LG Chem Cells (Chevy Volt) vs A123 - which is better?

[MitchJi]

Hi,

I posted this:

Quote:
Originally Posted by MitchJi
3. GM choose LG Chem Cells over A123, which strongly suggests that they believe they are superior.

Best of luck ... there are some good reasons to go for one of those ... but ... I'll disagree with the conclusion you drawl there in #3.

By all accounts as I recall the way it went down ... A123 cells were superior to the LG Chem Cells on a battery vs battery head to head... GM chose LG Chem for other reasons ... mainly LG Chem was a large well established company ... was seen as less risky than A123 (the Smaller & Younger) company... Having a Superior battery just wasn't good enough.

Bob Lutz said about the choice :
"We feel that at this point we have a lower risk with the one company."

Quote:
Originally Posted by MitchJi
3. GM choose LG Chem Cells over A123, which strongly suggests that they believe they are superior.
Best of luck ... there are some good reasons to go for one of those ... but ... I'll disagree with the conclusion you drawl there in #3.

By all accounts as I recall the way it went down ... A123 cells were superior to the LG Chem Cells on a battery vs battery head to head... GM chose LG Chem for other reasons ... mainly LG Chem was a large well established company ... was seen as less risky than A123 (the Smaller & Younger) company... Having a Superior battery just wasn't good enough.

Bob Lutz said about the choice :
"We feel that at this point we have a lower risk with the one company."

If anything ... any electro-chemist I've read about it ... always puts the LiFePO4 battery chemistry used by A123 as being safer , better longevity , less degradation , etc .. than the manganese-oxide based Lithium that LG Chem used.
If anything ... any electro-chemist I've read about it ... always puts the LiFePO4 battery chemistry used by A123 as being safer , better longevity , less degradation , etc .. than the manganese-oxide based Lithium that LG Chem used.

I might not be correct, on the reasons GM chose them, but I don't believe they are an inferior quality cell. Am I correct?

 

[Punx0r]

Lifepo4 does have many advantages, but energy density isn't one of them.

 

[circuit]

AFAIK LG cells are several times cheaper. At least in hundred quantities.

 

[wb9k]

I prefer A123 for multiple reasons (working there is not one of them). They are superior is every aspect except energy density. GM's main motivation for going to LG cells in the Spark was to better manipulate economies of scale with the cells they are using. It's cheaper for GM to use the same cell everywhere, even if the second choice costs them the same price per unit. The overhead of handling two parts is greater than handling just one.