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I thought A123 had this wrapped up?! Korean company (http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/22186/) gets the nod from GM. I thought it was nice a US company had the contract but not anymore. This will probably delay their stock from going public for awhile.

But if A123 was going to delay the Volts production time I guess this was a good decision. They needed that car on the road months ago.

GM stock 6.00
| 4.00
| 3.00
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v GM bankrupt?

The discussion I've seen on this topic sites A123's low energy density. Yes, they have fantastic safety (have you seen their "Shoot a nail into it and it still works!!" video?), but LG has a good chemistry as well, higher energy density, and proven manufacturing capability.

Add to that the delays caused by A123 having to completely retool for prismatic rather than cylindrical cells, late delivery of first prototypes, and cooling system issues and the choice becomes easier to understand.

By the way, this explicitly does NOT exclude them from being a supplier for future generations of EREV.

Not like GM's particularly worried about QC these days anyhow...
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_H*

Hi All,

I wonder if this lets A123 out of the non-compete clause ?

GM originally specified flexible sourcing and battery types. It's on their website. Would you bet the farm on a sole source?

Wow, I thought A123 was a done deal on this too. But smart of GM not to lock themselves in too early.

Interesting they are going with Li-Mn instead of Li-PO4. I say interesting because (as I understand it) that's what Subaru and Mitsubishi are doing, and they are by far the two major automakers closest to EV production. Li-Mn has a lot of momentum behind it now.

Li-Po's are extremely volatile. Even a pack the size of a few quarters stacked together is enough to set your house or car on fire (some unfortunate model RC flyers have found this out :( ). But, they are the preferred method for micro flight anymore. If they can solve the whole explosive flame issue, they'd rock.

Don't Li-Po batteries (not the same as Li-PO4) have the same lifespan problem as Li-Co?