Chevy Bolt Battery To Be Replaced Finally
Fire Risk Battery Cells Finally Being Replaced
Any longtime readers will be aware that the Chevy battery recall has been going on for over a year now. For reference check out the following: Chevy Bolt EV Recall Over Potential Fire Risk & Chevy Bolt Owners Ignoring Safety Recall!.
Despite almost a third of the owners ignoring the safety instructions Chevy has confirmed that battery replacements will begin this month (October). The new and improved battery cells will be denser, allowing for better range and Chevy is going to include new monitoring software to keep a close eye on the performance of the cars once returned. This will be a big job for Chevy, over 140,000 cars need to be recalled!
Image Source cars.com
Pay The Costs
The estimated cost of this big recall is around 2 billion dollars. However General Motors and Chevy are left with a relatively small slice of the costs. Of the two billion dollars, LG has reimbursed 1.9 billion dollars. The two businesses state that they will continue to cooperate on the mission that is producing new battery units for the recall. Chevy states they will be giving priority to the Chevy bolts produced in 2017 to 2019. The company believes these models have the highest risk of failure and electrical fire.
As covered in the posts mentioned above, the owners were given instructions to minimise their risk of failure and fire. The initial 50,000 faulty units quickly grew into 140,000 units, so it’s no surprise not all owners follow or heard about the issues. Those that are aware are unhappy, some reportedly even brining their chevy bolts back to the dealership. This is a very bad spot for GM to find themselves in.
The Solution
Some customers are unhappy with how to situation is being handled. There was disappointment all round when finding out that Chevy will be limiting the new batteries at 80% for a while until its new software deems it safe to unlock the full potential of the car. Many have said that the business is just doing damage control, with no regard for the inconvenience and use of the car for the every day consumer. Others argue that they’re doing the best they can given the expansiveness of the issue.
Recap
The Chevrolet Bolt is an electric car produced by General Motors. In November 2020, GM announced a recall of over 68,000 Bolt electric vehicles due to a battery-related fire risk. The recall was prompted by reports of several Bolt fires, and investigations by GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that the fires were caused by a rare manufacturing defect in the battery cells.
GM initially issued a software update for the affected Bolt vehicles to limit the battery’s state of charge to 90%, as a temporary fix while it worked on a more permanent solution. However, in July 2021, GM expanded the recall to include all Bolt EVs and Bolt EUVs produced between 2017 and 2022, citing a risk of fire even in vehicles that had received the software update.
The expanded recall affected over 140,000 Bolt vehicles, and GM announced that it would replace the defective battery modules in affected vehicles at no cost to owners. The company also offered loaner vehicles to affected customers until their vehicles could be repaired.
The recall is a significant setback for GM, which has been investing heavily in electric vehicle technology in recent years. The company has said that it is working to resolve the issue and ensure the safety of its customers, but the Bolt recall highlights the challenges involved in scaling up production of electric vehicles and ensuring their safety and reliability.
