Some days ago, GM announced the huge recall for the all Bolt EVs/EUVs which includes more than 142,000 vehicles produced between 2017 to 2022. The recall was due to the battery pack fire hazard. Company published an instruction to prevent the fire till they find the cause and the solution. It seems they found it. now GM and south Korean partner, LG Energy Solution are working on it.
By the investigation of the company, GM found the defect in the battery cells supplied by LG (produced in south Korean and U.S. too). One torn anode tab and folded separator - which in some rare circumstances may lead to a battery fire. So now, the plan to fix the cars is on the way. As GM Chief Financial Officer, Paul Jacobson, with an interview with Reuters told:
“We are determined to do the right thing for our customers and resolve the problem once and for all. Once we are confident LG can provide us with good battery modules, we will begin repairs as quickly as we can.”
This problem made the recall for all the Bolts from 2017 to 2022. As it is released, the early Bolts will have a whole new battery pack but other newer cars, just changes some battery modules. Also, the new cars should wait till November. It’s a big recall which costs the company about $1.8 billion. So, time and money needed.
Moreover, GM has to shut down the Orion Assembly plant production. On the other hand, LG produced 33 GWh of batteries in seven months, to make the 9 GWh so quickly, LG should make a miracle to delivers all the packs needed.
Also, the owners should always be worried about getting on fire and also take the instruction. Just 60% of the battery should be loaded, which means less travel range. For about one year, the owners should handle their cars. Then maybe they be inline to get a new battery pack or battery modules.