I've had to jump my 2017 a few times this week as the battery has a bad cell, so I need a replacement. I usually find something at a junkyard or Facebook that is a year or two old for $30-$50, or if not, I splurge on a new $70 Walmart battery. I understand the battery size is an LN1 or a 140R. Any other options? 26R looks pretty close, or an H4.
12 volt battery replacement options?
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Battery replacement master thread - please do not create a new thread.
atikovi
21 - 40 of 91 Posts
Charging voltage for AGM is about 0.4VDC higher than for a flooded lead acid. This is primarily why flooded lead acid batteries fair extremely poorly when substituted into an electrical system optimized for AGM batteries.
Pay the big coin for the AGM and be done with it.
(Don't get me started on LiFePo batteries being swapped willy-nilly into installations designed for lead-acid, flooded or AGM. Let's just say I know a gentleman who has a very nasty scorch mark on the concrete floor of his hangar because he did just this kind of swap, against my recommendation.)
I can't believe you are tolerating a 12V battery that required multiple jump starts. Bolts respond very badly to weakening batteries that can still pass a quick or free "load test". My six-month old 2021 Bolt lost propulsion during rush hour simply because the factory battery went bad. There are legions of puzzling symptoms of a weak 12V battery. I can see that "under warranty" is not an issue for you, but you are making a mistake to "cheap out" as if you have a 20-year old Camry beater.
I recall a not-too-long ago post where that OP mentioned their 12v died about 4 months after replacement. While they weren't being very forthcoming with details when pressed, it seemed they had used a non-AGM battery and found out the fun way what happens.
It's certainly possible that a different battery will work well enough with a Bolt. Why try to reinvent the wheel though? What's so terrible about just going with the proven AGM battery, that amortized out might cost 25 bucks a year. And it's plug and play. It fits right, the hold down fits, and the cables fit.
And call me odd, but even if I was going to sell the car soon, I'd feel better selling it with the proper battery. I want the next owner to have a good Bolt experience.
I recently traded in my 2011 Cruze Eco with a recent Mobil 1 oil change, excellent tires with plenty of tread, a recent coolant change, a new air filter, and a top of the line two year old AGM battery. I hope the next owner loves my old Cruze.
And the dealer, after driving my Cruze, gave me more money for it than they first offered on paper. The young salesman had to get another employee to actually drive it though, because he didn't know how to drive a stick.
The two of them took it for a spin while I hung out in the Chevrolet showroom looking at a Ford Shelby GT 500 they had on the floor.
Other batteries can be used... but they are not optimized for this installation. GM designed around the AGM battery so we need to use an AGM battery.
Now a comparison for the ICE world. You buy a GM pickup truck; the owner's manual says it will burn 87 octane gasoline with up to a certain percentage of ethanol. Do we just naturally say, "Hmmm, let's see if it will run on coffee instead?" Nope - we run what it is designed to run.
Stick with the AGM. If properly treated they will outlast any other alternative that can reasonably be installed. I say this from decades of experience in switching light aircraft from flooded lead acid to AGM - I've been around the block on this topic more times than I care to count. In the end the AGM battery simply is the right way to go.
Now a comparison for the ICE world. You buy a GM pickup truck; the owner's manual says it will burn 87 octane gasoline with up to a certain percentage of ethanol. Do we just naturally say, "Hmmm, let's see if it will run on coffee instead?" Nope - we run what it is designed to run.
Stick with the AGM. If properly treated they will outlast any other alternative that can reasonably be installed. I say this from decades of experience in switching light aircraft from flooded lead acid to AGM - I've been around the block on this topic more times than I care to count. In the end the AGM battery simply is the right way to go.
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97 Posts
I still have the original agm battery in my 2019 Bolt. When I need to replace it, I am planning on replacing with one of these two agm batteries:
Everstart Platinum AGM H5/47 - $180 from Walmart.
Duracell Platinum AGM 47 (H5) - $200 from Sam's Club
Everstart Platinum AGM H5/47 - $180 from Walmart.
Duracell Platinum AGM 47 (H5) - $200 from Sam's Club
I don't see how an H5 would fit. The top bracket is already as far as it can go on an H4.
Link? I've never replaced the battery before and it's the original AC Delco from what I see.
It was months ago and I never commented in it. It is long buried, and there's no way I'd find it with how often the word "battery" comes up on an EV-specific forum. 😮💨
It's possible that the AGM battery sizes are not identical to the flooded battery sizes, even in the same group.
This is what I found for the Interstate AGM batteries compared to the OE LN1 AGM:
LN1: W: 6.9" H: 7.5" L: 8.1"
H4: W: 6.875" H: 7.5" L: 8.125"
H5: W: 6.9375" H: 7.5" L: 9.5625"
So, the LN1 and H4 are virtually identical. The H5 is almost 1.5" longer. These are all AGM battery sizes.
H5 AGM has the same hight as H4 AGM at 7.5".
I actually hadn't noticed before that H5 can fit too... Huh. 🧐
The H5 will fit but since it's longer, the extra weight will kill your range.
Edit: I guess the H5 won't fit. See post #39.
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13,104 Posts
2020 CHEVROLET BOLT ELECTRIC Battery | RockAuto
Not sure about shipping.
I assume lead is so toxic that they now have to add in extra pricing.
Not sure about shipping.
I assume lead is so toxic that they now have to add in extra pricing.
This is what it would be to my zip code in Minnesota. The catch is what to do with the old battery. Will it cost something to dispose of it properly?
It's nice to just be able to bring the old battery to the store and walk out with the new one. I remember the days of having only one car and doing store parking lot swaps, if the car is still driveable on the old battery at that point.
I'll jump it one more time. Here's the input of a guy with a low risk tolerance in this situation: Pay the extra to buy the OEM battery, but do find your best price, install it yourself, etc.
The Bolt was a game-changing EV with its design and architecture, but this platform is essentially now orphaned, and there aren't massive numbers of vehicles on the road.
If you introduce any ghosts or gremlins into the machine by using anything other than the actual OEM (or at least OEM-spec) battery, there won't be GM resources unleashed on researching and resolving the issue for you.
I save money where I can, but this is a case where personally I am willing to pay a bit extra to avoid the risk of creating any untraceable future issues.
Good luck to you with whatever you decide!
The Bolt was a game-changing EV with its design and architecture, but this platform is essentially now orphaned, and there aren't massive numbers of vehicles on the road.
If you introduce any ghosts or gremlins into the machine by using anything other than the actual OEM (or at least OEM-spec) battery, there won't be GM resources unleashed on researching and resolving the issue for you.
I save money where I can, but this is a case where personally I am willing to pay a bit extra to avoid the risk of creating any untraceable future issues.
Good luck to you with whatever you decide!
Pretty easy to search with username and key word, but then, you still wouldn't find anything about me buying a 12V battery that died 4 months afterwards. You must have me confused with someone else.
I want to see pictures of that, as I see no way an H5 will fit unless you remove the hold down bracket.The H5 will fit but since it's longer, the extra weight will kill your range.
No room at the front,
and no room at the back as the bracket is at it's maximum length,
I didn't say it was you. I was talking about a different thread by a different user.Pretty easy to search with username and key word, but then, you still wouldn't find anything about me buying a 12V battery that died 4 months afterwards. You must have me confused with someone else.
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