Interesting speculation on Volt battery replacement cost in 2020

I think it can be DIY. Depends on what exactly your are replacing. A replacement lithium ion pack from GM, or maybe even 3rd party, would just be plug and play. It should be about as difficult has dropping a transmission and sticking in a new one. The difficulty is more in safely handling such a heavy part. The cheaper path is to replace just the bad cell stacks. That takes some extra knowledge and a multi-meter, but isn't beyond a DIYer.

Upgrading the pack is a different story. Improved Li-ion batteries should come with control circuits. Whether or not they can still safely and reliably work with the car's systems will take specialized knowledge. Which I don't have.

The AL-air battery isn't going to work. First of all, it's a primary, that is non-rechargable, battery. They may prove to be an effective option as a range extender to a rechargable pack because of the energy density, and can be recycled about as easily as smelting aluminum ore. For an aging Volt, this battery is more a replacement for the ICE. Using it to replace the traction battery means losing the plug.

Second, the electricity coming out of it will be a different voltage and amperage than a Li-ion battery. It may even have different temperature needs. Our TV remote regularly gives the low battery warning because the rechargable NiMH in it are a slightly lower voltage than alkalines. Our blood pressure monitor states alkalines only. The car will need to be reprogrammed to use the battery correctly, and that is probably isn't worth the cost.

 

I think the Volt battery needs to have some fancy coolant flushing machines used in order to avoid air bubbles from being trapped in the cooling channels. Individuals wouldn't normally have that equipment.

In any case, that article from a year ago wasn't very well thought out. I guess Envia fell apart after it was published but even their puffed up claims were nowhere near allowing the creation of a 300 mile replacement pack for the Volt.