Volt's most pressing hurdle passed

The battery critical to the Chevrolet Volt looks to be close to testing. The Chevy Volt is General Motors' new plug-in hybrid that runs on an electric motor with a gasoline generator built-in for recharging during long distance driving. At the end of the 90's, GM had introduced the EV1 due to California's Zero Emissions Mandate. The repeal of the mandate, however, combined with an inability to bring price to a reasonable level and a vastly insufficient demand led to its demise, costing GM an estimated $500 million in the process.

The Volt uses what are, basically, giant laptop or cell phone batteries – much more efficient than the rechargeable batteries available in the late 90’s – to store enough energy to allow for a 40 mile trip without having to use the gasoline generator. The 40 mile limit was chosen intentionally as that is the average round-trip commute for American workers. With the generator, the Volt should be able to go over 600 miles on a 12 gallon tank of gas. If trips are kept short, the generator should never have to be used and the Volt can be powered much more efficiently by charging the battery with a connection to your house.

The problem is that the batteries on this scale needed for the Volt have, to this point, never been created. Now, it looks like the battery supplier, A123, is closing in on being ready with the batteries for full-scale testing. This would be a critical step forward, particularly as the main problem with the EV-1 was its ridiculously short battery life.

Still, we’re talking about a new vehicle which is based entirely on a technology which has yet to be proven out. They expect to start selling these some time in late 2010, but don’t be surprised if it is pushed back to 2011 or later. It’s great to see GM back out in front of alternative fuel technology once again. Here’s to hoping that it will work a touch better than last time.

GM: Battery on track for Chevy Volt
Detroit Free Press

TRAVERSE CITY -- General Motors Corp. is growing increasingly confident that battery developers will be able to create a safe, durable and affordable power source that will allow it to begin selling its electrically driven Chevrolet Volt to consumers by the end of 2010.

Speaking before a crowd of more than 1,000 at the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City on Thursday, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz announced that the automaker will develop lithium-ion battery cells with A123Systems Inc. to power its electric-drive vehicles.

Lutz said GM and A123 hope to have the first full lithium-ion battery pack ready for testing in the Volt by mid-October and a battery ready for use in test vehicles -- called mules -- by the end of the year. GM plans to have batteries ready for road testing by next spring.

GM has billed the Volt as a vehicle that will be able to drive at least 40 miles on battery power alone. The version of the Volt shown at the Detroit auto show this year also would have an on-board gasoline-powered engine to recharge the battery for longer drives. Using an initial charge and the generator, GM's aim is to build a vehicle that can drive 640 miles on 12 gallons of gas.

But the battery cells are considered crucial to developing the plug-in electric vehicles and fuel-cell vehicles that GM, Ford Motor Co., Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. are working on. The big challenge, the automakers say, is developing batteries that are safe, durable and affordable, but also can absorb and deliver power quickly enough for automotive use.

"Breakthrough battery technology will drive future automotive propulsion, and the company that aligns with the best strategic partners will win," Lutz said. "Frankly, I think we're hooking up with the right crew."