General Motors must recall 68,677 electric vehicles worldwide, due to the danger of battery fire. The recall comes after five fires, as a result of which, in two cases, minor injuries were incurred. The recall concerns the 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt with a high-voltage battery manufactured by LG Chem Ltd, Reuters reported.
Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a preliminary investigation after three Bolt electric vehicles spontaneously caught fire. GM said cars these cars pose a fire risk when fully or nearly fully charged.
For now, the automaker has developed software that will limit the car's charging to only 90% to reduce the risk while the company looks for solutions to the problem. "We're working together around the clock to deploy a final remedy as soon as possible after the first of the year," Jesse Ortega, executive chief engineer for the Chevrolet Bolt EV, told reporters on a conference call.
LG Chem stated: "We will cooperate with GM and sincerely proceed with an investigation to identify the exact cause of fire."
In the meantime, NHTSA has issued guidelines to help owners avoid unwanted negative consequences in the event of a fire. They stated that Bolt owners "should park their cars outside and away from homes until their vehicles have been repaired, due to a new recall for the risk of fire."
Of the 68,677 vehicles recalled, 50,932 are in the United States. Starting next week, dealerships will update the vehicle’s battery software.
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About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
