NHTSA Cautions Against Leaving Chevrolet Bolt EVs Indoorshttps://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/07/nhtsa-cautions-against-leaving-chevrolet-bolt-evs-indoors/The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an alert pertaining to Chevrolet Bolt owners, as the vehicles’ LG Chem battery packs could have a propensity to catch fire. On Wednesday, the safety organization recommended that the cars be left outdoors (ideally a healthy distance from anything flammable) and never left unattended while charging.
This defeats one of the largest perks of owning an electric vehicle (at-home charging), as customers will be required to buy extra-long cables and monitor their car outdoors for hours as it takes on energy. Owning a horse would be less work.
Sadly, it’s not the first time we’ve seen reports of spontaneously combusting EVs. There was a stint where China was releasing weekly reports where electrics caught fire whilst charging and we’ve seen incidents in the West where owners lost their garage to charging or battery-related mishaps. While only some of these incorporated the Chevrolet Bolt, LG Chem’s batteries have been a reoccurring theme and encouraged a round of lawsuits — though the supplier typically faults the manufacturer’s installation and/or charging programs.
The article singles out LG Chem's batteries, but as a whole lithium batteries require a very carefully programmed charging cycle. Fast (= aggressive) charging must be programmed carefully, or batteries go boom (e.g. that Samsung phone of several years ago whose problem was its aggressive charging cycle). LG Chem's batteries may be more sensitive or less well characterized, but it's a problem with the technology, not just one manufacturer.
