General Motors will keep its Orion Assembly plant idled and not start repairs on the nearly 141,000 recalled Chevrolet Bolts EVs and EUVs until it is confident its supplier can make a defect-free EV battery that does not pose a potential fire risk.
And right now, GM does not believe its battery-maker, LG Chem, can do that.
GM and LG Chem have “hundreds of people” working around the clock, seven days a week, to find the cause of the defective battery modules connected to some Bolts catching fire without impact, said GM spokesman Dan Flores.
“If we took the battery stock that’s in the field right now or at a warehouse, we’re not confident that it is defect-free,” Flores said. “Because we are not confident that LG has the capability to build defect-free products, we’ve put the repairs on hold and we are not building new Bolts. We’re not going to start recall repairs or start building new Bolts until we’re confident LG will build defect-free products.”
LG did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
GM’s investigation of LG
LG builds the battery cells at its LG Energy Solution Michigan, Inc., facility in Holland, Michigan, Flores said. GM’s engineers are studying LG’s manufacturing process there as well as tearing down battery packs, inspecting cells and even monitoring how LG packs the cells into the modules, then into a battery pack at LG Electronics, a packing facility in Hazel Park, in an effort to help find the cause of the defects, he said.
LG is cooperating and providing GM the data it requests, Flores said, noting LG is as eager as GM to fix the problem.
“It’s in everybody’s best interest if we speed the repairs along as best as we can,” Flores said. “Both LG and GM understand the significance in what we’re doing here and we’re committed to doing the right thing for our customers.”
GM and LG know the defects are a torn anode tab and a folded separator in the modules. The presence of those two defects in the same battery cell increases the risk of a fire, Flores said. But GM and LG do not know what is causing those defects in the manufacturing process. They also do not know if the defects are in every Bolt that is recalled, or just a few.
GM is also working to develop a software technology that will enable a dealership’s service technician to identify whether a specific module is defective and just replace that defective module, Flores said.
“But short of that, we’re going to replace all the five modules in all the vehicles,” Flores said.
That’s once GM is assured that LG Chem is making the new modules without any defects. Then, and only then, will GM contact all the Bolt owners to let them know a remedy is available and dealerships will start repairs, Flores said.
Flores could not provide a specific timeline on how long Bolt owners might have to wait for a repair at a dealership. But, he said, besides searching for the cause of the defect, GM has assigned a team to work with LG’s production team on increasing, “their capability to build battery packs because we’re going to need a lot and it will take time to build up inventory, to build it, ship it and build product for Orion.”
‘A lot of pressure’
On Aug. 20, GM expanded its second recall of 2017-19 Bolts to include 2020 and 2021 model years. GM said it will provide the Bolt owners with an eight-year warranty or 100,000 miles on the new battery modules once that repair is done.
In July, GM recalled 68,600 of the model year 2017-19 Bolts for the second time in less than a year because of a potential fire risk. GM has confirmed at least one of the Bolt fires was battery-related and happened despite the owner getting the fix from GM’s first recall on the cars last November. No serious injuries or deaths have been attributed to the handful of fires.
GM is in discussions with LG Chem about reimbursement of the $1.8 billion GM has said it expects the recall to cost, but Flores declined to reveal the status of those talks.
“We are not publicly talking about that issue,” Flores said. “Those discussions are being handled by the appropriate leaders at both companies.”
Last week, GM idled Orion Assembly, the plant where it assembles the Bolt EVs and EUVs. It will remain idle through the week of Sept. 6 as a result of the battery problem related to the Bolt recall.
Nearly 1,000 hourly workers are laid off, after being off for a week earlier in the month because of a global shortage of semiconductor chips used in a variety of car parts. Flores said it is costly to have a factory not running, but assembly line workers were warned that the shutdown could extend beyond next week.
“Are we going to resume production at Orion two weeks from Monday? We certainly hope so, but we’re not at that point to proclaim that,” Flores said. “We have an assembly plant idled because our supplier is not building a defect-free product so there is a lot of pressure to work quickly, but to get it right.”
During a media roundtable Thursday, UAW President Ray Curry was asked about the recall’s role in shutting down the plant and what it will mean for union members.
“That’s a discussion that is just really getting started and ongoing at this point,” Curry said, adding that because it is a national recall he cannot elaborate on any discussions between the union and GM.
Also last week, GM CEO Mary Barra told Bloomberg Television that GM will continue its relationship with LG, noting the battery defects are limited to the Bolt and GM’s upcoming EVs will be on its new proprietary Ultium battery platform, which it developed jointly with LG Energy Solution.
Until Bolt customers in the new recall population receive replacement modules, they should:
- Set their car at a 90% state of charge limitation using Target Charge Level mode or have their dealer do it.
- Charge their vehicle more frequently and avoid depleting their battery below 70 miles of remaining range.
- Park their vehicles outside immediately after charging and do not leave their vehicles charging indoors overnight.
Any Bolt owners with additional questions or concerns should go to www.chevy.com/boltevrecall. They can also call the Chevrolet EV Concierge 833-EVCHEVY, which is available 8 a.m.-12 a.m. Monday-Friday; noon-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Or call their dealer.
More:GM temporarily halts Orion Assembly amid massive Chevy Bolt recall
More:Still no fix as GM scrambles ‘around the clock’ to end Chevy Bolt battery fires
Contact Jamie L. LaReau: 313-222-2149 or jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.