US investigates fire reports in Chevy Bolt electric vehicles

timbop

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Partially due to this topic I have done a little bit of looking around about garage smoke detectors. Apparently they are a pretty big no-no, and it makes sense. Most garages would trip a CO sensor pretty regularly, and are too dusty, so they would likely have nuisance trips for smoke frequently as well.

It sure seems like with the proliferation of techy dorks like myself buying BEVs, there should be a decent market for a company like Nest to make a Nest Protect garage fire detector using a heat rate of rise sensor. I love our other Nest Protects around the house, and the peace of mind of having the correct style of sensor installed in the garage would be huge.
Interesting idea about a thermal sensor instead of an "occluding particles in the air" sensor.
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Partially due to this topic I have done a little bit of looking around about garage smoke detectors. Apparently they are a pretty big no-no, and it makes sense. Most garages would trip a CO sensor pretty regularly, and are too dusty, so they would likely have nuisance trips for smoke frequently as well.

It sure seems like with the proliferation of techy dorks like myself buying BEVs, there should be a decent market for a company like Nest to make a Nest Protect garage fire detector using a heat rate of rise sensor. I love our other Nest Protects around the house, and the peace of mind of having the correct style of sensor installed in the garage would be huge.
I've had non-CO2 smoke detectors in my garage (hard-wired) for the past 17 years without any issues. It will only activate if I let my motorcycle, or snowblower, idle in the garage for several minutes. My cars face inward, so the exhaust has always gone outside without any alarms.

However, I think I will be replacing my hand-held fire extinguisher for the garage with something a bit larger in capacity.
 

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Not a good thing for trust in EV's in general.
 

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No panel gaps, but Ford EV fires might be worse. Hope MME does not burst into flames and force a fleet wide recall! Ford Fires
 


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You would think, but there have been many instances where hot ICE's ignited fires sitting in garages or elsewhere.
Because of neglect by putting something flammable near the car? Or because of a defect in the car?

I'm only saying that I think that is why the EV's are getting news, because the fires are not from owner's doing anything wrong but defects in the car.
 

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Partially due to this topic I have done a little bit of looking around about garage smoke detectors. Apparently they are a pretty big no-no, and it makes sense. Most garages would trip a CO sensor pretty regularly, and are too dusty, so they would likely have nuisance trips for smoke frequently as well.

It sure seems like with the proliferation of techy dorks like myself buying BEVs, there should be a decent market for a company like Nest to make a Nest Protect garage fire detector using a heat rate of rise sensor. I love our other Nest Protects around the house, and the peace of mind of having the correct style of sensor installed in the garage would be huge.
I started thinking about garage EV fire risk before Mach E was announced. (I wanted Y since before 3 was announced.) I'm going to add a Nest Protect to my garage when my Mach E comes in.

Mach E will be my only car. Therefore, I'm not concerned about ICE triggering smoke alarm. Even today with my CMax hybrid, I've been successful in preventing the engine from running in my garage.
 

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I have a radiant heat gas garage heater that was installed when we built the house. I wonder how that would affect an alarm or detector? Although my 20 year old John Deere rider now coughs and sputters so much when I start it - that may be enough to set off a detector.
 

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Because of neglect by putting something flammable near the car? Or because of a defect in the car?

I'm only saying that I think that is why the EV's are getting news, because the fires are not from owner's doing anything wrong but defects in the car.
IIRC leaking fuel on a hot manifold in one example, and other defects.
 

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As an update to this story, apparently GM has issued a recall for the Bolt. As of right now it looks like they are pointing to an issue where maybe the fires happened when the batteries were charged above a certain level. Maybe GM was a bit too aggressive about the max % charge for the batteries.

GM Recalls 68,000 Chevy Bolts over battery fire concerns
 

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Yup: I just got an e-mail from GM about my Bolt.
As you may be aware, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched an investigation into a few reports the agency received from Chevrolet Bolt EV owners about potential fires. GM had already been investigating these reports prior to that announcement, in cooperation with NHTSA.
We wanted you to hear directly from Chevrolet about your vehicle and what you can expect from us. General Motors and Chevrolet have decided to voluntarily recall select 2017 – 2019 model-year Chevrolet Bolt EVs with high voltage batteries produced at LG Chem's Ochang, South Korea facility that may pose a risk of fire when charged to full, or very close to full, capacity.
The safety of our products is the highest priority for the entire GM and Chevrolet teams. We are working around the clock on our continued investigation.
We will be providing our dealers with a software update beginning November 17, 2020 that will limit the charge for all the vehicles in this population to 90% while we continue to investigate the cause of these incidents. In the meantime, we know that the safety of our owners and their families is paramount, which is why we're asking owners to take the following steps now that will limit the charge capacity to 90%, and reduce the risk of fire.
For your 2018 model-year Bolt EV:
•Change the vehicle charge settings to use the Hill Top Reserve option
For instructions on how to activate these settings, please view the video at our website: Chevy.com/boltevrecall ›
If you are unable to successfully make these changes, or do not feel comfortable making these changes, we ask you to not park your car in your garage or carport until after you have visited your dealer.
We recommend scheduling a service appointment with your dealership beginning November 17th to update the vehicle's battery software to automatically limit the maximum state of charge to 90%. Our engineers are working around the clock to identify a permanent fix and we intend to deploy a final remedy to remove the 90% limitation as quickly as possible after the first of the year, 2021.
For More Information:
1.Visit us online at www.chevy.com/boltevrecall ›
2.Contact our dedicated customer support team, Chevrolet EV Concierge, at 1-833-EVCHEVY — available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. EST
3.Contact your preferred Chevrolet EV dealer
We apologize for this inconvenience and are committed to finding a final solution to this issue as soon as possible.

 
 




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