Ultrasonic Welding Used in Cadillac ELR's Battery Pack

The Cadillac ELRCadillac ELRUnited States of America, 2014 > present16 photos
takes the concept of the Chevrolet VoltChevrolet VoltUnited States of America, 2011 > present3 photos
and adds a dose of luxury and style. It will go on sale in early 2014 in North America, but CadillacCadillacUnited States of America, 1902 > present79 models
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2 videos
is already preparing pre-production examples. Cadillac is introducing ultrasonic welding to its cars in the ELR's battery pack. 

Ultrasonic welding is already coming in aerospace and in the medical industry. The system has two parts clamped together and then an ultrasonic acoustic vibration is applied to it to bond the parts together. As the pieces vibrate, they heat up and join together. It saves weight because no fasteners, solder or adhesives are needed to keep them together.

Each 16.5kWh battery pack for the ELR will have 200 ultrasonic welds, and it is warrantying each battery system for eight years or 100,000 miles.

Production is done at the Brownstown Battery Assembly plant in Michigan. GMGMUnited States of America, 1998 > present8 models
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has a proprietary quality control system that uses cameras to compare the weld to a reference image to decide if it is up to quality.

“Ultrasonic welding is a far superior joining technology in applications where it can be deployed. Cadillac’s innovative process will produce batteries with superior quality compared with traditional methods – and do it more efficiently," said Jay Baron, CEO of the Center for Automotive Research.

The ELR's T-shaped battery pack is 5.5ft (1.6m) long and weighs 435lb (198kg) and located in the center of the car between the wheels. It takes 4.5 hours to charge from a 240v outlet or about 9 hours from a 120v outlet.