Croatian Experts Opened a Battery After 514,000 km
EV Clinic analyzed the original battery of a 2015 Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid and concluded that LG Chem cells withstood the massive mileage, but the price of a new pack at €44,000 came as a shock.
EV Clinic analyzed the original battery of a 2015 Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid and concluded that LG Chem cells withstood the massive mileage, but the price of a new pack at €44,000 came as a shock.
When experts from the Croatian electric vehicle service EV Clinic removed and opened the battery pack of a Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid, the sight wasn't promising. The cells were severely swollen, the insulation was damaged, and the car, with over half a million kilometers on the odometer, arrived at the workshop on a tow truck, completely immobile. But what they discovered after a detailed inspection made them completely change their tune.
The battery, weighing over 120 kilograms and located under the trunk floor, was original. The 2015 car had covered 514,000 kilometers with the same lithium-ion pack, with a capacity of 11.2 kWh, that was installed at the factory. It consisted of ten modules with a total of 200 cells, and the system also had integrated water cooling connected to the air conditioning.
EV Clinic initially didn't believe the battery was original. Increased internal resistance over long-term use led to heating and swelling of the cells, which damaged their holders and insulation and caused problems with the insulation of the high-voltage system. The car had been sitting immobile for months, and the initial diagnostics pointed to a range of issues.
To resolve their doubts, they checked the serial number on the battery itself and compared the data with information in the Volvo system. The result showed that it wasn't a retrofitted unit. It was the factory-installed battery that had covered 514,000 kilometers with the vehicle. It was at that point that the tone of their analysis became completely different.
"Bravo to Volvo and LG Chem. One of the best PHEV batteries on the market," they said from EV Clinic, adding an even stronger compliment: "These cells deserve a trophy."
Despite their enthusiasm for the durability of the original cells, the story doesn't have a completely happy ending. When the battery finally gave out, the owner was faced with the price of a new original battery system at around €44,000, plus installation costs. Used packs of unknown condition, according to EV Clinic's information at the time, could cost between €4,000 and €10,000.
It was that very detail that prompted their harshest criticism. Despite their admiration for the longevity of the original cells, they deemed the cost of a new pack unacceptable. The difficulty with fully refurbishing the existing system was that new cells of the same dimensions and design were not readily available, so they sought a used battery system to get the vehicle back on the road.
The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid of that generation used a combination of an electric motor on the rear axle and a 2.4-liter five-cylinder turbodiesel at the front. It was the first production diesel plug-in hybrid, designed to combine long range with the ability for everyday electric driving. Although the 514,000-kilometer figure doesn't mean the car drove all those kilometers purely on electric power, the fact that the original battery withstood such mileage left a strong impression on the Croatian experts.
