GM’s Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV battery fiasco is still ongoing and the most recent bit of news on this is the manufacturer has temporarily topped production of both models. The reasons cited are that LG Energy Solution can’t currently provide fault-free packs, as well as the global semiconductor shortage.
Yet GM will have to replace all those potentially dangerous battery packs with new and improved units at some point in the future and even though the details as to when this will happen are not available, some new information on this is. Green Car Reports says that one of its readers sent an official communication sent by GM to owners of the affected vehicles and it says
Enclosed is a communication regarding a recall on your Bolt EV. At Chevrolet, it is our mission to keep you, our customer, at the center of everything we do. To that end, we are writing you today to communicate the first steps on how we will make good on that promise. Because safety is our highest priority, and in an abundance of caution, we plan to replace the lithium-ion battery modules in your vehicle with new lithium-ion battery modules as parts become available. These all-new lithium-ion battery modules will provide you with:
- All-new cells featuring GM’s most advanced Bolt chemistry
- 8% additional battery capacity, resulting in a vehicle range improvement in equivalent driving conditions*
- A new 8-year/100,000-mile Limited Parts Warranty for your lithium-ion battery upon completion of the battery module replacement**
However, even though it is not specified exactly how many more miles the Bolt will be able to travel with the new batteries, GM doesn’t mention the fact that there are Bolts with two sizes of battery pack currently on the road. Examples built between 2017 and 2019 have 60 kWh, but in 2020, that was increased to 65 kWh (and range went up from 238 to 259 miles, an 8.8 percent increase).
We’re pretty sure the promised 8 percent range improvement refers to the later vehicles with the larger battery pack, which means for older examples, the range difference will be even greater. This has not been confirmed, but owners of pre-2020 Bolts could be in for a pleasant surprise.
More on the Chevy Bolt battery recall
Source: Green Car Reports