Chevrolet Bolt Recall: Orion Assembly Schedules Some Downtime

by Matt Posky

November 4th, 2021 4:16 PM

chevrolet bolt recall orion assembly schedules some downtime

Michigan’s Orion Assembly will be taking three weeks of downtime this month as General Motors continues addressing the fire recall pertaining to Chevrolet’s all-electric Bolt.

The automaker notified employees that the facility will see production idled from November 15th through December 3rd, though vehicle assembly won’t resume until the 6th. However the plant is already running on a diminished schedule so staff can assist with maximizing LG battery output and offer additional support related to the recall.

“Battery module replacements remain the priority. We will continue to adjust Orion’s production schedule moving forward to best support the recall,” GM spokesman Dan Flores told Automotive News on Thursday.

Things haven’t been similarly disharmonious for Chevy’s supplier. LG Energy Solution battery division has been struck hard by the costs of the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV battery recall. This tainted its profitability for Q3 and also took some of its attention away from supplying fresh energy cells for electric vehicles. There are now rumors that Orion Assembly needing a few weeks off may have been partially influenced by LG’s inability to manage a series of battery-related mishaps (which includes the Hyundai Kona) and some consumer backlash against the Bolt fires that suppressed sales.

GM’s recall includes more than 140,000 Bolt vehicles and is estimated to represent a $2-billion setback if a meaningful percentage of EVs end up requiring hardware replacements. While most of that is supposed to fall upon LG, Chevrolet won’t be getting off without contributing and has definitely received a black eye (at least as far as EVs are concerned) in terms of consumer confidence. For now, the automaker is focusing on vehicles from the 2017-2019 model years because the necessary diagnostic software for later models doesn’t exist yet.

[Image: General Motors]

#Bolt #BoltEUV #BoltEV #Chevrolet #ChevroletBolt #Chevy #ElectricVehicles #EVs #FireRisk #GeneralMotors #GM #Repair #LGChem #Recalls #LG

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Master Baiter on Nov 05, 2021

Battery manufacturing defects are a huge potential liability for any EV / battery manufacturer. GM / LG got bit this time, but it could happen to anyone. You have a huge store of energy separated by a few microns of separator, integrated into a sealed component that costs $10K to $15K to manufacture. The cost of these recalls will be ultimately be born by all EV buyers.

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- Dal20402 on Nov 05, 2021
  
  They will figure it out. In the early days of LiIon consumer electronics, there were a fair number of manufacturing defects that led to product flambés. Today, there are many fewer despite a much higher volume of products, and when one happens it's big news.
  
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- Mcs on Nov 05, 2021
  
  @dal20402 CATLs Sodium Ion or a solid-state electrolyte battery isn't nearly as flammable as liquid electrolyte batteris.
  
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- Mcs on Nov 05, 2021
  
  "into a sealed component that costs $10K to $15K to manufacture." A 60kWh LFE pack costs half that. The LFE cells for a 60kWh pack should only cost about $4,800.4680 lithium-ion cells should be in that price range as well once they are in mass production.
  
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- Master Baiter on Nov 05, 2021
  
  @mcs "A 60kWh LFE pack costs half that." First off, 60kWh is barely enough for a subcompact, which Americans don't buy in any significant quantity. A pickup or SUV will require more like 120kWh minimum (particularly if it's iron-phosphate which is heavier for the same Wh). Using your math, such a pack would cost, guess what? $9600. And I doubt your cost estimate is correct. A 2.5kWh 8S iron phosphate cell module from CATL costs about $300; 24 of those would run $7200, and that doesn't include the BMS, cooling system, or outer skin of the pack. And sodium-ion and solid state batteries are not in mass production. Companies have been hyping solid state batteries, along with other pipe dream energy storage systems, for over 30 years. You can't power your car with a press release.
  
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Carlson Fan on Nov 07, 2021

Ha someone at work a few weeks ago was all excited to tell me about the battery recall on my little Chevy. Sorry Volt, not Bolt....LOL. Honestly if that battery pack gives me any trouble before it turns 15 years old I'll be a little disappointed. I figure it will outlast the rest of the car.

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