Nissan and Toyota had Better Worry About the Volt Fires And So Should You

You have to be wondering how closely Toyota and Nissan are watching the NHTSA investigation into the Chevy Volt fires.  Actually, all car makers should be watching for fallout very carefully.  But specifically, Toyota just started taking orders on the Plug-in Prius.  And the Nissan Leaf has been competing (sales-wise) with the Volt from the beginning.  And consumers are not going to make a distinction between any of the car makers when it comes to battery fires.

They've seen too many cases in laptops and phones now of spontaneous combustion to ignore the issue.  Mind you, the opposite argument could be made, that they have gotten used to the risk of having batteries that could overheat near them on a constant basis.  But I doubt it.  There's something different about the batteries in electric and quasi-electric cars (the size!).

Imagine if consumers stop trusting large battery packs.  What will the automakers do when it comes to the new fuel efficiency guidelines if they can't sell at least some electric or extended range electric vehicles?  They are all working on them.  Imagine if all the research investment, time and money, has been wasted in the effort as they have to pull up and wait for a new generation of batteries to come forward?  Imagine what that will mean when they lobby for a postponement to the new fuel economy laws?

I can see it now.

"I'm sorry senator, we really would like to build and sell electric cars, but we just can't yet.  The technology isn't there.   I'm sure you understand why we can't put voters, err... I mean drivers at risk just to meet these fuel economy guidelines." - any car maker lobbyist in D.C.

In case you're not familiar, the NHTSA was conducting crash tests on the Chevy Volt (5-stars!).  They put one through it's paces (i.e. smashed it up, really good!) and then placed it into storage.   A few weeks later, a fire broke out in the battery pack (the coolant line had been severed) and burned up the Volt, plus several nearby cars.  Since then, in cooperation with Chevy (General Motors), they have subjected several other Volts to similar circumstances in an effort to start more fires.  They were successful (smoke and sparks, at least).

GM says this is a known factor when dealing with these battery packs.  One of the safety measures they've outlined is to discharge the battery pack after an accident to keep a fire from starting.  But the NHTSA didn't follow their guidelines and that's why the fire occurred.  In the meantime, they emphasize their cars are safe (noting the 5 star rating they received) but just in case anyone's nervous, they will let them drive a loaner for free while the investigation continues.  A 'handful' of customers have done just that.

GM Invests $325 Million Into Retooling Plant for Electric

GM is going to put $325 million back into their Warren transmission plant, an effort to retool the plant into making electric parts.  This will create or save 418 jobs at the plant, which currently builds transmissions for large crossovers like the Enclave, Acadia and Traverse, as well as the Malibu sedan.

“This investment in the future recognizes the excellent work force and operation of this plant,” said GM Manufacturing Manager Gerald Johnson. “While we aren’t sharing many details about this product, I can tell you that this investment demonstrates how GM, working with our UAW partners, continues to innovate and bring new electrification solutions to our customers.”

The move is part of the current contract with the UAW, which states they will invest in the plant.  It's possible the parts being built will be for a mild hybrid system (start-stop) set for the Malibu next year.

Volvo Wants to Charge Up Your Car in a Different Way

Image from MotorTrend

Volvo, and nine other corporations, are looking to put the battery pack you might find in a plug-in vehicle (either electric or plug-in hybrid electric into a different place.

By using composite materials, they are examining the possibility of putting the battery into the body of the car.  The fun image they have at MotorTrend shows how much of the body would be taken up.

The composite material consists of carbon fiber and polymer resin.  The material is capable of storing great amounts of electric energy (enough to allow the car to travel up to 81 miles of all electric power (the Leaf goes 100 miles, while the upcoming Volt gets 40 miles of all electric range.  It's also supposed to recharge faster than a conventional battery.

Another advantage is by turning the battery pack into the body of the car, you can distribute the weight.  And the composite material is lighter than conventional building materials, reducing weight by as much as 15 percent.

The questions I'm left with is what if you're in an accident?  I can't imagine the body panels would be cheap to replace.  Also, what about scratches, dings, or outright dents?  Will that impact the cars ability to recharge or retain its charge?

The other partners in this project include the Imperial College London, Advanced Composites Group, Bundesanstalt Fur Material forschung undprufung, Chalmers, ETC Battery, Fuel Cells Sweden, INASCO Hella, Nanocyl, and Swerea SICOMP. The European Union jump-started the endeavor with 35 million Swedish krona ($5.2 million).

Honda Civic Hybrid Owners Get Software Fix for Battery Pack

Honda Civic Hybrid owners are starting to be notified that their hybrid battery pack could fail sooner than warranted by Honda. Model years 2006, 2007 and 2008 are affected by a software flaw that causes the battery to drain sooner than it should.

Honda did not issue a recall since the flaw does not cause any danger to people's safety, but instead issued a technical service bulletin.

But I'm betting owners aren't too happy to hear they've been driving around with something like this for a while. I would wonder if the software glitch had shortened battery life, even after it's fixed. And will it affect resale values? People are wary enough over how long the battery pack will last when buying a used hybrid.

16,000 units were being fixed in Japan, while around 90,000 units are affected in the US. 2009-2010 hybrid civic models are not affected.

Mild Hybrids Make a Come Back in 2011

GM is working on a second generation of mild hybrids to be available in the third quarter of 2011. They have a mid-sized sedan (they won't say which) for the US and another in China. The source (via Autonews) was Larry Nitz, GM executive director of hybrid and electric powertrain engineering.

That's great news and important if GM wants to meet the upcoming guidelines on fuel efficiency for their fleet of cars in the US. Not every car can be a hybrid or a plug in the coming years. Mild hybrids give a much smaller boost in fuel efficiency, but the cost to implement it is also a lot lower. A start-stop (gas engine turns off at stop lights) system paired with regenerative braking and a much smaller battery pack and you can boost acceleration using electric power rather than more gasoline.

More than likely, the more powerful part will come from a new generation of battery pack (maybe lithium-ion?). Nitz said the benefit would be about 20% in fuel economy.

GM lost most of they mild hybrid line-up when they dropped Saturn.

Toyota Settles Lawsuit with Paice

Toyota has finally settled the lawsuit made by Paice LLC, which had a patent infringement case going for six years. The agreement was announced just before the hearing was set to begin in front of the US International Trade Commission.

The agreement says that "Toyota invented, designed and developed the Prius and Toyota's hybrid technology independent of any inventions of Dr. Severinsky and Paice as part of Toyota's long history of innovation."

But according to the news article, Toyota has agreed to license all 23 of Paice's patents.

Toyota had already lost the case, and could not argue in court they weren't impinging on the patent. So, a settlement on their part is no real surprise.

“After six years of litigation, we are pleased to reach a settlement with Toyota,” said Frances Keenan, chairman of the Paice board of directors in a statement. “Toyota has been a leader in the hybrid industry – selling more hybrid vehicles than anyone in the world – and we appreciate and applaud their achievements.”

Paice has already settled with Ford, but that lawsuit was less visible.

If things had gone really badly in court, Toyota may have been forced to stop importing all of their hybrids.

President Obama Praises the Chevy Volt

President Obama Next to Chevy Volt

President Obama, even as BP finally cuts off the flow of oil into the Gulf (maybe!), was visiting the ground breaking of a battery plant in Holland, MI. The Compact Power (Compact Power is a subsidiary of LG Chem) battery plant will make the battery cells for the Chevy Volt. The Chevy Volt will be the first of it's kind, an Extended Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV).

The battery plant was partially built using federal funds of $151 million and matched by the company. The plant will create several hundred jobs over the next few years as construction finishes and workers are hired.

Powered by electricity, the battery pack can be recharged by a small gas engine designed only to recharge the battery. So, you can travel for up to 40 miles on electric power, then you can keep on going as gas engine kicks in.

The Volt goes on sale later this year in select states.

According to Obama, the US will have the capacity to build 40 percent of the world's batteries by 2015.

Ford will also be purchasing batteries from the Compact Power plant.

GM Will Have a Warranty on the Lithium-Ion Battery Pack in Volt

I can't say that the warranty Toyota and Honda put on their battery and hybrid engines was the key to their successful launch of hybrid cars in the US. But I can say this, without them, they would have failed.

Even though we know now battery failure occurs at an extremely low rate, people still ask about it and worry about it a decade later.

Customers would not have lined up to make the Prius one of the top ten vehicles sold in the US if they were worried the battery, which cost thousands to replace, didn't have the warranty.

So, it's no surprise to hear GM knows this and is working on their own warranty plan for the Chevy Volt, their plug-in electric hybrid with lithium-ion batteries. Especially since lithium-ion batteries are a lot more expensive than the batteries found in Toyota, Honda and Ford hybrids.

Details of GMs plan are expected to be announced on Wednesday (DetNews).

LG Chem to Supply Batteries for Ford Focus Electric

Ford will be using battery packs made by Compact Power, a subsidiary of LG Chem in their Ford Focus Electric due out in 2011. The lithium-ion battery cell production will be built in Holland, MI. The Ford Electric will be built at the Michigan Assembly Plant along with a next-generation hybrid and a plug-in hybrid in 2012.

Press Release Follows:

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) today announced it has selected Compact Power, Inc. (CPI), a subsidiary of LG Chem, to build lithium-ion battery packs for the Ford Focus Electric, which will go on sale in the U.S. in 2011.

The Focus Electric battery packs will leverage CPI and parent company LG Chem's deep expertise in advanced flat format lithium-ion cells and advanced liquid-cooled modules and battery management systems.

"CPI is an emerging leader in the lithium-ion battery field and we are pleased to have them as a strategic supplier as we prepare to bring the Ford Focus Electric to market," said Sherif Marakby, Ford director, Sustainable Mobility Products and Hybrid programs. "We are moving aggressively with our electrification strategy and our work to help make Michigan a center of excellence for a range of electrified vehicles."

CPI, based in Troy, Mich., will begin battery pack assembly for the Ford Focus Electric next year and is finalizing production site selection for the U.S. The lithium-ion cells for the packs will initially be sourced from Korea through LG Chem. LG Chem and CPI will be localizing cell production at their new site in Holland, Mich.

"We are very excited to be partnering with Ford on their new battery electric-powered Ford Focus," said Prabhakar Patil, CEO of CPI. "It tells us we are on track in developing high-power and high-energy lithium-ion batteries that the industry needs as it moves toward the electrification of vehicles that lessen our dependence on foreign oil."

The cells will incorporate LG Chem's proprietary chemistry and its industry-leading safety-reinforced-separator technology that provides unparalleled safety performance.

Focus Electric will have a targeted range of up to 100 miles per full charge with zero tailpipe emissions. It is one of five electrified vehicles Ford is bringing to market in the U.S. in the next two years. These include the Transit Connect Electric, a small commercial van in 2010; Focus Electric in 2011; two new lithium-ion battery-powered hybrids; and a plug-in hybrid in 2012.

Focus Electric, a full battery electric passenger car, will be produced at Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., which will begin producing gasoline versions of the all-new 2011 Focus later this year.

Ford previously announced plans to invest $550 million to transform Michigan Assembly Plant from a large SUV factory to a modern car plant to build the new Focus and Focus Electric. The plant also will produce a next-generation hybrid and a plug-in hybrid in 2012. All of the vehicles will be built off the company's new global C-car platform.

This complements Ford's overall strategy to establish a center of excellence in Michigan for electrification of a broad range of vehicles, including lithium-ion battery-powered hybrids, plug-ins and pure electric vehicles. Ford is committed to delivering electrified vehicles as part of its overall vehicle portfolio designed to deliver both the fuel efficiency and the performance customers demand.