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Ultrasonic Welding Gives Your Would-Be Cadillac ELR An 8yr/100k Battery Warranty

Since the invention of the automobile, the manufacturing process has evolved greatly. It has improved efficiency, cost numbers, time, and quality among other things. In today’s global market, one of the top priorities in a car purchase is overall build quality. And ultrasonic welding is at the top of the food chain in terms of build quality, and is something that the upcoming 2014 Cadillac ELR utilizes. For example, the battery itself has 200 ultrasonic welds. This technology gives the battery system an 8-year/100,000 mile warranty, which should help consumers warm up to the technology found in the ELR, and the Chevrolet Volt, as well. Skeptics of electric vehicles – go home, you’re misinformed.

“Ultrasonic welding is a far superior joining technology in applications where it can be deployed,” said Jay Baron, president and CEO of the Center for Automotive Research. “Cadillac’s innovative process will produce batteries with superior quality compared with traditional methods – and do it more efficiently. This is one example of technology development that is becoming pervasive in today’s world class vehicles.” CAR spends much time researching the latest in automotive manufacturing, and holds an annual briefing seminar weekend with many presentations on such innovations.

How does it work? Well, it’s not as complicated as you might think. Ultrasonic welding requires specialized tools called an anvil and horn to apply ultra-fast mechanical vibrations to the battery’s copper and aluminum electrodes. This creates mild heat through friction, resulting in a weld that does not require metal-melting-point temperatures or joining material like Elmer’s glue or something.

At the Brownstown manufacturing plant, the ELR’s advanced 16.5-kWh lithium-ion battery system is made using this ultrasonic welding.

 

A metro Detroit native, Alex Sizeland is GM Authority's staff writer with a focus on covering GM culture and performance cars.

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Comments

  1. It’s important to note that the title implies that the ELR itself has an 8yr/100,000 mile warranty. That only applies to the battery, similar to Volt. Powertrain remains at 5yr/100,000.

    Also the 8 year warranty is mandated by state laws in many states, not the result of ultrasonic welding. That may be the means to the end, but it was government mandates that imposed longer warranties to begin with… especially after first-gen Prius buyers got burned by short-lived batteries.

    “Skeptics of electric vehicles – go home, you’re misinformed.”

    Fix where the electricity comes from (coal/oil vs nuclear/solar), then we’ll go home. I’d rather drive a truly cleaner bi-fuel natural gas vehicle that truly cuts CO2 in half, without adding to the CO2 waste during vehicle production. The breakeven on CO2 to make and run an EV vs an NGV still stands at, oh, >100,000 miles.

    All GM has to do is import the Commdore bi-fuel, it’s in production right now. Greener than a Prius… and arguably, the ELR.

    Might not want to miff the many readers that have quite valid reasons to be skeptical about EVs.

    Reply
    1. I suppose you run your house on biofuel, natural gas, or jus so happen to have an underground reservoir of contained steam to drive a generator… GIVE ME A BREAK… RU KIDDING ME…

      Reply
      1. I do run my house on natural gas. There’s a giant propane tank staring at me right now.

        It heats my water, it heats my house, and it could fuel my car too if GM would just import the very cars they’re selling elsewhere in the world… or, even better, add LPG or CNG to the manufacturing on just one passenger car domestically.

        Considering the USA exhausts billions on farm subsidies for E85 FlexFuel, a fuel shown to output more pollutants than gasoline, I’m surprised you’re so shocked America can (and wants) to be wasteful with inefficient biofuels. NGV just isn’t one of them.

        I’ll avoid the petty use of all-caps, though. Feel free to come back with something equally pithy, though.

        Reply
        1. So you must really get off on the fracking process to reach your beloved natural gas that is litteraly destroying countless ecosystems, toss a lite match in a creek and watch it flame up. You plan sounds brilliant… Meanwhile the rest of us which probably equates to 99.9% of us do not have access to run our house or condo in this manner. You do realize your in the minority here right…

          Reply
        2. I do agree that having alternatve options to propelling our vehicles is important… If Natural gas is one of those options the great. But saying EVs are not a good option is outragious…

          Reply
    2. The production, transportation, storage, and distribution of natural gas use physical equipment that all burn their own fuels, so there is no CO2 savings at all, in comparison with electricity where the only physical equipment is at the generation, and those CO2 emissions are under control.

      The only way your natural gas is CO2 free is if you pipe your bodily farts directly into your vehicle!

      Reply
      1. Natural gas transmission environmental impacts are already sunk costs; we already use NG to heat our homes in this country. Additional efforts only lessen the impact, not increase.

        The pollutants that are made to use an EV battery will eventually be terminal – the battery in that EV will need to be replaced. NGVs only require an extra tank, a metal canister that has to be replaced every decade or so. Environmental impact is near-zero to add that to most automobiles today.

        Finally you ignore that most EV drivers of the Volt (and ELR) use gasoline when the EV battery runs low. NGVs output less than half the pollutants of gasoline.

        Your straw man that NGVs output pollutants is meaningless; EVs have a massive environmental impact to build, whereas NGVs output less pollutants to build, and when they run versus an EREV in typical use. And EV’s electricity is pollutant as well (at least until, as I said, we’re running solar/nuclear).

        Show me one study that claims an EV (or heck, an EREV) takes less than 100,000 miles to subplant an NGV in total environmental impact. I’m waiting.

        Reply
  2. The PPGe (price per gallon equivalent) of using electricity to drive your car, is currently around $.60/gallon. This combined with superior drive-ability will win over drivers. With better batteries we will “all” be able drive electrically, and then emission control can be done on hundreds of generators instead of millions of individual cars. I applaud GM and others for developing this battery technology.

    Reply
    1. Nobody is saying that it isn’t a laudable effort to make technology for the future.

      GM Authority claimed its use today is something that you shouldn’t be skeptical of. Both myself, and Volt’s sales numbers today, disagree.

      Reply
  3. I didn’t know about this technology… Thanks.

    Reply
  4. All I know is my 2012 Chevrolet Volt has over 24K miles and i spent less in over a year than I was spending per month. I tow a 14 foot aluminum fishing boat all electric from home to San Diego harbor back home about a 40 mile round trip. CB Radio, Sunroof, and truck tires also mobile tool sharpening plus delivery/pick-up.
    For me, I’m saving from $8 to $10K a year in fuel cost to under $500 dollars a year including electricity. This technology is the future.

    Reply
  5. All I know is my 2012 Chevrolet Volt has over 24K miles and i spent less in over a year than I was spending per month. I tow a 14 foot aluminum fishing boat all electric from home to San Diego harbor back home about a 40 mile round trip. CB Radio, Sunroof, and truck tires also mobile tool sharpening plus delivery/pick-up.
    For me, I’m saving from $8 to $10K a year in fuel cost to under $500 dollars a year including electricity. This technology is the future and I’m looking forward to up grading my 2012 Chevrolet Volt to The 2014 Cadillac ELR.

    Reply

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