing

I previously had a discussion with Lance Turner, lead engineer in the Volt battery lab who also worked on the EV-1 program.
I asked him if there are any special considerations about the Volt and its high power battery getting exposed to water, such as in a flood, or accident where the car gets submerged.
Lance advised [...]

Volt Runs Without Gas Though Needs it Occasionally, Can’t Run Without Battery

Since the Volt is at its core and electric car, people often ask whether it will be able to run without any gas in its tank.
According to Volt vehicle line engineer Tony Posawatz, “the VOLT can run without gas since it is an EV.”
Here’s how he explains it:
We will provide many tips to customers on [...]

GM Begins Work at New Chevy Volt Battery Pack Assembly Plant

On Thursday GM CEO Fritz Henderson announced that GM has begun construction work on a factory in Brownstown Township Michigan in which the Chevy Volt battery packs will be assembled.
GM invested $43 million to develop the plant where packs for the Volt and “other extended range electric vehicles” will be assembled.
The 160,000 square foot facility [...]

GM and LG Chem Get Battery and Electric Car Grants: 500 Chevy Volts to Early Consumer Test Fleet

On Wednesday President Obama announced $2.4 billion in Recovery Act funding was being awarded for an electric drive vehicle battery and component manufacturing initiative.
“For too long, we’ve failed to invest in this kind of innovative work, even as countries like China and Japan were racing ahead,” he said. “With these investments, we’re planting the [...]

GM Leaning Towards Selling Volt Without Leasing Battery Separately

Lets face it, new technology first generation automotive lithium-ion batteries are very expensive. It is this cost that will make the initial adoption of electric cars slower and less widespread than we would like. GM has positioned the Volt to have the least batteries, and thus the least expense possible, yet will still tip the [...]

Chevy Volt Battery Has Robust Cell Monitoring and Safety Systems

Greg Ceisel is the Chevy Volt Program manager and has integral knowledge about the car’s engineering.
He recently shed some light on how the battery pack detects and reacts if there are any problems.
“The reliability of the Chevy Volt and its battery are essential to the success of this technology,” he said. “Our battery design [...]