Secondary battery for the Chevy Volt sets world record
Do electric vehicle batteries dream of android sheep? Apparently they dream of bicycles and world record attempts. Earlier this month Chevrolet catapulted its secondary use battery into the Guinness Book of World Records, setting the record for the most people generating electricity in one week. The successful attempt took place from July 17 – July 24 at the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games at the automaker’s “Power of Play” exhibit in CIBC Pan Am Park.
A total of 4,739 participants competed head-to-head on a 1,038-foot competitive marathon slot car track to generate over 13,000 electrical watt hours of electricity. (That’s enough power to drive a 2015 Chevy Volt for 37 miles!) The slot cars were powered by the Volt’s secondary-use battery and participants were forced to generate the speed and control the cars by riding on six stationary bicycles.
“We wanted to use our Power of Play demonstration not only to offer a fun, interactive way for fans to have their own friendly competition, but also to put our technology in the record books,” said Hossein Hassani, Director of Enterprise Marketing for General Motors of Canada. “Power of Play has been an illustration of the potential secondary uses for the batteries in Chevrolet Volt electric vehicles, as well as a means to test how renewable energy sources can generate stored electricity while minimizing environmental impact.”
All of the batteries used to create the world record had exceeded their eight to ten-year lifespan, but Chevy says they still have fifty to seventy percent of their charge capacity remaining. Despite being considered “unfit” for use in a Volt, the world record attempt proves the secondary use batteries will remain exceptionally useful tech for years to come. Since the Volt is only four years old, we assume the batteries used for the Power of Play demonstration were GM test batteries. If those are only the test batteries, we’re excited to see how subsequent versions might improve in the years to come.
As batteries continue to be developed for the likes of the Nissan LEAF, Chevy Volt, and Tesla Model S in the next decade, the EV community anxiously awaits secondary usages that could help produce bigger, better, and cleaner energy. Stationary electricity storage like the kind Chevy expertly displayed at the Pan-Am games is just the beginning.
At Apple Chevrolet, we just can’t stop talking about the 2015 Volt. In only four years, the Volt has earned more accolades and awards than any other car on our lot. We can say with confidence that it’s not just America’s best-selling plug-in, it’s America’s best plug-in period, so come see us at Apple Chevrolet and let us show you why.
