# GM Chevy Volt is a scam



## dimitri (May 16, 2008)

> If GM can't produce a vehicle last that long, I will testify in congres sagainst them with my credentials.


Just curious, what are your credentials? You make pretty bold statements for a first post, so I am a bit curious of your EV background.

I am not defending GM by any means, I think Volt has lots of shortcomings, but its a step in the right long term direction.

Also, if battery life expectations are clearly written in the specs and sales contract and warranty contracts, then you can't call it a scam. Until Volt is available in your local GM dealership its nothing but pure speculation.

I think its pretty common knowledge these days that LiFePo4 chemistry has potential for 10 years of service with proper BMS, so unless GM's BMS engineering has some serious faults, I think their claims are pretty real.

Do you have any real life data to prove otherwise?


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## ClintK (Apr 27, 2008)

vraman said:


> If GM can't produce a vehicle last that long, I will testify in congres sagainst them with my credentials. Also to remember, Nissan Leaf only to claim 5y battery life. Since Leaf is pure EV, while the Chevy Volt will constantly bombarded at high rate (>2C) by the charger during the Charge-Sustaining mode (after first 40 miles), it will NOT last long. Also for both the Leaf and Volt, people will fully charge the battery whenever they can, so the battery will be at highest SOC allowed by each maufacturer,( in the case of GM at 80%).


Actually wouldn't the battery last longer if the generator keeps it charged at near full? It's the deep cycling that decreases life. As long as the batteries can handle the charge rate (2C doesn't sound too excessive for Lithium), then it should be better.

EDIT: On a not so side note, other than my Spitfire, the past 3 cars I've bought have been brand new Pontiacs. But because of the bailout / bankruptcy disaster, I've purchased my last vehicle from Government Motors.


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## jackbauer (Jan 12, 2008)

the most sensible option is to run the battery flat then use regen braking to dump unused energy into it until its full then kill the ice and drive ev. Better still of course dump the ice and cram it full of nimh batts and drive 200 miles per charge. AS i've stated before the volt is a step in the right direction but is still a slave to oil.


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