Had to have the high voltage battery replaced in my 2013 (Gen 1) Volt. The dealer informed me that they installed a Gen 2 battery, since that's what GM sent from Detroit. My range has increased to between 55 and 60 miles on a full charge !
Gen 2 battery in Gen 1 Volt?
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I would be very interested in seeing the GOM (guess of meter) after a complete discharge.
If true, this would be very interesting. I am skeptical, though. The idea has been floated before, but I thought there was an issue about the size/shape of the pack or some other barrier that made it impractical.
As for the picture of the 60 mile range estimate, my Gen 1 has shown that once before. It was a glitch, and I did not actually get that range. The estimate went back to normal the next day.
As for the picture of the 60 mile range estimate, my Gen 1 has shown that once before. It was a glitch, and I did not actually get that range. The estimate went back to normal the next day.
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If this is true... it would be a very good thing for the future.
If I had a 60 mile battery range that would take me from about 15% gas use to about 2%
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Even if it could be done, you would have to replace the complete battery and not just one section. All cells have to be balanced for the battery to work so if one cell has a higher voltage due to a larger capacity then the system would set a code and the service lights would come on. A complete battery section would also do this since the cells in that section would be out of balance with the other 2 sections. If a cell has a larger capacity then the others, the voltage would not drop as fast as the rest of the cells, the system will detect a error if the voltage is .01 volts greater/less then other cells.
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We're going to need some more information on this, as this would be groundbreaking if true.
I agree it would make sense for GM to replace any failing Gen 1 batteries with adapted Gen 2 batteries as part of the repair for a couple reasons. First, GM can't simply warehouse "old" Gen 1 batteries for the next 10+ years to cover warranty claims. They wouldn't last in storage anyway and it would be crazy expensive.
Second, I doubt battery manufacturers are going to keep outdated manufacturing processes and equipment just for a limited number of older batteries that may need to be replaced. It would make more sense to adapt Gen 2 advanced processes and simply tweak them to work in Gen 1.
However, what makes little economic sense to me is why they would offer the full freight Gen 2 battery as a replacement and not just a more limited battery that maintains the same available kWh usable for Gen 1 to get its rated 38 miles. However, maybe even making a "smaller" battery is more expensive due to economies of scale.
I'll keep following this with intense interest.
I agree it would make sense for GM to replace any failing Gen 1 batteries with adapted Gen 2 batteries as part of the repair for a couple reasons. First, GM can't simply warehouse "old" Gen 1 batteries for the next 10+ years to cover warranty claims. They wouldn't last in storage anyway and it would be crazy expensive.
Second, I doubt battery manufacturers are going to keep outdated manufacturing processes and equipment just for a limited number of older batteries that may need to be replaced. It would make more sense to adapt Gen 2 advanced processes and simply tweak them to work in Gen 1.
However, what makes little economic sense to me is why they would offer the full freight Gen 2 battery as a replacement and not just a more limited battery that maintains the same available kWh usable for Gen 1 to get its rated 38 miles. However, maybe even making a "smaller" battery is more expensive due to economies of scale.
I'll keep following this with intense interest.
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How is this even possible? The two packs have different physical dimensions. I believe gen 2 pack is slightly smaller. Plus it looks like the gen 1 pack bolt pattern is different. Did they drill new mounting holes in the undercarriage? I'm raising the B.S. flag. Pics or it didn't happen.
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The OP may have been fed some misinformation (hence my request to post the work order details). Or they misunderstood what they were told. As the comments above point out, this "gen 2 battery into a gen 1 car" would be groundbreaking news, along the lines of "GM replaced my Gen 2 Volt battery with a Bolt battery pack".
Remember that that if it's uneconomical to store G1 packs, it's even less economical to make one from that meets the performance of the G1. Fitting a new pack with something that can move the coolant and electrical connection around seems not terribly difficult and since the G2 pack is at least not bigger than G1... They're probably modded when someone needs a new one, though, rather than having an inventory of more than a couple of the things.
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Yeah, there is no way you can fit a Gen 2 battery into a Gen 1 battery as-is--but there is also the issue of reprogramming the Gen 1 to work with the Gen 2 battery. I remember someone a while back exploring this and hitting serious roadblocks due to software incompatibility. What we need is for the OP to post the repair order and some actual numbers to get to the bottom of this. I would like to see what kind of reprogramming was done and what other parts were replaced--some Gen 1 parts would absolutely have to be modified for this to work.
While I really, really, want to believe this is true, I'm not grabbing the popcorn and hoping for a battery failure just yet. I mean, it's only been a couple years since Gen 1 was discontinued. Would GM have already "run out" of Gen 1 refurbished batteries? The replacement does not have to be "new" according to the warranty. While not likely that GM would keep a large inventory of Gen 1 batteries in cold storage for a decade, I would imagine that there is still a healthy inventory of Gen 1 batteries still available now. But heck, who knows.
While I really, really, want to believe this is true, I'm not grabbing the popcorn and hoping for a battery failure just yet. I mean, it's only been a couple years since Gen 1 was discontinued. Would GM have already "run out" of Gen 1 refurbished batteries? The replacement does not have to be "new" according to the warranty. While not likely that GM would keep a large inventory of Gen 1 batteries in cold storage for a decade, I would imagine that there is still a healthy inventory of Gen 1 batteries still available now. But heck, who knows.
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GM does not send us new Gen 1 batteries or sections. The sections are rebuilt and sent to us, they do not sent a complete battery any more. GM has sent us tools to balance the rebuilt sections to match the voltage of the remaining sections still in the old battery. If the section is not balanced, the car will not let the battery charge and you would be driving on gas only.
Try to find this tsb on line about the battery repair.
#PIP4841R: High Voltage Drive Motor Battery Repair And Exchange Process - (Jun 28, 2017)
Try to find this tsb on line about the battery repair.
#PIP4841R: High Voltage Drive Motor Battery Repair And Exchange Process - (Jun 28, 2017)
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Awwww, some duct tape and a little chewing gum and that'd mate right up man <grin>![]()
Gen Dos
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Gen Uno
Square peg into the round hole anyone!?
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Awwww, some duct tape and a little chewing gum and that'd mate right up man <grin>![]()
Gen Dos
![]()
Gen Uno
Square peg into the round hole anyone!?
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