Battery Degradation vs Battery Limited Warranty

[MrDRMorgan]

The problem with GM is, they won't give you the number your battery has to hit to qualify for the warranty. Is the calculation for degradation based on a 21kWh battery for a 2016 model? Mine suddenly started dropping this summer, now it's down to 13.5 according to Torque Pro.

I am using 19 kWh as being a full capacity new battery. Therefore, 60% is 11.4 kWh. I am currently measuring a TorquePro value of 14.1 kWh at about 32k miles.

[SparkE]

The 2014 is "around" 21 kWh. The 2015 and 16 had a different battery supplier than the '14s, and are "around" 18.5 kWh.

65% of 21 is 13.65 (2014)

65% of 18.5 is 12.025 (2015)

60% of 18.5 is 11.1 (2016)

[rtaite]

The 2014 is "around" 21 kWh. The 2015 and 16 had a different battery supplier than the '14s, and are "around" 18.5 kWh.

65% of 21 is 13.65 (2014)

65% of 18.5 is 12.025 (2015)

60% of 18.5 is 11.1 (2016)

Well, I don't think it is quite as simple as you're saying. The 2014 battery was rated at 21.4 KWH with only 17.3 KWH usable which comes from here: https://www.gm-volt.com/attachments/slide5-jpg.164190/

That means they have intentionally crippled the battery to only reach 80.8% of its potential capacity. Some reviewers have computed the actual number to be 91% of potential capacity -- this is obviously a zealously guarded trade secret. If you take that into consideration, then 65% of "new" would be 11.245. On the other hand, GM could simply provide a "software update" to release the 19.2% of the battery which is crippled and would probably yield another 2 to 3 KWH of capacity to give you 2 to 3 more good years before you decide to junk the car. Chevrolet/GM might also provide preferential pricing to those who want to convert to the 2015/16 battery since I expect the street price of lithium ion battery packs will be even cheaper than it is now.

I am betting that a software update to provide us with extra range (i.e., the 19.2% they crippled given back to us) will be available in 2022.

Any thoughts/bets?

[Kermit]

From my torque pro readings the individual cells are charging to about 98% their max voltage. I doubt their is any hidden capacity available on our cars.