Crippling Flaw in Batteries Powering Chevy Volts, Other EVs

[longknife]

by directorblue

Well, slap me on the butt and call me Nancy.
[Researchers at] Ohio State University [raised] new questions about the functional lifetime of a typical lithium-ion battery as used in a hybrid or battery electric vehicle

Full story @ Doug Ross @ Journal: STUNNING: Ohio State Researchers Discover Crippling Flaw in Batteries Powering Chevy Volts, Other EVs

 

[JustTheFacts]

by directorblue

Well, slap me on the butt and call me Nancy.
[Researchers at] Ohio State University [raised] new questions about the functional lifetime of a typical lithium-ion battery as used in a hybrid or battery electric vehicle

Full story @ Doug Ross @ Journal: STUNNING: Ohio State Researchers Discover Crippling Flaw in Batteries Powering Chevy Volts, Other EVs

General Motors give an 8 year 100,000 mile warranty on the better who gives a s*** if it doesn't last that long its under warranty

 

[daveman]

by directorblue

Well, slap me on the butt and call me Nancy.
[Researchers at] Ohio State University [raised] new questions about the functional lifetime of a typical lithium-ion battery as used in a hybrid or battery electric vehicle

Full story @ Doug Ross @ Journal: STUNNING: Ohio State Researchers Discover Crippling Flaw in Batteries Powering Chevy Volts, Other EVs

General Motors give an 8 year 100,000 mile warranty on the better who gives a s*** if it doesn't last that long its under warranty

Replacing it earlier will cost the company more. Those costs will be passed on to the consumer. If a lot of batteries fail earlier than they should, consumer confidence is going to go down. EV sales will fall. Company stock prices will, too.


So, yes, people SHOULD give a shit.

 

[TNHarley]

Maybe obama should have given more stimulus money to them. Then they could have invested in some R & D

 

[Mad Scientist]

I seem to recall someone else here saying that those kinds of batteries don't take to kindly to bumps and jolts that daily driving subjects them to and that trouble shooting the inevitable problems that result will be neither easy nor inexpensive.

Now who was that?

 

[JustTheFacts]

I seem to recall someone else here saying that those kinds of batteries don't take to kindly to bumps and jolts that daily driving subjects them to and that trouble shooting the inevitable problems that result will be neither easy nor inexpensive.

Now who was that?

Don't know about the bumps and jolts , but your second point is true. It take special equipment and knowledge to work on an EV, but then again, most new cars today require the same.

Let me give you a quick example using the most common vehicle on US roads. The Ford F150 with a Triton V8.

Ford has in their infinite wisdom made this a particularly tricky and expensive tune up. First the engine takes a 9/16" spark plug, which is unlike any other motor made , second it is a 10" reach inside a 1" diameter hole just to reach the spark plug, So special socket needed just to pull the plug.

Then when you pull the plug if you don't know what you're doing , and sometimes even if you do and are careful, it is VERY easy to break the spark plug off inside the thread, which believe it or not Ford has a special tool for that. So another special tool that you MUST have just in case, and it takes an extra half hour per broken plug if you do break one.

A tune up used to be something the common man could do in his backyard, not so much anymore and the Ford Triton V8 while particularly nasty is not alone in that regard.

People who are in the field will learn to work on these vehicles just as we always have learned new technology.

 

[waltky]

Longknife wrote: ... and call me Nancy.

Hi, Nancy.

 

[Politico]

They know about the flaw. That's why they increased the warranty. Goona be a bitch for the taxpayer when it comes home to roost.

 

[Sallow]

Just wondering why you folks are so fixated on EVs.

You getting paid by the oil lobby?

 

[daveman]

Just wondering why you folks are so fixated on EVs.

You getting paid by the oil lobby?

Obama invested a lot of our money in EVs -- without our permission.

So, yes, we get a say.

 

[JustTheFacts]

Just wondering why you folks are so fixated on EVs.

You getting paid by the oil lobby?

Obama invested a lot of our money in EVs -- without our permission.

So, yes, we get a say.

What kind of nut hates a product bc of who endorses it?

In a broader discussion I would say what kind of idiot thinks that any idea which originates from the other side is automatically a bad idea?

Ps bush was also prepared to bail out gm Nd the chevy volt was coming no matter which president did it

 

[Desperado]

General Motors give an 8 year 100,000 mile warranty on the better who gives a s*** if it doesn't last that long its under warranty

People are holding on to their cars longer than they used too.
So as that 8 years warranty gets closer to expiring, your resale value drops like a stone.
Can't imagine what the resale value of a 7 year old Chevy Volt with the original battery will be.

Not only is this a problem for all lithium-Ion battery powered electric cars, there is another problem that might cause a few more problems..... Just for fun, Google "Lithium and Water reaction".

 

[Jarlaxle]

I seem to recall someone else here saying that those kinds of batteries don't take to kindly to bumps and jolts that daily driving subjects them to and that trouble shooting the inevitable problems that result will be neither easy nor inexpensive.

Now who was that?

Don't know about the bumps and jolts , but your second point is true. It take special equipment and knowledge to work on an EV, but then again, most new cars today require the same.

Let me give you a quick example using the most common vehicle on US roads. The Ford F150 with a Triton V8.

Ford has in their infinite wisdom made this a particularly tricky and expensive tune up. First the engine takes a 9/16" spark plug, which is unlike any other motor made , second it is a 10" reach inside a 1" diameter hole just to reach the spark plug, So special socket needed just to pull the plug.

Then when you pull the plug if you don't know what you're doing , and sometimes even if you do and are careful, it is VERY easy to break the spark plug off inside the thread, which believe it or not Ford has a special tool for that. So another special tool that you MUST have just in case, and it takes an extra half hour per broken plug if you do break one.

A tune up used to be something the common man could do in his backyard, not so much anymore and the Ford Triton V8 while particularly nasty is not alone in that regard.

People who are in the field will learn to work on these vehicles just as we always have learned new technology.

Where do you come up with this?! Little "peanut" plugs are nothing new (offhand, Chrysler motorhome engines used them in the late 70's!), nor is cramped access. I have seen vehicles requiring a 24" extension and/or a go-go-gadget arm to get to some of the plugs. (Offhand: rear three on a FWD GM minivan, front three on a V6 Fiero.)