Just an FYI....
GM Recalls Every Chevy Bolt Ever Made Over Faulty Batteries
GM Recalls Every Chevy Bolt Ever Made Over Faulty Batteries
GM Recalls Every Chevy Bolt Ever Made Over Faulty Batteries
- Thread starter TonyR
- Start date
tigerwillow1
Known around here
I really messed up interpreting this one. I first thought it says they are recalling every car they ever made to replace the hundreds of bolts that hold each one together. Doh!
Because GM was and will always be cheap to begin with. They should export all of their electric vehicles to Afghanistan and let the Taliban figure it out. 
Not every major car manufacturer utilizing Lithium batteries had faulty batteries
Not every major car manufacturer utilizing Lithium batteries had faulty batteries
Ssayer
BIT Beta Team
To me, a Lithium battery doesn't have to have a defect. Even a small Lithium battery is a potential fire, it's the nature of the beast. Now, you put together enough cells into a tight spot and it's more a matter of when than if. I'm not saying that I don't like them though. Heck, my quads would be pretty much non-working without them. I'm just saying that if you dent or worse, puncture them, you'd best understand the consequences. Put them into a vehicle on the road (read: CRAZY drivers) and look out...
Brings to mind my post in February ==>> Fire breaks out a EV Charging station
tigerwillow1
Known around here
Speaking as somebody who dabbles in solar power, using the terms "lithium battery" and "lithium ion battery" is too broad a brush that leads to inadvertent misinformation. There are a number of different lithium ion chemistries in use, each having different properties of cost, energy density, endurance, flammability, etc. The ones that are most attractive for things like cell phones and EVs have energy density high up on the requirements list. The high energy density lithium ion batteries have cobalt in them, and these are the ones that ignite easily and are almost impossible to extinguish. Another hot ticket these days is the lithium ion iron phosphate, LiFePO4, battery. This one is optimized more for endurance and low flammability and is popular for use in RVs and solar energy storage systems. What I've researched says it's impossible for it to self-ignite, and if engulfed in a fire fueled by another source, will burn only reluctantly. It's a lithium ion battery that does not have the horrible fire risk that we're hearing about.
Yes. I will have to replace my six 6V flooded house batteries soon. Taking a really hard look at those LifePO4 units. But they are very expensive relative to normal golf cart batteries.
tigerwillow1
Known around here
Apologies for the thread drift. I'm really struggling with this now. I had 2 separate AGM banks. One went belly-up this year and I figure the other is on the way out. My solar guy likes SimpliPhi LFP, which are on the higher end of the price scale. I'd need minimum 2x of their 3.8 kW batts which would give me 6 kWH at 80% DOD for $5k to $6k. Compared to 8x Costco golf cart batts giving 5 kWH at 50% DOD for $800. There's all the other factors about LFP being maintenance free and having 10x or more lifetime cycles. Doesn't look like a DIY LFP batt is much if any cheaper, but there's the prospect of buying few extra cells to replace failed cells instead of pitching the whole battery. And will the prices drift down with volume going up, or will they skyrocket with the continuing inflation wave? Not a clear-cut decision for me as of now. Choosing an ethernet switch was a lot easier!