The Chevy Bolt EV and EUV are back, folks! After a production hiatus and huge recall for potential battery fires affecting all model years, production of the two electric vehicles is ramping up once again.
The Verge reports the new battery packs shouldn’t have the same explodey-fire issues that the old ones did. That’s a good thing.
“Our goal is to get back to and, quite frankly, exceed business metrics,” said Chevy’s VP of marketing Steve Majoros on a press call yesterday. The comeback plan for the Bolt includes catching up with new 2022 Bolt EV and EUV orders (2023 orders will begin in July), a new TV ad campaign coinciding with the opening day of Major League Baseball, and the “herculean task” of replacing all battery packs affected by the recall.
“We have a very, very good reliable supply coming in to make sure we can handle all of these current needs,” Majoros said on the subject of battery replacements. Majoros revealed that there are 6,700 Bolt vehicles in stock at dealerships awaiting new batteries, and that battery supply will be prioritized for current owners affected by the recall rather than the unsold inventory.
The outlet reports Majoros didn’t say how many Bolt owners are still stranded without new batteries or a timeframe for when they’d be fixed. However, the company does say the new battery packs will come with an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty. On top of that, they will also have 20 more miles of range. Hurray!
We reported on it extensively last year, but here’s a refresher of what happened if you don’t remember. General Motors recalled every single Bolt and Bolt EUV in August of 2021. There was an original recall months earlier, but it didn’t impact every car. All in all, they recalled about 140,000 vehicles. It cost GM about $1 billion.
Old batteries coming from the recalled Bolts will be fully recycled or reused, according to GM’s Kevin Kelly, but it was not revealed how they will be reused and if the corrected battery packs share any parts with the old ones. But Majoros did mention that the new batteries are not the same as the ones used in GM’s Ultium battery platform, which are used with partner companies like Honda and also in other GM electric vehicles like the GMC Hummer EV, which may assure customers of those other vehicles.
According to The Verge, GM also spends more money on the two Bolts than nearly any other car in its lineup. It has yet to be seen if their investment will pay off.