[paul123]

My 2012 Volt is down to 27 miles fully charged (29 ideal temperature), so I was wondering what could I expect to pay for a new battery pack. Otherwise, never needed any repairs.
Thanks, Paul

 

[jayoldschool]

Paul, you probably don't need a new pack. You've lost range in cold weather, it will return when it warms up. Same advice as always applies: slower driving, use less HVAC, ensure tires are aired up slightly over specified pressure. Range will come up.

 

[paul123]

Paul, you probably don't need a new pack. You've lost range in cold weather, it will return when it warms up. Same advice as always applies: slower driving, use less HVAC, ensure tires are aired up slightly over specified pressure. Range will come up.

As I wrote, I only get 29 miles on a full charge in optimal temps. How much will a new battery pack cost?

 

[Steverino]

$6000 to $10000

Less if you are adventuresome and do it yourself with a salvaged battery

 

[paul123]

$6000 to $10000

Less if you are adventuresome and do it yourself with a salvaged battery

Ouch! Maybe I'll go buy a Bolt

 

[16falcon]

Or just live with the reduced range until it fails all together. Although then it doesn’t have any trade in value.

 

[AZ EV Driver]

If you were talking about a 2012 Cruze with a nearly dead ICE motor what would you think?

 

[jayoldschool]

As I wrote, I only get 29 miles on a full charge in optimal temps. How much will a new battery pack cost?

Paul, your 2012 was rated for 35 miles when brand new. You say that it is getting 29 in "ideal conditions". What, specifically, are those conditions? The outside temperature? What setting are you using on your HVAC? AC or heat on? Fan speed? Seat heaters? What is your drive? Distance? Speed? Hills? What tire pressure are you using?

Answer all of those, and we can help you further.

 

[jbakerjonathan]

My 2012 Volt is down to 27 miles fully charged (29 ideal temperature), so I was wondering what could I expect to pay for a new battery pack. Otherwise, never needed any repairs.
Thanks, Paul

One of the unique things about a Volt is that it has both a traction battery and an on-board ICE generator. Even though the capacity of the battery decreases over time, the car will still be capable of traveling ~350 miles on a tankful of gasoline, and will continue to do so until the insides of the ICE wear to the point that it is no longer practical to use it. The range degradation of the battery is like that of a party balloon that gracefully floats down to the floor as it loses its buoyancy. I think that the capability of the battery to accept electricity from the generator to propel the Volt will exist for a long, long time even though CD range shrinks to very short distances.

I see no need to buy a new battery or get rid of a vehicle that still works. Yes, the cost to keep the car running increases. The energy needed is more costly and more “dirty”. But, the car, itself, is still a functioning automobile and the cost to run it is waaay less than the cost to purchase a new one (or to buy a new battery).

My Volt is a gem that I plan to keep. My suggestion to you is to just keep driving your Volt and not buy a new battery.

 

[Steverino]

When my 2011 Volt was new, on the best days I was able to get 48-49 miles . Now, 9-1/2 years and almost 100k miles later I get 35-38 miles. Am I getting rid of the car or putting a new battery in? No. The car still drives fine.

 

[minorukun]

When my 2011 Volt was new, on the best days I was able to get 48-49 miles . Now, 9-1/2 years and almost 100k miles later I get 35-38 miles. Am I getting rid of the car or putting a new battery in? No. The car still drives fine.

I have a one single cell weak, the 14# do you know if can I replace it and recover bad the ev range?

 

[Steverino]

I have a one single cell weak, the 14# do you know if can I replace it and recover bad the ev range?

Sure, see this:

 

[forensicscientist]

Infrequent poster here, but considering I'm in the middle of replacing my propulsion battery in a 2012 with 110K miles I can tell you my cost for a re-manufactured battery is 4250, plus 500 installation, plus applicable sales tax. My Chevy dealer quoted 8K also for a re-manufatured battery. Seems GM is no longer offering brand new replacement batteries for 2012. Greentecauto.com is the place...repair facilities around the US.

I plan to fix this VOLT, enjoy the 18 month full replacement warranty, then sell this thing. GM was less than helpful dealing with this issue, even though it started giving symptoms just 125 days AFTER the 8 year warranty period expired....granted it had 110K miles at that point.

My specific issue was 'a fault' in battery section 3...which is no longer available by itself. Thus, one must replace the entire battery. And to those who think they can just use the engine and not the battery ....uh that's a big NO...explored that option with GM too. But without a 'functioning' propulsion battery, the generator will not start. Bottom line: No propulsion battery, no generator, means you have a very large paperweight, and you cannot even 'donate' your car to many of the fine charities that say 'donate your car to us'....with it being a 'dead' volt, I was told, 'no thank you'. So it's either bite the bullet and fix it..or use it for target practice. Which, I will say, crossed my mind more than once.


We'll see how the replacement battery works...maybe I'll post a review once I get it back in another 4-6 weeks. My local dealer (Dallas) says they are swamped with Volts needing replacements....go figure.

 

[Steverino]

We'll see how the replacement battery works...maybe I'll post a review once I get it back in another 4-6 weeks. My local dealer (Dallas) says they are swamped with Volts needing replacements....go figure.

Please do! I'm sure others will be interested in your experience.