Vermont State Police released this photo of the 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV that caught fire on July 1, 2021 on the driveway of Democrat State Representative Timothy Briglin.
Vermont State Police
DETROIT – General Motors said Friday it is expanding its recent record of Chevrolet Bolt EVs to newer electric car models due to potential fire risk.
The expansion of the recall is expected to cost the automaker an additional $ 1 billion, which will bring the total recall to $ 1.8 billion to replace the potentially defective battery modules of the vehicles.
GM said about 73,000 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada will be added to the 2019-2022 model year withdrawal, including a larger recently released version of the car called the Bolt EUV. The first record involved approximately 69,000 vehicles worldwide in the 2017-2019 model years, including nearly 51,000 in the United States.
The extended withdrawal now includes all Bolt EV models ever produced, casting a shadow over GM’s first conventional electric vehicle as it attempts to go on to sell exclusively electric vehicles by 2035. It also adds to billions of dollars in trouble for to the new electric vehicles in the midst of the Biden administration. drive 50% of all new cars sold to be electric vehicles by 2030.
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GM said it is making reimbursement commitments from EV battery supplier LG, which produced the defective parts at plants in South Korea and Michigan. Parts of the American plant previously did not participate in the withdrawal.
The automaker plans to replace the vehicle’s expensive battery cell modules. GM also said it is working with LG Energy Solutions to correct the cause of the defects and increase production of the new modules.
“Our focus on safety and doing the right thing for our customers guides all the decisions we make at GM,” Doug Parks, GM’s executive vice president who oversees products, purchasing and supply chains, said in a statement. “As leaders in the transition to an all-electric future, we know that building and maintaining trust is critical. GM customers can rely on our commitment to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of these vehicles.”
Expansion occurs after companies that find the batteries in these vehicles may have two manufacturing defects: a torn anode tab and a folded separator, present in the same battery cell, which increases the fire risk.
GM has confirmed a fire in the new population of withdrawn vehicles. This adds to at least nine confirmed fires prior to the first round of recovered vehicles.
GM also said it will notify customers when spare parts are ready.
Meanwhile, GM is asking affected Bolt EV owners to set their vehicles to a 90% load limiting state using Hilltop standby mode (for the 2017-2018 model years) or Target Load Level mode ( for the 2019 model).
GM also urges homeowners to avoid draining the battery below the remaining 70 kilometers of range and, as advised last week, to continue without parking vehicles indoors or charging them unattended overnight. ” with great caution “.
GM says owners should visit with questions www.chevy.com/boltevrecall either contact your Chevrolet EV helpline at 1-833-EVCHEVY or contact your preferred Chevrolet EV dealer.