"GM's R&D Chief Says Volt Battery Pack Will Be Guaranteed 10 Years, 150,000 Miles" Green Car Advisor

GM's R&D Chief Says Volt Battery Pack Will Be Guaranteed 10 Years, 150,000 Miles

Larry Burns, as GM's vice president of R&D and strategic planning, is the General's pointman on developing vehicles that meet the demands of the marketplace and turn a hefty profit.

Design News emailed Burns a bunch of questions for a profile piece the magazine will publish next month, but it chose to post the questions and answers online today. Odder things have no doubt happened, but nothing jumps to mind.

Here, then, are some of Burns' more remarkable comments:

The VP confirms GM's plans to be "selling Chevrolet Volt to real customers in 2010."

In response to being asked if a final version of the Volt's battery -- versions based on a nano-phosphate cathode, manganese spinel chemistry or something else -- has been chosen, Burns says no.

"We continue to work on the battery with our two development partnerships, one involving LG Chem and Compact Power and the other involving A123 Systems and Continental," he said.

But, he said, GM has "confirmed the capability of our selected cell chemistry in terms of safety, range, recharge time, power density and energy density."

Although the battery version remains undecided, Burns said its "development is on track."

But, Burns admitted that "one of the important challenges remaining is proving ten-year, 150,000-mile life when we're developing the battery over a three-year timeframe. Obviously, we'll protect the customer in this regard with our warranty, but we still need to prove out the required durability."

Obviously, we'll protect the customer in this regard with our warranty. Did he just say the Volt's battery pack will come with a 10-year, 150,000-mile warranty? We'll want to read the fine print, but that's the first we're heard of the warranty, although GM has said many times that it wants the battery pack to go that distance.

Burns also goes on record as saying "we will likely see a true commercial fuel-cell vehicle market, at relatively low volume, in the 2012-2014 timeframe."

But there's more, much more: Burns says the automobile industry is transitioning from "the old automotive DNA of stand-alone vehicles that are powered by internal combustion engines, energized by petroleum and largely controlled mechanically.

"We're moving to a new DNA that encompasses electrically driven vehicles energized by electricity or hydrogen, controlled electronically and 'connected' to other vehicles and the infrastructure."

Perhaps taking cues from "Maximum Bob" Lutz, GM's chatty vice chairman, Burns reveals much and appears to withhold little in the lengthy Q&A. Click here for more from the man with a plan.

Scott Doggett, Contributor