Cold weather will cause the Volt's engine to start up earlier than you might expect
For the time being, General Motors is content to let suppliers like A123 Systems, LG Chem and Cobasys focus on cell chemistry for its hybrid and electric vehicle battery packs. GM leaders like Denise Gray and Bob Kruse believe that the key to ensuring that those cells last for (essentially) the life of the car, is in how those cells are managed. One of the killers of advanced rechargeable batteries is extreme temperatures, whether too hot or too cold. In order to ensure the batteries stay in their optimal range, General Motors is taking charge of the management control systems for its batteries regardless of who supplies the cells inside. That means the battery state of charge models need to be accurate to prevent over-charging and overheating. Lithium batteries don't like cold temperatures, so when the Volt is plugged in, the battery pack will be warmed up to ensure it provides adequate performance. If the car is left unplugged during cold weather, the range extender will start up as soon as the car is turned on to help warm the battery and the car will only switch to
[Source: Green Fuels Forecast]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
BoomBoom 11:27AM (2/03/2009)
This seems like pretty basic engineering. My Civic Hybrid has survived 4 minnesota winters and started in -24F (no wind chill add ons). At these low temps, the battery doesn't do much and the car is a little underpowered, but eventually it warms up and is fine. The Volt (and any other electric car) is going to have severely reduced range in sub-zero weather, but that is just physics.
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ronEbear 11:28AM (2/03/2009)
So, the Volt does NOT work in the frigid north.
Moves along...
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Tim 11:42AM (2/03/2009)
The Volt will work just fine ANYWHERE! GM is working out a logical battery management strategy to maximize both cell life and energy density for the greatest EV range possible in both hot and cold regions. This will only improve as GM gains experience with Voltec.
My biggest worry is will the Global Depression caused by all these wealth-transfer bailouts coupled with Statism's central planning regulation kill the fiat US $Dollar and thus destroy the market for the volt and will this be the end of GM and all domestic manufacturing?
Only time will tell. Perhaps an end to the Bill of Rights and a New Global Socialist Order is the "change" that Obama was promising.
Only time will tell…
BillySharps 12:15PM (2/03/2009)
On the contrary, it works just fine in colder temperatures, although the all-electric range will probably be reduced. Notice how it says, "If the car is left unplugged during cold weather, the range extender will start up as soon as the car is turned on to help warm the battery..." Solution: plug your car in when you get home. It is, after all, a plug in hybrid, and you have to plug it in to charge the thing anyway. It's not like you have to jump through hoops to keep the batteries warm.
GoodCheer 1:50PM (2/03/2009)
Tim: I'm not much of one for international finance, but...
"Will the Global Depression kill the fiat US $Dollar and thus destroy the market for the volt and will this be the end of GM and all domestic manufacturing?"
If the USD is "killed", that presumably means its value on the international market (compared to other currencies) decreases. That would mean that Americans would see an effective price increase for vehicles built in other countries, which would be a boon to US manufacturing.
Or am I missing something?
brandon 11:52AM (2/03/2009)
Another reason I want some of that diesel goodness GM has in Europe over here! Whats the point of the Volt when its below 20 degrees F for 4 months out of the year where I live? Volt sounds great for the right markets and people, but some of use would like something they can do their 90mi round trip commute in the dead of winter with. Thats where clean diesels would really shine.
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Chris M 6:09PM (2/03/2009)
Have you ever tried starting a diesel that has been sitting out in -10 F overnight? I have, it ain't pretty. After the glow plugs and cranking had drained the starter battery, I had to run an extension cord for a battery charger, then jammed a blow dryer turned on High into the air intake to finally get the beast warmed up and started. An EV under those circumstances would have reduced power, but it would still have power.
Whats that, you say? Put a block heater on that diesel and plug it in to keep it warm? What a concept! Well, lets see, the Volt and other plug-ins are also designed to be "plugged in", and unlike the diesel, they can actually drive along on that cheap electricity with a per-mile cost much lower than even the highest mileage diesel.
brandon 9:07AM (2/04/2009)
-10F overnight is no problem starting a modern diesel with good winterized fuel. I think EVs are a great idea for a lot of uses, but there are some of us out there who don't really fit the best use for EVs or hybrids right now. As soon as they have an EV car/wagon that has a 150mi range in the dead of winter with heat on or in the middle of summer with the AC blasting and can tow a 2k lb trailer if need be, I will trade in the diesel jetta. But until then I wish some other manufacturers would see the need and value of small clean diesels.
alibi 9:18PM (2/03/2009)
the Altairnano lithium-titanate battery operates at 30 below zero. Even at this low temperature nearly 90% of room temperature charge retention is realized. Traditional Li-Ion technology possesses virtually no charging capabilities at this low temperature.
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Matt Lenart 12:23PM (2/03/2009)
designated indoor parking for zero emission vehicles at shopping centers *might* happen in the future. theres no emissions and no noise, therefore zero health concerns. they already have designated spots for hybrids in california.
the handicapped will still have to park outside.
let this problem present itself. it will encourage competitors to think that much harder. i wonder how much EV-95 NiMH batteries suffer in cold temperatures. if anyone has any first hand experience, i'd love to know roughly how much of a hit (% range) the battery took at low temperatures.
also... kinda off topic. i was watching wifeswap (R) and this "environmentalist" guy from UK (i think his name was Steven) really misrepresented the green community.
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John 12:35PM (2/03/2009)
i dont have experience with rechargeable tech in car terms per say, but i can give examples with my bicycle. its a LI-MN power system by Bionx of canada, since it has no heating system you just dont use it when it gets cold out, and you want more of a work out in that sense to keep yourself warm. however my lights are NIMH rechargeable and the temp severely effects them, i have not done actual calculations but i think it reduces by about 40% the power of the battery for my headlamp. folks running diesel, esp the older kind need engine warmers in the dead of winter anyway and they are plugged in so i dont imagine this being too much of an issue just nice to know they are actually putting thought and letting people know
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gorr 1:41PM (2/03/2009)
These state employees like wagonneer and the rest of Gm are proposing communism and suffocating petrol use for all machineries there is. They even propose bio-fuels made from useful product like corn and wood-chips. They have made patents on hydrogen to bury them there-after to prevent someone else to use it. They are communist proposing painful reality to others while them are protected by their religion that is goverment legislation where nobody is invited except the cowards in life, they kill free business. I hope consumers will not buy these problematics battery that double the price of the car.
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oollyoumn 1:44PM (2/03/2009)
Is there an incorrect statement in this release?
"...the car will only switch to electric power once the internal temperature of the battery is within range. "
This car moves on electricity alone. The gas engine only charges batteries. Per this statement the car will not go until the batteries are within a specified temperature range.
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Sam Abuelsamid 2:50PM (2/03/2009)
It should read battery power, now corrected
Chris M 6:15PM (2/03/2009)
The gas engine generator on the Volt provides electricity, and that electricity can and usually does go directly to the motor driving the wheels. The gas engine generator only charges the battery when there is excess electricity available and the "state of charge" is below a certain point.
jpm 2:09PM (2/03/2009)
The battery pack resembles a coffin. I.e., GM's fate.
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Tim 2:47PM (2/03/2009)
Goodcheer
You are correct in that all things made HERE will be less effected, however once the foreign creditor nations realize that the US $Dollar has no value, they will lose faith in the US Gov't ability to pay it's debts without further debasing the $Dollar so they will stop buying T-Bills in effect cutting off our nation’s line of credit.
This will result in the end of the $Dollar hedgimony and all those $Trillions in freshly printed dollars coming home to roost causing wymer republic style hyper-inflation.
http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2006/cr021506.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation
The Fed will be forced to dramatically increase the prime rate (think early 1980s 21% or higher) interest to control inflation and then businesses will be unable to purchase raw materials from foreign OR domestic suppliers and consumers won't be able to buy goods because they won't have jobs or credit.
THINK EMPTY GROCERY STORE SHELVES!
This is why the Constitution demanded only gold & silver backed currency, FORBID central banking, FORBID fiat currency and FORBID fractional reserve banking fraud.
America as we know it is being killed by domestic enemies in Congress, Wall Street and the unFederal noReserve bank who are drunk on deficit spending and Statism power.
If you really want to learn more about sound economics, then start here:
www.mises.org
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/
http://www.europac.net/
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Phil Colley with GM 3:30PM (2/04/2009)
I'm with GM and I'm glad people are starting to realize what we keep repeating, there is no silver bullet technology that will solve everyone's needs. Some technologies and vehicles are going to be better suited to different styles of driving, activities, climates, etc. than others. This is why we are working on multiple energy pathways such as electricity, biofuels, fuel cell, petroleum-based, etc. for our vehicles. Like Tim, BillySharps and others have mentioned, the Voltec system will run just fine in the cold weather and we are working to make it run as efficiently as possible in all climates by developing advanced systems to manage the battery temperature. We are also testing various solutions ranging from periodically starting the engine to onboard circulation systems to prevent the gas for the range extender from becoming "stale" if it sits unused for long stretches. Rest assured, we will have solutions to these issues by launch, but it's nice to have these types of problems to solve.
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