cts | Volt a Day | Spare Batteries September 24, 2010

On of the things people often mentioned in disparaging the EV1 when we were driving it, was that the batteries were a real landfill hazard. Of course, the original car had lead-acid batteries, which just meant it was like another bunch of cars' worth of batteries. And newer EVs essentially have laptop batteries, which people get rid of all the time.

But the truth is that it is just something that should be thought about. In order to get the best possible performance and the longest life out of the batteries, the Volt only uses half their capacity. The pack can take a 16kWh charge and the forty mile range depletes them by only 8kWh.

So it is nice to know that GM is working with the ABB Group to create a life for the batteries after the Volt. They will be used for alternative energy storage and other good things. The future takes a lot of planning, but we're getting better and better at planning.