Old Chevy Volt Batteries Give New Jolt to Clean Energy Industry

GM is using old batteries from Chevy Volts along with wind and solar power to provide electricity to buildings.

 

The future of battery-powered electric cars remains unclear.

Sales of some of the current models have been somewhat sluggish.

But some automakers say they are finally making headway on a long-time goal of the industry. They are finding ways to use old car batteries that have grown too weak to power a vehicle.

Nissan is joining with a clean energy company to use the batteries to power buildings.

And now General Motors is doing the same with batteries that once propelled the automakers’ Chevrolet Volt cars.

GM’s senior manager for battery systems, Pablo Valencia, tells WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter the move is a win for both car companies and the environment.

Author

  • Quinn Klinefelter
    Quinn Klinefelter is a Senior News Editor at 101.9 WDET. In 1996, he was literally on top of the news when he interviewed then-Senator Bob Dole about his presidential campaign and stepped on his feet.