General Motors (GM) recently had to expand its recall of the Chevy Bolt EV, a popular all-electric subcompact hatchback, to include all models after several fires caused by defects in the vehicles’ battery packs made by LG Chem — a troubling blow for one of the most popular EVs in the country, and electric vehicle adoption as a whole.
GM had to go as far as warning owners not to charge their Bolts in or near their homes overnight and park them outside. “We are working aggressively with LG to adjust production to have replacement modules available as soon as possible,” a GM spokesperson told press.
The Chevy Bolt EV was the only other non-Tesla EV that sold more than 10,000 vehicles in 2020. Here are the top 5 electric cars by sales in the US in 2020:
- Tesla Model 3: 95,135
- Tesla Model Y: 71,344
- Chevrolet Bolt EV: 19,664
- Tesla Model X: 19,652
- Tesla Model S: 14,430
GM isn’t the only carmaker having trouble with manufacturing. Tesla, which has 79 percent of the electric car market in the US according to registration data, had its own recalls.
Faulty displays forced the company to recall 135,000 vehicles earlier this year. And while it has yet to recall vehicles to prevent potential fires in people’s homes, plenty of Tesla vehicles have caught fire while charging.
There may be a silver lining to GM’s recent troubles, at least for drivers. Owners of 2017, 2018, and 2019 Bolt EVs, all affected by the recall, will see a eight percent additional battery capacity bump, thereby improving range.
This new recall population includes:
- 9,335 (6,989 in the U.S. and 1,212 in Canada) – 2019 model year Bolt EVs that were not included in the previous recall
- 63,683 (52,403 in the U.S. and 9,019 in Canada) – 2020–2022 model year Chevrolet Bolt EVs and EUVs
To provide customers peace of mind, batteries with these new modules will come with an 8-year/100,000-mile limited warranty (or 8-year/160,000 km limited warranty in Canada).
Reference- InsideEVs, Electrek, Business Insider