[wesley]

I noticed that the Bolt has an "LN1" size AGM 12V battery under the hood. This measures 210 x 175 x 190 (mm, WxDxH) and has 50Ah capacity. Unfortunately, this is smaller than the typical batteries used in most of the cars around here. The smallest one I could find was LN2 size, which is 230 x 175 x 210 (mm), or 2cm (0.79") wider and 1cm (0.39") taller than LN1. Anything smaller and I would need to look overseas. Heck, I've even heard that some GM service centers don't have them in stock.

So the question is, is it possible to fit an LN2-sized battery into Bolt, or has anyone attempted it? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jon8491]

I don't have any information but my thoughts are that since we don't have a starter motor to turn over an engine with 4-8 cylinders then we don't need 'typical batteries used in most cars around here'.

 

[wesley]

I don't have any information but my thoughts are that since we don't have a starter motor to turn over an engine with 4-8 cylinders then we don't need 'typical batteries used in most cars around here'.

Indeed, hence the smaller battery. I'm just saying this resulted in making it harder for me to source a replacement.

 

[redpoint5]

If I had a Bolt, one of my first mods would be to ditch the lead and put in a lithium iron phosphate battery (LiFePO4).

I've got a couple of these, one in a jetski, the other in my Prius.

https://www.batteryspace.com/lifepo4-prismatic-battery-12-8v-20ah-256wh-10c-rate-24-0---un38-3-passed-dgr.aspx

There is usually a 10% off code you can find by a google search.

EDIT: On second thought, I'd consider moving the battery into the cabin somewhere. I thought the 12v lived inside like in the Prius or Ford C-Max. This chemistry does not do well with sub-freezing temperatures when it is being charged.

 

[Sean Nelson]

I don't have any information but my thoughts are that since we don't have a starter motor to turn over an engine with 4-8 cylinders then we don't need 'typical batteries used in most cars around here'.

I suspect his concern is availability and not capacity. But it should be easy enough to order an LN1 sized battery.

 

[wesley]

I suspect his concern is availability and not capacity. But it should be easy enough to order an LN1 sized battery.

Availability it is. Domestic(=Korean) retailers and online shops don't seem to carry any LN1-sized battery, regardless of chemistry. Ordering overseas is obviously an option, but that means several weeks of shipping time since that thing can't be shipped by air.

 

[PhilBo]

Is this what you are looking for?
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=8878472&jsn=3

 

[demart]

When the 12v battery failed, my dealer in the U.S.A. had to order it. It took a week to get here, so I wouldn't be shocked if they ordered it from Korea.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Availability it is. Domestic(=Korean) retailers and online shops don't seem to carry any LN1-sized battery, regardless of chemistry.

I assume you'd be able to order it through your dealer...?

 

[GregBrew]

If I had a Bolt, one of my first mods would be to ditch the lead and put in a lithium iron phosphate battery (LiFePO4).

I've got a couple of these, one in a jetski, the other in my Prius.

https://www.batteryspace.com/lifepo...-256wh-10c-rate-24-0---un38-3-passed-dgr.aspx

There is usually a 10% off code you can find by a google search.

EDIT: On second thought, I'd consider moving the battery into the cabin somewhere. I thought the 12v lived inside like in the Prius or Ford C-Max. This chemistry does not do well with sub-freezing temperatures when it is being charged.

That's got a 3C (60A) maximum charging rate. The DC-DC in the Bolt is rated at 1600W, so I'm pretty sure this Lithium replacement wouldn't like over 100A being pumped into it by the DC-DC.

 

[GregBrew]

Is this what you are looking for?
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=8878472&jsn=3

The three-year pro-rata warranty is pretty sucky though...

 

[redpoint5]

That's got a 3C (60A) maximum charging rate. The DC-DC in the Bolt is rated at 1600W, so I'm pretty sure this Lithium replacement wouldn't like over 100A being pumped into it by the DC-DC.

Yeah but the battery itself is rated for a higher voltage than Pb batteries. It will tend to maintain "full" voltage easily, and therefore the DC/DC converter won't put out too much current. Since the LiFePO4 is never fully charged to its rated voltage, it should last a long time and maintain a buffer so that it can absorb charging spikes without much harm.

Perhaps if you drained the battery too much it would try to output the full ~100A, but then it would probably accept the charge reasonably well too.

I'm on year 3 in my Prius with this battery, and it charges same way as the Bolt. When I get around to it, I'll be swapping it out with my other battery so I can perform some tests on it to see how well it's holding up.

As I said though, the main enemy is cold. Supposedly the battery can only very slowly be charged when it's below freezing temperatures, otherwise it accumulates undue wear.

What I'd probably do if I owned a Bolt is measure parasitic (parked) current draw, and if it were low enough, replace the battery with a 4.2 Ah LiFePO4 that I keep in the glove box or under the area around the footwell. You couldn't sit through a whole drivein movie with the car "off" with such a small battery, but it would be fine for 10 min of running various accessories while the car is not in ready mode.

This is what I replace motorcycle batteries with.

 

[wesley]

I assume you'd be able to order it through your dealer...?

I could order it through a service center as a last resort. It's just that there's no easy local 3rd party ordering.

 

[Lin19687]

I have not really looked at the Bolt 12v, but when I had my i-MiEV it was tiny.... like small riding lawn mower tiny. Shoot even my Motorcycle one looked about that size.
Wonder if there are any in those categories that would work.