Volt to have 8-year battery warranty


Associated Press

DETROIT

General Motors Co. is guaranteeing the battery in its Chevrolet Volt electric car for eight years or 100,000 miles in an effort to inspire confidence in the new technology.

The guarantee is better than warranties on GM’s conventional car engines and transmissions, which are five years or 100,000 miles.

The rechargeable Volt is due in showrooms this November. The vehicle can travel 40 miles on battery power before a small gasoline engine takes over to generate power so the car can go longer distances. The Volt is expected to be priced around $35,000 but will probably cost less after federal tax credits.

A longer warranty will help GM as it tries to convince people to adopt the new lithium-ion battery technology.

Tom Stephens, GM’s vice chairman of product planning, said the automaker is confident that the batteries will be problem-free for longer than the warranty, although their ability to hold charges will decline slightly over time.

The batteries have a similar chemical composition to those in cell phones and computers. Those batteries often wear out in a few years and can be expensive to replace. GM had pegged the cost of a 400-pound Volt battery at around $10,000, the most expensive single component in the car.

Costs should drop as GM sells more Volts, and should be substantially lower after eight years, Stephens said.

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