moved to Problems...
2011 Curious if it might be some temp sensor somewhere instead of the high power battery degrading?
Things here have started to warm up a little here. Yesterday it was 50 degrees outside and the car started in battery mode and never shifted to using the engine to make poser.
Like in the past as the weather warms up my Volt goes back to battery most of the time. I realize that when things get cold the electric mileage goes down because of heating, lights and wipers using power and understand that. But the last couple years even with a full battery it runs the engine most of the time when it gets cold outside. I have thought it was just my high power battery getting older (11+ years now).
But having a full battery and the car starting the engine running right away would not be because of a used up battery. This usually happens when the outside temp is colder that 50. It would appear to me that that there is something that is colder and needs to heat up like the main battery because after running with the engine for a while she can shift from the engine running to using the battery even when it is a little below 50 outside. Could this be some sort of temperature sensor not working correctly or something like the heater for the battery not working correctly?
Just wondering what those of you that know about these things can teach me.
Roy 2011 volt #1019
Like in the past as the weather warms up my Volt goes back to battery most of the time. I realize that when things get cold the electric mileage goes down because of heating, lights and wipers using power and understand that. But the last couple years even with a full battery it runs the engine most of the time when it gets cold outside. I have thought it was just my high power battery getting older (11+ years now).
But having a full battery and the car starting the engine running right away would not be because of a used up battery. This usually happens when the outside temp is colder that 50. It would appear to me that that there is something that is colder and needs to heat up like the main battery because after running with the engine for a while she can shift from the engine running to using the battery even when it is a little below 50 outside. Could this be some sort of temperature sensor not working correctly or something like the heater for the battery not working correctly?
Just wondering what those of you that know about these things can teach me.
Roy 2011 volt #1019
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In October 2008, GM chose CPI (LG Chemical) to provide the battery systems for the first production version of the Volt.Did GM actually make the Volt Batteries themselves or contract that out to a battery making company?
Yes, they would just need to rebuild the original production line. I don't know how much that would cost. Hundreds of thousands? More? If I'm LG do I want to invest that given how much they are already spending on new battery plants? Let's say they did. How many hundreds of thousands are ready to buy to make it profitable? How are you the Volt owner going to overcome the tab welding issue? Who is responsible if/when something goes wrong?So could CPI (LG Chemical) make new ones for replacments in our Volts if they wanted to or is GM stopping them because of the Intellectual Properties rights?
I suspect they need GM's permission as well as GM has some IP in the battery formulation. But maybe LG could make a different formulation to by-pass GM. Would they risk alienating one of their biggest customers and partner to supply these off-book cells to you?
You might be better off trying to buy cells via the Chinese market and cobble together something that way. There's a thread in here somewhere along those lines. The next question would be the Volt's battery management software, would it need updating for the new, non-GM cells?
Well, they are incorporating the idea of replaceable bricks that are not tied to the original production year nor even the original battery chemistry or technology precisely so they can use whatever the current battery "flavor" the plants are producing. Theoretically, a solid state battery could be used as long as it conforms to the Ultium platform specs. This is a lesson learned from the Volt. Also, given that a million or so Ultium-based cars will be on the road by then, there will be a larger used supply via the auto-salvage yards.So if in the next ten years someone invents a better battery technology (and as with most tech someone most likely will) will GM just drop their new Ultium system and all of the people who trusted them will be left high with dying cars just like us.
I know of no one else who is promoting this idea. Tesla for example will require the entire battery pack be replaced. Maybe VW will have something but they have already bifurcated their platform rather than following GM's one platform for all.
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