Zero Gen 1 Volt battery packs replaced due to capacity loss

Funny. That could easily be interpreted as: Even though gen-1 Volt have suffered from capacity loss, none have been replaced.

The actual story is finding out what "general capacity degradation" actually means. How many miles and what percentages represent thresholds for replacement?

Typical comment from GM, vague enough to allow assumptions to occur.

 

The only volt I see in my neighbourhood is never plugged in. Ever... That's probably really good for the battery!

 

interesting that they say they are legally required to supply battery packs for UP TO 10 years.

the question not answered though, is, 'what is gm's warranty policy for replacement due to degradation'? we all know it's never happened with toyota, because they set the bar so low.

 

So... how does it work with Prius PHV degradation?

Today's random errand running resulted in 11.2 miles of consecutive EV driving. Since the system supposedly only delivered 6 miles of EV in the first place, according to quite a few Volt owners, the opposite must have happened. The battery improved as it got older! (And yes, I'm quite pleased to have real-world data proving the naysayers were just spreading FUD.)

I am actually seeing results that reveal an unexpected aspect of aging. According to the data from my recharges of the last 4.5 years, the amount of electricity to reach "full" has declined. Yet, I'm consistently experiencing the same EV distance as when still new. The thought behind that is the car itself is well broken in now (after 80,000 miles, along with 2,400 recharges) and the electrical resistance inside the battery itself has dropped.

In other words, I'm not seeing a net change. Perhaps I would later, when the miles are doubled. But wouldn't I have already got my money's worth by then? And what if a new battery-pack was purchased? How much would that actually cost then? It would bring the car back to a near new status at that point too. Just think of how many more miles it could be driven still. Brushless electric motors keep going and going and going...

 

That's impressive. It would be nice to compare in context with say the Prius. How many 1997 Prius needed new batteries from general degradation in 2003? And for the PiP, that came out roughly 12 months after the Volt. How many have batteries have been replaced?

 

let's face it, mfg.'s don't replace batteries under warranty unless they have totally failed. maybe the leaf was an exception? how bad did they get before nissan did something?

 

Nissan replaces the battery under warranty for capacity loss when it gets to "8 bars". The Leaf has 12 capacity bars in addition to the current charge bars. Their wording is that they warranty it to be at or above 9bars. 9 bars is 72.49% to 66.25%. So once you hit 66.24% of original pack capacity, you get a new battery.

Nissan's battery has no thermal management and most of the replacements have been in hot climates or rigorous usage. Sound familiar? Most of the Toyota HV pack failures have been in the mountains (extreme cycling) or in hot climates. Batteries don't like that, no matter who the manufacturer is.

 

toyota doesn't do that. i don't think there is a specific definition for warranty on the pip. i wonder how gm phrases it.

 

The traction pack of a hybrid is defined as part of the emission system, and thus covered under the federally mandated 8yr/100k mile emission warranty. The 10yr/150k mile one for CARB states comes into play if the manufacturer wants the car to certify for certain incentives and programs. Putting a plug on the hybrid doesn't make it not a hybrid, nor negate the need for an emission system for the ICE.

If the car fails emissions inspection during the warranty period, and the traction pack is the cause, it should be repaired or replaced by the manufacturer. In regards to EV range loss, it comes down to the fine print.

 

this is quite timely, as prius team has jumped into the fray in another thread where a pip owner is claiming a defective battery.

 

I suspect very few Volt or PiP packs will be replaced within a car's first decade. Even after that the pack is mostly good for the typical life of the car (12-15 years, 150,000 - 200,000 miles). Even if the pack is showing substantial reductions in plugin EV miles it will still be plenty for allowing the car to be driven.

 

4.5 years and 80,900 miles on mine.

Yesterday's commute, in hilly suburb driving with the outside temperature at 72, delivered 13.9 miles of consecutive EV.

That certainly doesn't reveal any signs of aging.

And yes, I captured the entire drive on video with my dual-camera setup. It should be available for viewing in a few days.

 

And to provide the lower emissions.

 

Here's that video: