DETROIT -- LG Chem, the South Korean company that will supply lithium ion batteries for the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, is considering building a plant in the United States.

Prabhakar Patil, CEO of the company's U.S. unit, Compact Power Inc., said today during an interview at the auto show that LG Chem will manufacture the Volt's batteries in a plant south of Seoul. He said that more testing and validation must be conducted and that some last-minute changes could be made before LG Chem delivers batteries in quantity to GM.

But, Patil said, the battery's basic chemistry, which relies heavily on manganese, is set.

Patil spoke with Automotive News Staff Reporter Richard Truett just after GM announced that LG Chem had won the Volt contract.

How was LG Chem able to win the Volt battery contract?

We had three advantages. One is the cathode chemistry, which is more manganese-based. That has the safety characteristics because it resists giving off oxygen. But at the same time, it also has a stable and fixed cost.

The second is the battery's proprietary zinc core separator. The importance of that is that other manufacturers have protection devices outside the cell. But we have a significant layer of protection inside the cell.

And finally, it is the laminated flat package. It is like the battery in your laptop. The part count is so much smaller, which means better manufacturability, better quality and lower cost. And it is also good for thermal management. The temperature difference between the center of that flat cell and the surface is much less than in a cylindrical cell. If ever the cell was to let go, the failure mode is very benign. If a cylindrical cell lets go, it becomes a projectile.

How does LG Chem's expertise in making lithium ion batteries for consumer electronics prepare the company for automobile battery production?

We make the little lithium ion batteries at the rate of about 30 million to 40 million per month. That's a lot of experience in terms of quality discipline, and that is something very critical to a vehicle program. In a laptop, you maybe have a dozen cells. In cell phones, you have one. But getting consistence in a battery pack for a hybrid that has over 200 cells is a big deal. That's where this high-volume manufacturing capability comes in.

How will the batteries perform in cold weather?

They'll perform very well all the way down to minus-30 degrees Celsius (or about minus-22 degrees Fahrenheit). Below that, there may be some measures that have to be taken to warm up the pack. As the battery starts to deliver power at the colder temperatures, the resistance is higher. Therefore, internally, the temperature will climb and get to the nominal temperature.

What is the expected life span of the battery pack?

We are going to be warranting it for 10 years or 150,000 miles. It's an arrangement where GM warranties it to the customer, and we are responsible to GM for the warranty.

When will LG deliver the first production-ready cells to GM?

We have already been delivering production-intent cells. GM is already putting production-intent cells into packs.

参考译文：

底特律——将为雪佛兰Volt充电式混合动力电动车提供锂离子电池的韩国公司LG化学，正考虑在美国建立一个工厂。

该公司在美国的子公司Compact Power的首席执行官Prabhakar Patil在今天车展的采访中说， LG化学将在首尔南部的一个工厂生产Volt的电池。他说，更多的测试和验证将会进行，在LG化学向通用汽车大量供货前哪怕最后一分钟仍会有些变化。

但是，Patil说，电池的基本化学组成——很大程度上依赖于锰——已经设置好了。

在通用汽车宣布LG化学赢得了Volt的电池合同以后，Patil同Automotive News 的记者Richard Truett进行了交谈。

LG化学是怎么赢得Volt的电池合同的？

我们有三个优势。一个是阴极化学，它更多是以锰为基础的。由于它不产生氧气所以具有很高的安全性。但与此同时，它也有一个稳定和固定的费用。

第二是作为电池专有核心的锌分离。它的重要性就是其他制造商将保护装置设置在电池以外。但是我们能够在电池内部设置一个有效的保护层。

最后，它是复合扁平封装。它就像是你的笔记本电脑电池。count部分要小得多，这意味着更好的可制造性、更高的质量和更低的成本。它的散热管理也很好。电池中心与表面的温差远远小于一个圆柱形电池。

LG化学在将消费型电子产品上用的锂离子电池用到汽车电池生产上时有怎样的专业技术呢？

我们生产小的锂离子电池的速度大约为每月3000-4000万个。我们在如何规范质量上有着非常丰富的经验。在笔记本电脑上，你也许有十几个电池。手机，你只有一个。但是在混合动力电池上要一次封装超过200个电池，确保他们的一致性就是一个大问题。这就使大批量生产能力有了用武之地。

电池在寒冷的天气下如何工作？

他们即使在零下30摄氏度（约华氏零下22度）的温度下都会很好的工作 。低于这一温度时，也可以采取热封装等措施来解决。当电池在寒冷的温度下开始提供动力的时候，它的抗性也是较高的。因此，在内部，温度将会上升，并进入名义温度。

这种电池的预期寿命是多少？

我们将确保其使用10年或15万公里。这是通用汽车向消费者保证的，所以我们也有责任向通用汽车做出这种保证。

LG何时向通用汽车提供首批电池产品？

我们已经做好了供货的准备。通用汽车正在将一些用于生产的电池产品进行包装。