Geely Plug-In To Use Same Battery Supplier As Fisker

by Derek Kreindler

Published: March 15th, 2012

geely plug in to use same battery supplier as fisker

Geely has chosen their battery technology partner for their new plug-in hybrid vehicle, and their supplier, A123 Systems Inc., may not be a familiar name to everyone, but their wares have been used by other vehicles like the Fisker Karma.

Advanced Traction Battery Systems, A123’s Chinese joint venture partner, will supply batteries for the Geely plug-in. The car is expected to go on sale in 2014. No word on whether A123 will play a role in future development of Volvo’s plug-in hybrids. A123’s stock price has fluctuated wildly over the last year or so, and recent news of Fisker battery problems (not to mention t his article from the end of 2011) hasn’t helped the Mass.-based battery maker’s fortunes.

#A123Systems #China #Geely #Hybrid #HybridCars #Plug-in #Plug-inHybrid #Volvo

Derek Kreindler

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6 of 8 comments

Joeaverage on Mar 15, 2012

How long until we see universal battery packs that are expandable?

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- SCE to AUX on Mar 15, 2012
  
  That will happen when you see 'universal' drivetrains used in all ICE-powered cars, meaning never. Variation in packaging for different models forces different form factors. Breaking the battery pack down into pluggable modules (like Legos) would greatly increase costs and reduce reliability. There is some interest in doing what you suggest - I think by Better Place - but consumer tastes will limit its viability. Tesla's approach with the Roadster was to use the most common lithium ion form factor - the "18650" laptop cell, and figure out how to wire ~7000 of them together safely and cost-effectively. It was a brilliant scheme for a startup car company to use, because they didn't have to invent a new lithium ion cell, which requires a ton of investment and isn't very cost-effective. Using these little cells also made the packaging more flexible. The custom cells utilized by A123 and others are more cost-effective for higher sales volumes than the Tesla, but less flexible for packaging variations. A123 does offer power modules, but they're really intended for applications where packaging is a secondary concern: http://www.a123systems.com/products-modules-power.htm
  
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APaGttH on Mar 15, 2012

A123 systems was offering plug-in conversion kits for Prii a few years ago, I think they were close to $13K installed. I know King County, Washington bought 13 of the kits (this was before A123 went public). I heard the upgrade was reliable, but the price was very steep due to the Lithium Ion batteries used.

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Needsdecaf on Mar 15, 2012

Why does this article about Geely have a picture of a Volvo on the byline? Cheap shot.

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- SCE to AUX on Mar 15, 2012
  
  Geely owns Volvo, that's why. http://china.org.cn/business/2010-08/03/content_20628315.htm
  
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Niky on Mar 15, 2012

Geely is one of those Chinese car-makers that seems to get it. Their interior quality and cars are a step above the regular Chinese market stuff, and they're very aggressive in terms of design. Whether that's enough... I don't know. But a Geely EV will probably be a bit better than other Chinese-based EVs (CODA, ElectroVaya (dead?), Phoenix, ZAP...)

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