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Beyond Android: a look at the Chevrolet Volt battery
We are still rocking the show floor at Chevrolet’s event. There’s more than enough Android-related products here, but we wanted to shift focus for a minute and take a closer look at other aspects of mobility. The Chevy Volt is known for its electric and gas powered driving capabilities. You heard that right, it uses both electricity and gasoline, but more on that later. Our main concern for now is learning about the battery technology, which does wonders.
Chevy is very proud of its battery and the fact that it is all-American. The car manufacturer works with LG Chem to design the Volt’s battery inside General Motors. These batteries are then built in Brownstown, Michigan, only to later be sent to the assembly line in Detroit, where the Volt is put together. You can’t get more American than that!Enough of the history, though. We all love to hear these backstories, but what we really care about is learning the actual product information. So this vehicle weighs 3,875 pounds, of which about 412 pounds are pure battery weight (187 kilograms). The vehicle can drive for an average of 50 miles on a single charge (using only electricity). What makes the Chevy Volt special is that it can also use regular gasoline for long trips. The gas-powered system will kick in as soon as that battery dies.
Talking about batteries dying and being recharged, this battery can go through 6000 charging cycles before any significant degradation starts showing up. That means that, if you charge it fully once a day (which is a lot), this battery will last over 16 years! This is completely different in the smartphone industry, which uses batteries that start degrading after about 500 cycles.
Our smartphones, tablets and computers are left in the dust compared to this electric vehicle technology. This is simply because Chevrolet works extensively with LG Chem to get this resilient performance. Smartphone manufacturers don’t have the room to work so much on the battery, as there are size and technology limitations at hand.
The Chevy Volt is an awesome vehicle. It offers the affordability and environmental improvements we all look for in an electric vehicle, yet it’s not limited to distance. To top it off, it does offer Android Auto, setting you up for some pretty fun trips.
We are signing off for now, but we leave you with this awesome interview. Are any of you considering getting a 2016 Chevy Volt or other electric vehicle? Hit the comments to share all your thoughts!