2012 volt battery replacement: does 2015 volt battery fit?
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
Joined
·
400 Posts
It would probably fit, but I would be very hesitant about attempting this as a DIY project. One slip up and you're dead by electrocution.
I believe they're interchangeable, from my reading here previously of others experience. I have been wrong before though.
As long as the replacement battery is complete and unopened, all wires are included and not cut, there shouldn't be a major safety threat to you, however, the pack isn't designed for transport without being palletised, (it is heavy), and can bend or break in the middle, as it doesn't have much structure there.
After you have replaced it, and plugged it all up and checked everything, you'll still need to reset the lockout codes.
Usually this involves a tow to your nearest GM service department.
I have read here, some are working on how to circumvent this with significant cost and great difficulty. GM don't want you to do it.
As long as the replacement battery is complete and unopened, all wires are included and not cut, there shouldn't be a major safety threat to you, however, the pack isn't designed for transport without being palletised, (it is heavy), and can bend or break in the middle, as it doesn't have much structure there.
After you have replaced it, and plugged it all up and checked everything, you'll still need to reset the lockout codes.
Usually this involves a tow to your nearest GM service department.
I have read here, some are working on how to circumvent this with significant cost and great difficulty. GM don't want you to do it.
Joined
·
10,014 Posts
Resto-mods FTW!
I all for doing some mods and upgrades. However, I can't do engine and other heavy tasks any more, so, I'd have to farm out the labor.
Replacing the battery requires some special knowledge and tools, so, I'd befriend a Volt technician.
If nobody makes a compelling BEV, I might have my ELR upgraded. It currently has the 16.5kWh battery version. Replacing the cells with double the capacity has been a dream for a while now. 80mi vs 40mi would be sweet. More is better.
I all for doing some mods and upgrades. However, I can't do engine and other heavy tasks any more, so, I'd have to farm out the labor.
Replacing the battery requires some special knowledge and tools, so, I'd befriend a Volt technician.
If nobody makes a compelling BEV, I might have my ELR upgraded. It currently has the 16.5kWh battery version. Replacing the cells with double the capacity has been a dream for a while now. 80mi vs 40mi would be sweet. More is better.
Joined
·
10,014 Posts
Depends on the dealer. My Cadillac dealer has a full-on restoration and hot-rod shop attached. I'm pretty sure they would take on such a project for the right price.
I think I remember reading a story here a couple years ago that would seem to say a later battery with slightly more capacity is usable in an earlier car. This story was of a earlier Volt having the battery replaced with a newer one due to accident damage. The car had more battery capacity after the replacement. Don’t remember who posted the details, I think he was in Texas.
The good news is the battery is possibly not out of warranty. Here the basic warranty is 3 years but for the drive train including the battery it's 8-10 years, depending on location. Even if it were out of warranty you might be able to get a replacement installed as a customer satisfaction action, though the sale of Opel might impact that. Anyway, make sure of the warranty time period. You might be pleasantly surprised.
The battery will fit. It's pretty much the same. Only difference is in the chemistry is tweaked. At present GM only has one Generation One battery pack for all generation one Volts. As mentioned, you will likely need a software upgrade since the kWh draw changed slightly over time.
Good luck. Hope you're wrong on the warranty!
The battery will fit. It's pretty much the same. Only difference is in the chemistry is tweaked. At present GM only has one Generation One battery pack for all generation one Volts. As mentioned, you will likely need a software upgrade since the kWh draw changed slightly over time.
Good luck. Hope you're wrong on the warranty!
Joined
·
1,900 Posts
Depending on mileage you may still have a warranty.
However, and its been a couple of years, I believe the price of a replacement battery was around $1,200. Not sure how much they charge to install it but I would guess $800 to $1000.
However, and its been a couple of years, I believe the price of a replacement battery was around $1,200. Not sure how much they charge to install it but I would guess $800 to $1000.
Seems to me Volt software would be programmed to use raw SOC readings from the battery. After replacing a Gen 1 battery with a newer Gen 1 battery, the car would still be programmed to work with a 65% usable SOC window, fully charging the car to the 85-87% level, switching to ICE at the 20-22% point.
This seems implicit in those who are concerned that decreases in their full-depletion kWh Used numbers over the years are indications of battery deterioration (i.e., 65% usable from a 16-kWh capacity battery is greater than 65% usable from a deteriorated 14-kWh capacity battery).
This. The car is not programmed "ok, used 10kWh, engine time". It's programmed "Ok, 20% left, engine time".
And that 20% value comes from the battery computer. So there's no reason it wouldn't work aside from VIN-encoded parts and such, which a dealer should be able to reprogram.
See https://greentecauto.com/hybrid-battery/chevrolet/volt/chevrolet-volt-battery . Looks like they want to keep their options open to use anything from '13 to '15. If you were to supply the battery, you'd be certain about the model, but you'd want to make sure they'd still warranty the system for 36 mos.
Joined
·
6 Posts
I replaced my battery myself. I bought a battery from a wreck in a junkyard. Once the old battery was out and the new battery was in, I did have to break into the software and turn off the hard fault. The procedure was outlined in the Volt repair manual ...was tricky but if you follow the sequence in exactly the right order, it does work.
After I was bac on the road, I took my old battery apart. It seems that nothing was wrong with the cells. One of the wires was loose and wrong information about SOC was being transmitted. Of course I did not know what I know today or I would have fixed my old battery and avoided a lot of brain power needed to reset faults. It seems Chevy is not interested in educating the general public. Much information is locked down. I was warned not to do this repair ....I could get killed ....yada yada ....I spent a lot of years working on 460-480 volt 3PH industrial stuff ....melted a lot of screw drivers LOL ....still here to tell about it ....just lucky. It is dangerous but it can be done.
Joined
·
62 Posts
try GreenTech.com
Joined
·
149 Posts
all gen1 batteries will fit all other gen1 years but you want to go for the later years since those batteries have slightly better capacity. I did the opposite I have a 2011 battery in a 2013 it works perfectly fine. You just need to issue a capacity relearn on the ecu after replacement.
- 16.0 kWh lithium-ion (2011–2012)
- 16.5 kWh lithium-ion (2013–2014)
- 17.1 kWh lithium-ion (2015)
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
