Lithium Ion Batteries

[kevingalls]

Chevrolet released footage of abusive tests they're doing on the Volt's batteries. They're bombarding the batteries with vibrations, extreme temperatures, and variations in voltage supply for hours to see how they stand up. Their goal is to improve the batteries' life in the vehicles so they won't need to be replaced every 5 years like in a Tesla. Anyone who's ever owned a cell phone knows that rechargeable lithium ion batteries start to go weak after just a year or so. So, after 100k miles of commuting, most EVs will have only a fraction of the battery performance and life it once had. This is a major hurdle considering EV batteries cost between $10k and $15k right now. That's more than most car engines, and I sure wouldn't buy a car if the engine is going to grind to a halt in just 5 years. Hopefully something good will come of this research -maybe we'll finally get phones with batteries which last more than a year or two.

Click to watch the Chevy battery abuse video

YouTube- Volt Battery Goes through Vibration Testing

YouTube- Volt Battery Goes through Vibration Testing