To recap the Chevy Bolt's history
GM's Chevy Bolt list of Do's and Don'ts -
2020 - 60,000 Bolts recalled by GM for the potential to "burst into flames"
July 2021 - Bolt fires -
3 weeks ago - GM recalls ALL Chevy Bolts ever made -
- GM Recalls All Chevrolet Bolts Due to Fire Concerns
Today - GM tells Bolt owners "Do not park the car within 50 feet of another car or structure -- or it may also go up in flames" -
I have a hard time believing that the GM Chevy Bolt is the only EV with problems of non-catalyst spontaneous fire combustion. I have not looked up other EVs yet to check.
GM is blaming battery manufacturer LG Chem (South Korea) and I imagine that GM will sue LG to recover at least $1.8 Billion -- the current GM estimate to replace battery packs/batteries in all GM Chevy Bolts ever made. The figure was only $1 billion a week or two ago.
Why are these EV car batteries not being produced in the United States?
GM confirmed that the fires happen when there are two defects present in the LG Chem batteries that power the Bolt. On Friday, the company specified that the defects are a torn anode tab and a folded separator in the cell. It also shared that the defects are in cells made at multiple plants
Chevrolet Bolt EV Sales Numbers
Here you will find
Chevrolet Bolt EV sales numbers.
Sales Results - Brazil - Bolt EV
Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
---|
2021 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 43 | 16 | 37 | | | | | 132 |
2020 | 4 | 0 | 44 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 108 |
2019 | | | | | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
2017 | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | 0 |
Sales Results - Canada - Bolt EV
Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
---|
2021 | 538 | 538 | 538 | 624 | 624 | 624 | | | | | | | 3,485 |
2020 | 323 | 323 | 323 | 233 | 233 | 233 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 421 | 421 | 421 | 4,025 |
2019 | 142 | 142 | 142 | 430 | 430 | 430 | 383 | 383 | 383 | 395 | 395 | 395 | 4,050 |
2018 | 187 | 180 | 248 | 117 | 395 | 306 | 99 | 119 | 293 | 218 | 246 | 220 | 2,628 |
2017 | 6 | 86 | 241 | 187 | 177 | 169 | 117 | 82 | 227 | 371 | 350 | 109 | 2,122 |
*** This manufacturer is now publishing only quarterly numbers for this market. Monthly figures may be averages.
Sales Results - Mexico - Bolt EV
Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
---|
2021 | | 2 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | | | | | 18 |
2020 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 38 |
2019 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
2018 | | | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 20 |
2017 | | | | | | | 3 | 2 | | 5 | | 0 | 10 |
Sales Results - South Korea - Bolt EV
Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
---|
2021 | | 43 | 132 | 133 | 307 | 327 | 69 | 5 | | | | | 1,016 |
2020 | 11 | 325 | 430 | 308 | 82 | 129 | 72 | 41 | 64 | 54 | 36 | 27 | 1,579 |
2019 | 0 | | 650 | 452 | 327 | 250 | 293 | 212 | 179 | 640 | 824 | 344 | 4,171 |
2018 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 322 | 1,027 | 1,621 | 872 | 631 | 70 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 4,580 |
2017 | | | | 121 | 127 | 39 | 55 | 57 | 24 | 41 | 82 | 24 | 570 |
Sales Results - USA - Bolt EV
Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
---|
2021 | 3,008 | 3,008 | 3,008 | 3,619 | 3,619 | 3,619 | | | | | | | 19,882 |
2020 | 1,958 | 1,958 | 1,958 | 833 | 833 | 833 | 1,894 | 1,894 | 1,894 | 2,234 | 2,234 | 2,234 | 20,754 |
2019 | 1,439 | 1,439 | 1,439 | 1,322 | 1,322 | 1,322 | 1,610 | 1,610 | 1,610 | 1,102 | 1,102 | 1,102 | 16,418 |
2018 | 1,177 | 1,424 | 1,774 | 1,161 | 1,161 | 1,161 | 1,316 | 1,316 | 1,316 | 2,071 | 2,071 | 2,071 | 18,019 |
2017 | 1,162 | 952 | 978 | 1,292 | 1,566 | 1,642 | 1,971 | 2,107 | 2,632 | 2,781 | 2,987 | 3,227 | 23,297 |
2016 | | | | | | | | | | | | 579 | 579 |
*** This manufacturer is now publishing only quarterly numbers for this market.
I personally have nothing against EVs but really do not believe the current plan that a full 1/2 of the ~300 million cars on the roads today in the United States will be replaced by EVs by the year 2030. Are they just going to smash and dispose of (bury in landfills) 150 million road-worthy gasoline cars, many of which will still have plenty of life left in them past 2030? What if the 2030 150 million EV car target is missed? Will we somehow be forced?
In my humble opinion, I just do not think that we have done enough research and homework on battery technology to guarantee reliability and safety. The first battery car came out about 140 years ago in ~1880 (est), but internal combustion engines quickly took over, and work on better battery technology for cars all but ceased.
AFAIK right now, the EVs that have "burst into flames" have been stationary; not moving. But what happens when that awful day comes when dad and mom are in the front of their EV and their 3 kids are in the back buckled into car seats when the batteries suddenly burst into flames (batteries are usually located either behind the back seat or under the back seat) based on my limited reading on the topic so far.
So the family of 5 is on the Interstate Highway at 75 mph when a fire breaks out in the back and
possibly the driver may not notice the fire because the flames are being sucked out of the back somehow. Who knows when the fire will be noticed? Even if it is noticed, the driver needs to get over and stop immediately, get a fire extinguisher from somewhere, put the fire out, and save the kids - if they can get them out of the car seats with the plastic buckles that by now have likely melted, making that task nearly impossible.
I don't know -- what the hell is the sudden rush for 50% EVs by 2030, then 100% EVs by 2050 (or sooner) and to destroy all gas and diesel-powered cars and light trucks?
Lastly, they also want ALL fossil fuel electricity generating stations closed. That only leaves one method to generate all of the vast amounts of electricity the US needs for vehicles, home heating, other appliances ---
Nuclear Power. Where will all of the nuclear waste and spent fuel rods go?
I thought solar panels and wind farms were supposed to meet our future power needs. :0