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Transportation Power

GM Recalling Nearly 69,000 Bolt EVs For Fire Risks (reuters.com) 73

Posted by BeauHD from the PSA dept.
General Motors said on Friday it was recalling 68,677 electric cars worldwide that pose a fire risk after five reported fires and two minor injuries. Reuters reports: The recall is for 2017-2019 model-year Chevrolet Bolt EVs with high voltage batteries produced at LG Chem's Ochang, Korea facility. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last month opened a preliminary investigation into the Bolt EVs after reports of three Bolts catching fire under the rear seat while parked and unattended.

GM said the vehicles pose a fire risk when charged to full, or nearly full capacity. GM said it has developed software that will limit vehicle charging to 90% of full capacity to mitigate the risk while GM works to determine the appropriate final repair. NHTSA said in a consumer alert on Friday that Bolt owners âoeshould park their cars outside and away from homes until their vehicles have been repaired, due to a new recall for the risk of fire.â The recall includes 50,932 U.S. Bolt vehicles.
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GM Recalling Nearly 69,000 Bolt EVs For Fire Risks More

GM Recalling Nearly 69,000 Bolt EVs For Fire Risks

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  • someday - thank you to the canaries & guinea p (Score:4, Funny)

    by iggymanz ( 596061 ) on Friday November 13, 2020 @08:03PM (#60721856)

    Thanks to all of you brave souls working the kinks out of EV while the rest of us wait about 5 years.

    To those who bring up ICE fires, there are only 78,000 Bolts total on road and so relatively speaking they're going off like popcorn.

    Electric will be great and soon range will be good enough for most of us. But until then, *snap* *crackle* *pop* Bolt Crispies!

    • Re:someday - thank you to the canaries & guine (Score:5, Informative)

      by Rei ( 128717 ) on Friday November 13, 2020 @08:40PM (#60721964) Homepage

      Assuming 8k miles per year per Bolt and an average on-the-road time of 1,5 years, that's 10 spontaneous fires per billion mile, vs. an ICE average of 55 total fires [cnn.com] per billion. Now, that's spontaneous fires vs. total fires, but still, that's not bad for the Bolt.

      That said: of course you want to identify and fix these problems when they're encountered.

      For those who are curious: this is all about the upper end of the charge range. During charging, lithium intercalates (slots into) into graphite (sometimes with some silicon). For more lithium to intercalate, the existing lithium has to diffuse deeper into the active anode materials, so you have a diffusion problem. Some things like hinder diffusion, which is why for example at low temperatures charge rates have to be reduced and packs preheated. Another thing which can hinder diffusion is some degradation processes, such as electrolyte degradation product accumulation ("gunk" blocking cracks). Trying to drive charging harder just causes lithium metal plating, which can remove lithium from the system, create dendrite punctures (short circuits), and other problems. Cathode types also affect the fire risk, as nickel-based cathodes are more prone to evolving free oxygen, at lower temperatures, vs. LFP. Then there can be variations in the flammability of the electrolyte, particularly depending on what's blended into the EC.

      The BMS has no magical knowledge of what's going inside the cells; it can coulomb count, keep track of voltage, consider temperatures, estimated degradation, and feed it all into a model of what it think is going on inside, but if the model is wrong, its behavior can be wrong. Manufacturers do accelerated aging tests to understand how they think batteries will perform, but differences in real-world use, rare never-before-encountered events, later-introduced manufacturing defects, and whatnot can cause unexpected problems.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        It will be interesting to see what the fix is. They might be able to detect the issue by looking at the charging data. Hopefully they won't have to permanently reduce capacity.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by rmach ( 164119 )

      3/69k = .0043% for the EV
      171.5k/273.6M = .063% for ICE

      If the EVs are going off like popcorn, what are the ICE doing at a rate of 10x the bolt?

      https://www.usfa.fema.gov/down... [fema.gov]
      https://www.statista.com/stati... [statista.com].

    • Three Bolts caught fire? That's *snap* *crackle* *pop*? You have a very strange threat matrix. You must be terrified of large crowds, swimming pools and potential choking hazards. I think the early adopters are having a very good time, driving cars that provide a superior driving experience. You can wait five, ten years before trying one. And you'll go wow, why didn't I do this years ago? But you don't get those years back... Some people have been driving electric cars for a decade already, and they

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by skids ( 119237 )

        I think the early adopters are having a very good time

        It's been paradise. This is the first time I've had to do shit-all to the thing in 18 months since I bought it. Oh yeah, I had to fill the wiper fluid once... only time I've opened the hood. Applying the workaround took less than a minute and I don't need the 10% missing range, really, though I do hope they figure out the issue so I can turn it back up.

        My only real complaint is the stupid splash screen that pops up and I don;t notice till I'm driving and requires me to push a touchscreen button confirm t

  • GM, not to be outdone by Tesla changing the price of the Model S to $69,420 has recalled 69k Bolts.

    Nice.

  • Oh, boy. A thread all about what a mismanaged fraud Elon Musk is.

    yes, yes I know that Elon has nothing to do with GM. Do you honestly think that's going to stop them?

  • It's a nascent industry (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Ritz_Just_Ritz ( 883997 ) on Friday November 13, 2020 @08:24PM (#60721920)

    I find it interesting that a site loaded with technologists is fascinated with kneecapping companies that are trying to lead in this space. The internal combustion engine has been with us for well over a century. It will take some time for winners (and losers) to take EV tech forward.

    Best,

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward
      in fairness electric vehicles have also been with us for well over a century.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tragedy ( 27079 )

        Since before ICE vehicles, I believe.

      • in fairness electric vehicles have also been with us for well over a century.

        That's misleading and you know it.

        Yes, the first battery-powered cars were built a long time ago, and we've had some sorts of battery-powered vehicles in widespread use for a long time (e.g. golf carts). But BEVs have not received remotely the same amount of R&D investment as ICEVs have. There has, of course, been plenty of research into both electric motors and batteries -- without which we wouldn't have reached the point we have today where BEVs are feasible -- but we're just beginning to learn how

  • Hilltop Reserve until you get your update. (Score:3)

    by blastard ( 816262 ) on Friday November 13, 2020 @08:51PM (#60721994)

    As the owner of a 2017 Bolt EV, I often set the hilltop reserve to limit it to 80 % to help preserve battery life. I took it off a week ago as winter was setting in, and having extra range is nice. I'll be setting it on hilltop reserve again, right now.

    It is a little annoying that they already clipped of the bottom of our charge range, but for a good reason. The cell imbalance issue did leave me stranded when it hit. I pulled up the just issued recall while on the side of the road.

    So, get your act together, and fix these issues. Also, please fix the freeze on the center console that leaves you looking at the forward facing camera while driving until it resets itself after many minutes. During which time you cannot change the volume or station, nor adjust temp or fan. Not cool, pun intended.

    • Also, please fix the freeze on the center console that leaves you looking at the forward facing camera while driving until it resets itself after many minutes. During which time you cannot change the volume or station, nor adjust temp or fan. Not cool, pun intended.

      Does the 2017 model year have the ability to hard reset the center console? On the 2020 version (and I think 2019), you can hold the HOME and FWD buttons down for 5 seconds to force a reset (like an ATX power supply button). At least there are still a few physical controls, eh? :)

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by heypete ( 60671 )

        It does has that option, and I've used it on occasion when the center screen freezes. Now that I think about it, it hasn't happened for months now. Excellent.

        • Hey, thanks for the info.

          The dealer made no mention of that when I brought it in a couple of years ago. I do get amused by the bumper level view of traffic at high speed. A little distracting though.

      • THANK YOU!!! This issue is pretty much my only beef with the Bolt (well that and the new recall). I'll try it the next time it locks up (which is at least once a week). Since I always use Hilltop reserve (living near the top of a hill actually) the recall isn't a major issue for us.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tragedy ( 27079 )

      Also, please fix the freeze on the center console that leaves you looking at the forward facing camera while driving until it resets itself after many minutes.

      I realize that's just on the console. but things like that are pretty good arguments against the idea of a heads up display on the windshield.

      • It's why automotive HUD is limited to a pale little display at the edge of the windshield, when it could be much more opaque and full-screen even with existing tech. Even if it whites out, it's not going to be a problem.

      • What they really need to do is allow us to use all these fancy cameras like a dashboard camera system. Already have the video feeds, why can't I download/save the last 15 min (or whatever) in the case of an accident.

  • So this news comes about a month after Hyundai announced their voluntary recall for certain range of Kona Electric EVs, following a spate of vehicle fires;

    https://insideevs.com/news/448... [insideevs.com]

    Hyundai is applying a similar fix, in that the battery management software is being upgraded to more closely monitor the cells and do more thorough testing. Unlike GM, however, the update does not appreciably reduce range (but it will completely disable the vehicle if it thinks the battery pack is severely damaged!).

    Both t

    • You are right that it can't be a coincidence, because that is not what happened. Read the fine article. The Kona batteries were made in China, and not the Ochang facility in South Korea.

      "The affected vehicles in Hyundai’s recall also use LG Chem battery cells, produced in the supplier’s factory in Nanjing, China."

      • As a Kona owner, and being part of the owner's community who have been following this problem long before the recall was announced, I can guarantee you that the fine article is wrong about the cells being made in Nanjing. They're from the South Korean plant. We have the part and inventory numbers... both the Kona and Bolt use the same cells from the same factory.

        In mid 2020 they started producing Kona EVs in Nosovice, Czechia, using cells from a European LG plant. Those are not included in the recall...

        Plus

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by evanh ( 627108 )

      Well, aside from still using such chemistries at all, the only problem will be that the spec'd 100% is actually overcharged. Overcharging is the number one reason for that chemistry to self ignite.

      In other battery chemistries overcharging just heats the battery. It's still damaging to the cells but at least they don't explode.

      • Spec'd 100% charge is actually about 3% or so below the individual cell's max working voltage, and 6% below the red-line "not to exceed" cell voltage;

        100% charge as reported by the vehicle: 4.20V per cell (4.18V after update)
        100% charge per cell manufacturer: 4.30V per cell
        Absolute maximum cell voltage: 4.45V per cell

        So while the exact cause of the issue isn't known, there are some reasonable speculations that can be made;

        1) We know the BMS update for the Kona reduces the max per-cell voltage from 4.20v to

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by evanh ( 627108 )

          Which is all another way of saying they're overcharging the battery. And that this chemistry has a notorious history of volatility when overcharged.

          • Except the part where you said " the spec'd 100% is actually overcharged" is incorrect, according to the cell manufacturer, but okay whatever.

            I suppose "if it failed you did it wrong" is technically correct even if it's a completely useless statement that ignores the circumstances.
            =Smidge=

  • Either this is fake news or there's something strange going on because if Tesla has taught us one thing it's that every single individual car fire results in a front page story on Slashdot and a big explosion in the media. I've not seen that from GM.

    So fake GM news or anti-Tesla bias?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by skids ( 119237 )

      Let me put your mind at ease so you don't stay up at night wondering anymore: Tesla gets all the attention because of stock market trading. GM's stock has more inertia so you can't swing the stock price up and down with hysterical astroturfing/publicity campaigns. It's that simple.

      • I was never wondering, it was a statement posed as a question to point out the absurdity of it all. But there are still people on here who actually believe Telsa cars are flaming deathtraps. Mind you there are people who think Trump does lie either.

  • "We just want to fix your car so it has worse range."

  • If you have a garage and have to park your car somewhere else away from buildings, is GM paying for this alternate parking? Or is this "park away from your house" statement simply a way to mitigate liability, if the car catches the home on fire, they can say "we told you it was unsafe to park near anything which can catch on fire"?

  • I want to know when my Volt will molt into a Bolt? Also, my old Colt could use a jolt, too. These names had to have been chosen by a dolt.

  • Their ICE engines have this capability too... there's been many recalls for 3800 supercharged engine randomly catching fire after being parked for a while.

  • Its the Bolt Marshmallow, toasts when you charge it.

    • Funny thing is, a college friend of mine used to drive us to school in his parent's Ford Pinto. Being the smart ass I am, I put a bag of marshmallows in the glovebox. Years later they took the bag out. Just months after that, it caught fire.
      See what happens when you remove the magic talisman.

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