Chevrolet Volt's Battery Pack re-Ignited

Monocrom

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. . . And that's why I will never own an electronic or hybrid car in my Lifetime.
 

StarHalo

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You might want to compare the number of fires caused by gasoline-powered cars versus electric cars. Also, if there's been a fire in your garage and you just leave your electric car with it's case of li-ions parked in it for several days, you should not be allowed to be a firefighter..
 

Bolster

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You might want to compare the number of fires caused by gasoline-powered cars versus electric cars.

Given there are proportionately few electric cars out there, a simple numbers comparison would make the electrics look safe. But the important number to compare would be percentage.
 

tolkaze

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Surely they wouldn't, it would be lighter, cheaper and safer to build their own large capacity prismatic cells.
 

CKOD

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Surely they wouldn't, it would be lighter, cheaper and safer to build their own large capacity prismatic cells.
While I'm guessing GM may not make their own cells, it certainly seems like it is a prismatic pack. wikipedia quotes it as a 16KwH pack with 288 cells, 55.5 Wh/Cell would be 3.7V @15AH, so either prismatic Li-Ion, or possibly M sized cylindrical cells.

IIRC it was the tesla roadster that used 18650's
 

Siliconti

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I saw this in AutoWeek when it happened. I think it was discovered that the Volt did not cause it. I may be wrong...
 

tolkaze

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While I'm guessing GM may not make their own cells, it certainly seems like it is a prismatic pack. wikipedia quotes it as a 16KwH pack with 288 cells, 55.5 Wh/Cell would be 3.7V @15AH, so either prismatic Li-Ion, or possibly M sized cylindrical cells.

IIRC it was the tesla roadster that used 18650's


I know the dimensions of an N cell, i haven't seen or heard of an M cell. How big are they? what else are they used in?
 

ysabelross

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Battery technology ready of these electric cars must always be ready.:thumbsup: I somehow like the whole configuration of volt, I just hope that this car will capture all market in automotive industries.In addition to that,I have also read that Chevrolet recently authorized shops to start selling the demo versions of the Volt, Chevrolet's plug-in electric hybrid.I believe, Chevrolet is looking to boost sales of the Volt.However,one grievance among consumers is that they couldn't get the Volt with the options they want. Article Source:Chevy Volt demo cars to go on sale to meet demand
 

Scott Packard

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Now, after at least three crash-tests resulted in fires or sparks from the vehicle's lithium-ion battery pack, GM is working to reassure consumers the Volt is safe and avoid a potentially embarrassing gaffe just as its turnaround is taking hold.

On Monday, the Detroit auto maker took the unprecedented step of offering loaner vehicles to any of the about 6,000 Chevrolet Volt owners who might be concerned about the vehicle's safety while it and U.S. regulators try to determine whether the car is a fire risk after a serious crash.
...
GM said it believes sparks or fires that occurred in three Volt batteries following crash tests by the NHTSA were caused by electronics malfunctions and not overheating chemicals within the battery cell. The company has assembled a team of engineers to work with federal safety officials to pinpoint the cause and work out a solution.

GM is now working on fixes that would make the battery design sturdier, GM product chief Mary Barra said on Monday. Nissan Motor Co.'s Leaf, the only other mass-market electric car on sale in the U.S., has a steel encasement around its battery that helps protect it and prevent the possibility of a fire in the event of a crash.

Nissan's Leaf also doesn't require coolant to regulate the temperature of the battery. The Volt and most other electric cars headed to market do. A coolant line was damaged in the initial Volt crash test.


more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203935604577066232270911886.html

And, from a follow-up article:
In May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration performed a crash test of a Volt and three weeks later the battery in the vehicle caught fire. Earlier this month, NHTSA tested three volt battery packs for crash-worthiness. One eventually caught fire; sparks flew from a second and a third showed no problems.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204449804577068671204658852.html
 

LEDninja

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GM offers to buy back Chevy Volts
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/gm-offers-to-buy-back-chevy-volts/article2256947/

General Motors has stepped up its campaign to reassure customers about the safety of the Chevrolet Volt, its first serious foray into the electric car market.

GM's chief executive officer Dan Akerson said Thursday that the company will buy back a Volt from any customer worried about the safety of the vehicle, a step further than GM's offer earlier in the week to provider temporary loaner vehicles to Volt owners.
 

AnnekaT

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Just recently NHSTA has finally arrived into conclusion if Chevy Volt is safe. The investigation ended Monday in GM's favor. Though the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that it is safe, still the car is having a difficult time in the industry. Many Chevy dealers are declining to take more Volt hybrid electrics off of GM's hands.Resource for this article: Dealers turn down Volts even after NHTSA approval

My opinion with this issue is that, it is not easy for the consumers to take away all their worries that fast. Of course, who would want to drive a car that was recently investigated because of the safety and fire issue? I, myself would not want it. Thinking all day if my car is safe or not.
 

shadowjk

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Humans are funny like that. Would rather drive an uninvestigated car, than one investigated and found safe?

Another funny thing is hollywood films, where car fuel tanks explode from the slightest little bumps, and yet people drive them :)
 

Monocrom

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Hollywood films are made up of fictional characters who have no free will of their own.
 

GreySave

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As someone who works at a GM Dealer, I am not impressed by the Volt. It is an overpriced vehicle that had a HUGE amount of tax dollars invested in its development, is receiving huge tax breaks at our expense to spur sales to high income purchasers, and uses technology that may never trickle down to an affordable vehicle. It is a prime example of government intervention in an attempt to sell the public something they cannot afford and at this point in time do not want. It is also a highly technical vehicles whose short term reliability has not been all that good (50% of our Volts have had significant electrical issues) and whose long term reliability (as the electronics, wiring connections, and cooling systems age) will be questionable at best. When the $55,0000 Tahoe Hybrid came out we were told that the technology would eventually be mass produced and used in less expensive vehicles. Sound familiar? It was a GREAT premise as the Hybrid Tahoe delivered a SOLID 20 MPG in city driving. Yet the technology never trickeled down. Instead GM pushed for the Volt and now the new E-Assist, which is an affordable compromise but is far from a true hybrid.

At this point in time I do not believe that the Volt battery packs are unsafe. We have not seen issues in that area. We have seen issues in some of the subsystems necessary to support the use of that battery pack as well as some of those required to operate the vehicle. That said, I would not park one in my garage. There are other hybrids out there that are much more affordable and far less risky in the long term.
 

127.0.0.1

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Chevy Volt Production has been halted.

it always was junk and always will be junk (sure it was a technological marvel, but the underlying tech was JUNK)

Chevy blames media for the low sales. I blame the fires.

and also the ads before the volt came
out of 230MPG when really it ends up being 38MPG in real world tests


finally, they killed it
 
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