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Volt replacement battery for only $2,300

34K views 38 replies 32 participants last post by  Steverino 
#1 ·
I was looking through the prices of the various Volt spare parts at the gmpartsonline.net , and notice that the Lithium Ion battery pack is downright cheap at only $2,300 , roughly $150/kwh:

http://www.gmpartsonline.net/parts/...=ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS&component=Battery assy

I heard numbers like $8K or $10K being mentioned before, but if the $2.3K price is correct, then replacing the battery in 8-10 years is just not a big deal at all...

I checked a couple other online part dealers, and they all seem to have a similar price.
 
#2 ·
I think that you have to return your worn out/damaged battery to get that price, which isn't a big deal.
And I think most of us would need to get it installed by the dealer so it would cost $2994, but that is still a great price for another 100,000+ miles of driving a Volt.
 
#6 ·
I think that you have to return your worn out/damaged battery to get that price, which isn't a big deal.
What's weird is the parts listing shows a core of $0.00. Also, I believe the price a few months ago was $3200 Online, so it looks like the price has come down.
 
#4 ·
Thank you for that link because it is a reference to get parts for my 1995 Buick Regal and my 2009 Chevy Equinox.

I find it humorous that the home page has an announcement to sell fuel injectors for Ford PowerStroke Diesel engines:
"Just for our friends driving Ford 6.0, 6.4, or 7.3L PowerStroke® diesel engines, we offer brand new controllers and injectors at prices that will rival any Ford dealer.

Click on the PowerStroke® logo to learn more!"

So GM sells Ford injectors better than Ford!
 
#7 ·
When I checked thru a friends Shop about this time last year (to get the "good guy" price), the "complete propulsion battery assembly" for a 2012 (they didn't Have a price for the 2013 yet at that time) was quoted at $1900. And NO exchange or "core" - they did Not want the old one back, apparently.

So no big deal, either way. The Vortec head GM "base performance H.O." 5.7l crate motor I stuck into the Corvette last summer was $2600. Some of the better GM crate motors get Expensive, for example a COPO LS-327 supercharger 550 Hp. motor, complete with injection and electronics, is listed at $32,795. Ouch. Your basic LS long block begins at about $4000.

Batteries are Cheap :)
 
#34 ·
When I checked thru a friends Shop about this time last year (to get the "good guy" price), the "complete propulsion battery assembly" for a 2012 (they didn't Have a price for the 2013 yet at that time) was quoted at $1900. And NO exchange or "core" - they did Not want the old one back, apparently.

Batteries are Cheap :)
If you are for real there are a few who would take your friend up on the $1900 battery, like I said earlier, I will front you the money if you can order one, I am curious what I will get and would consider it an expensive learning experience if I only get one module.

Cheers
Ryan
 
#18 ·
We may even see the Engerizer Bunny making a pitch for EV replacement batteries by then.
 
#9 ·
#11 ·
We have people on voltstats that have over 80,000 miles. I have not heard of anyone needing a replacement battery yet due to age.

Given the gentle way that GM handles battery management, I'm thinking that the battery will last longer than the rest of the car.
 
#12 ·
I will not believe the parts catalogue price until someone actually pays that price. Since the batteries are under warranty for 100-150k miles, and a lot of years, I think GM knows there will not be any consumer replacement of battery packs right now, and has just thrown in a price as a stub. I think the actual price IS going to be a good bit higher.

So, find me ONE person who has paid this price and has it documented, and I'll believe it. Otherwise, I think it is just a place holder.

The only circumstance where a person would need to replace the battery OUT of warranty would be a car accident, and the car would be completely totaled if it impacted the battery bay to break the battery, so the car would be replaced, not the battery.
 
#13 ·
find me ONE person who has paid this price and has it documented, and I'll believe it. Otherwise, I think it is just a place holder.
From what you are saying, you don't believe GM will honor that part's price? Maybe it wouldn't be too economic for them, and maybe they do subsidize that part's cost. It would be a master stroke of marketing and finance, considering the reliability already. But I am already indulging you, because my belief is they don't have to. They take cores, and recondition the chemistry. They don't need all new fine tolerance cells, and the exotic TMS, if those things aren't broken. They give folks a replacement that may be 90-95% of new capacity. And by the time these batteries do fail, why is it hard to believe the actual $/kwh price for lithium ion won't already be in the $100-200 range?

With a lift, I hope to swap out in 180 seconds, if the folks at Tesla can do it in 90. :)
 
#15 ·
find me ONE person who has paid this price and has it documented, and I'll believe it. Otherwise, I think it is just a place holder.
Totally agree.

If they were offering a battery of this quality and robustness (the quality of the cells in these packs is very highly regarded), they would be selling tons of them for large scale storage needs such as off-grid houses and such. Where's DCFusor when you need him to weigh in?
 
#30 ·
Well you do need THE TRADE-IN BATTERY to get that price...:rolleyes:
 
#17 ·
Electric utilities take note

With the price of large capacity batteries declining and add to that cheap solar panels, it won't be long until one can cut the cord to their electric utility for about the price of a new roof.
 
#31 ·
It's funny that you should mention this. I had an engine problem that would have rendered any other car virtually useless and brought it directly to the repair shop. I procrastinated for several *weeks* (while still commuting every day) before getting it fixed ... The shop discovered water in the spark plug holes causing severe misfiring.

I didn't have any long trips planned, so I simply didn't need the gasoline engine. It is liberating to have gasoline be an occasional luxury, rather than a daily necessity!
 
#23 ·
The battery replacement price looks pretty good!

I have a 2000 Honda CR-V in addition to my Volt. I just had the Honda timing belt and water pump replaced (routine preventative maintenance), along with the installation of a new radiator (it blew a hole). This is the second PM replacement of the timing belt and water pump. Other gasoline engine maintenance included one valve adjustment (no self-adjusting hydraulic valves on the CR-V). Anyhow, just the routine maintenance on the ICE alone has been well north of $4000, and the Honda has been a very good car.

The Volt electric propulsion components are likely to last a long time, and a new $2300 battery (plus installation) at around 100,000 miles looks very appealing on a cost comparison basis.
 
#25 ·
Yes but the $2,300 is the online price. Is shipping included ;).

I am most interested in what happens when the Volt 2.0 battery or batteries are released. If there is a significant increase in kWh, I bet there would be a number of owners who would be interested in an upgrade if they were backwards compatible.
 
#26 ·
Yes but the $2,300 is the online price. Is shipping included ;).
More importantly, if the replacement does not 'require' the old battery, what are you supposed to do with the old one? I can see a situation where it would cost a lot of $ to dispose of the old battery, kind of like the 'tire disposal fee' or 'oil recycling' fee a lot of shops charge now days.

I am most interested in what happens when the Volt 2.0 battery or batteries are released. If there is a significant increase in kWh, I bet there would be a number of owners who would be interested in an upgrade if they were backwards compatible.
I was thinking about that. Unless GM shows some propensity for 'software upgrades' on the Volt, we may be out of luck. There are so many circuits and boards that are tweaked to the current battery's capacity, that it would require a lot of changes to accommodate a battery that let's say is 30% higher capacity. Whereas it is all software, if there is not history of software updates, I doubt it will start with a major battery replacement.

I hope I'm wrong ...
 
#28 ·
I came to $72,000, before rebates federal/state, for 5 volt batteries and a 45 panel array priced at $4.50 per watt installed. Looking for ~1,500 kwh/month. YMMV.

I think I could invest that in a way that would pay electric, as is, but perhaps not after incentives. The 5-battery setup was from a couple articles I've seen suggesting how many are needed residentially.
 
#32 ·
Find me one person that has demanded their battery be replaced and I'll show you the person who paid this amount. Of course it's a fool's errand. All the cars are still under warranty, so no one would be goofy enough to spend $3k on a whim. You can choose to believe the published price is not real, while I'll take published prices as valid. Since neither of us has a Volt out of warranty AND needs a battery, so it will remain.
If the price mentioned was actual price, then GM could have, for the PAST THREE YEARS, completely DISCREDITED skeptics that were saying battery replacement prices were 8k PLUS. GM HAS NOT. Therefore, you cannot assume that a book price, which is being published way ahead of any consumer's ability or need to actually replace a battery is legitimate.
 
#33 ·
I recall seeing a few people on this site (2 maybe?) that had something puncture a battery coolant line and were told the battery needed to be replaced and that the cost was about $3000. Maybe I'm not remembering those posts right (and I can't find them right now) but this price doesn't seem out of whack if those were true.
 
#38 ·
not for sale

The gm parts on line site referred to on this thread will not sell that battery for $2300. They will not sell the battery at all and suggest trying the chevrolet dealership. I'm not sure why they have the battery on their site if won't sell it? It may be that I am from Canada, but they did not include that as a reason for refusal to sell.
 
#39 ·
The gm parts on line site referred to on this thread will not sell that battery for $2300. They will not sell the battery at all and suggest trying the chevrolet dealership.
The price is based on returning the old battery. Assumming you had the skill to remove the 400 lb. battery from the car, it's very hard to email it to the online store :)
 
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