Recall currently includes 2017-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Bolt EUV-sub heading
We have all seen the images of owners not listening to General Motors instructions and causing their homes to nearly be burnt to the ground. With the rise and acceptance of electric vehicles across the world so have the risks due to battery fires.
The ongoing saga that General Motors and LG are facing currently show the growing pains that EV’s are going to experience as more vehicles are sold.
Thankfully General Motors has stated openly on their Bolt EV recall page, that they are committed to safety and working with LG to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
The issue at hand is directly caused by the battery pack that the vehicle is equipped with. Experts at General Motors as well at LG found a presence of 2 manufacturing defects that can be located in the same battery cell. These defects can cause a battery fire to occur, and if you did not know lithium battery fires are not a good situation.
Lithium batteries can suffer from exothermic thermal runaway fires. What this means is that it generates its own heat, which it then releases. This can make the fire very challenging to extinguish. Not only has General Motors had issues with these batteries but so has Audi, Hyundai, Porsche and Audi to name a few.
There are a few things that General Motors states on their website to keep Chevrolet Bolt owners safe. First ensure that Chevrolet Bolt owners set their charge limit to a 90% state of charge. Also need to avoid depleting your battery pack below 113 km of remaining range.
Oh, we forgot to mention, once your vehicle is done charging you must park it outside immediately. You also cannot park your vehicle indoors overnight for charging.
This may not seem like a large issue until you look at the numbers. First the Chevrolet Bolt EV has a range of just over 400km, with a 100% charge. Take this into account with the 113 km and the fact that you can only charge the vehicle to a 90% state of charge.
This leaves Chevrolet Bolt EV owners in a bit of an interesting situation. We do not know exact numbers but we can estimate that range could be under 200km if owners follow the prescribed rules set out by General Motors.
If you have a Level 1 charger for your Chevrolet Bolt EV it takes a significant amount of time to charge your battery. Customers may find themselves running a mileage deficit everyday until they may find themselves unable to drive for a day while their batteries charge. Outside that is, do not forget, you can only charge outside.
General Motors is working with LG to find and resolve the issue. They state that parts will be made available as soon as possible. There is a software update that should be coming out within 30 days but that is not a permanent fix.
While these issues will cause problems with owners everyday driving habits we should commend General Motors as well as LG on being up front, owning the issue, and trying to fix the problem to keep everyone safe.
Please visit the Chevrolet Bolt EV or Bolt EUV recall website General Motors has provided customers with to learn more about the recall and phone your local dealership with any questions that you may have.
