GM recommending customers park the Bolt fire machine 50 feet from others!

[EELinneman]

GM tells Bolt EV owners park away from vehicles in decks (msn.com)

This is getting interesting. It looks like the incendiary device known as the Chevy Bolt is not safe to park in a structure, charge unattended or park next to others. It looks like GM is blaming LG for the battery issues and soon will be forced to buy all 140,000 of these back. The NHTSA has asked LG what other cars they need to start getting concerned about. I hope to hell that the MME is not one of these.

What a complete mess. This is going to hurt GM for a while because of the Bolt problems, but it also looks like their corporate communications is just as problematic as Ford.

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[Kabish]

I'd guess it will only take one or two fires and the MME will be in their target as well.

 

[blue92lx]

So I'm assuming if you've done the recall you're ok right? They're just having issues because there aren't enough batteries to do all 140k cars?

 

[phil]

I'm just glad all those Tesla batteries are perfectly safe and never explode.

 

[EELinneman]

I'm just glad all those Tesla batteries are perfectly safe and never explode.

So, are you saying that The Boring Company is not the only company run by Elon that is selling flame throwers?

 

[Davedough]

Honestly this sticks in the back of my brain a little bit because Ford uses the same LG Chem pouch battery packs, as far as I know. (admittedly I'm no expert in this)

 

[MailGuy]

As a continued Bolt owner, I think the only possible mistake gm made was to not leave buffer at the top of the battery. Both of our other EV’s have this and it makes for a more consistent 1PD experience on startup after a full charge. In four years I’ve never questioned the safety, reliability or quality of our Bolt. As an early builder of EV’s for the masses, I’m sure range anxiety was paramount in the engineering minds so they maximized and used the entire battery. Range anxiety goes away after a few months but is paramount in purchase decisions, especially to first time buyers.

The Bolt was (and still is in my book) awesome out the gate. The software is top notch in this car even if it does rely on an HDD instead of SSD. Lithium ion is tricky. Let’s not forget the shipment of laptop batteries that took down a UPS Boeing 747 due to a cargo hold fire.

 

[theo1000]

The same LG cells are also used in the Etron, and a modified version in the Volt with no issues. I think the real mistake was GM's where they reduced the reserve to around 3% on the Bolt compared to the 12%-15%-60% the other cars had. This made a small manufacturing defect into a liability.

We can make fun of the bolts but EV's still have far few fires than ICE cars.

 

[TruWrecks]

Let's also remember that gasoline cars catch on fire 10 times more often than BEVs, but you don't here about those because that is an "acceptable risk" for a gas car. But let's hold BEVs to a higher standard just because reasons.

 

[EELinneman]

As a continued Bolt owner, I think the only possible mistake gm made was to not leave buffer at the top of the battery. Both of our other EV’s have this and it makes for a more consistent 1PD experience on startup after a full charge. In four years I’ve never questioned the safety, reliability or quality of our Bolt. As an early builder of EV’s for the masses, I’m sure range anxiety was paramount in the engineering minds so they maximized and used the entire battery. Range anxiety goes away after a few months but is paramount in purchase decisions, especially to first time buyers.

The Bolt was (and still is in my book) awesome out the gate. The software is top notch in this car even if it does rely on an HDD instead of SSD. Lithium ion is tricky. Let’s not forget the shipment of laptop batteries that took down a UPS Boeing 747 due to a cargo hold fire.

Great insight into the Bolt from an actual owner. I don't know chemistry at all, and am wondering if the chemistry within the battery packets has been changed or made more consistent since the original battery design on the Bolt.

I was doing work at Boeing when the 787 was being built and the engineering that went into the lithium batteries in the storage of the plane was amazing. They were conducting testing for fires and impact effects that blew my mind.

I keep saying that we are early in the cycle of BEV's and cannot wait to see the innovations over the next decade or so.

 

[agoldman]

they need to just refund everyone with a bolt and move on..

 

[silverelan]

Great insight into the Bolt from an actual owner. I don't know chemistry at all, and am wondering if the chemistry within the battery packets has been changed or made more consistent since the original battery design on the Bolt.

I was doing work at Boeing when the 787 was being built and the engineering that went into the lithium batteries in the storage of the plane was amazing. They were conducting testing for fires and impact effects that blew my mind.

I keep saying that we are early in the cycle of BEV's and cannot wait to see the innovations over the next decade or so.

The question that hasn't been answered, as far as I know, is "Does the Mustang Mach-E use the same batteries as the Bolt EV?"

If yes; then what assurances do we have the defect has been addressed?
If no; then zero problem.

 

[jrstinkfish]

Let's also remember that gasoline cars catch on fire 10 times more often than BEVs, but you don't here about those because that is an "acceptable risk" for a gas car. But let's hold BEVs to a higher standard just because reasons.

The majority of gas-powered car fires occur while the car is being driven. Sucks for sure, but it's not the same danger as parking your EV inside a garage and coming back to find the EV and garage are no more.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

you misunderstood - it's all about making sure Bolts follow appropriate social distancing. the fire thing is just a convenient secondary benefit.

?

 

[phil]

you misunderstood - it's all about making sure Bolts follow appropriate social distancing. the fire thing is just a convenient secondary benefit.

?

Chinese battery virus?

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