SECOND Bolt battery fire in less than a week

C

Claire Green

Member
Another Bolt EV fire happened in New Jersey one week after the Bolt fire in Vermont. Both vehicles had the "advanced" software fix done and GM's fix did not prevent their Bolt from erupting in flames. Now GM and NHTSA are issuing an advisory for Bolt owners not to park their Bolt inside the garage and do not leave the Bolt charging unattended. First we lose 10% range with the first software fix "while GM investigates" (for 6 months). Now the car needs to be parked outside during the worst summer in recorded history and you can't leave your Bolt charging unattended. Most owners plug in overnight as soon as they get home and wake up to a fully charged ev ready to go to work in the morning. But now GM is saying we can't do that anymore because of their faulty battery pack. So my question is what is the point of buying an electric vehicle if it is that inconvenient to own? Or is it only inconvenient with a GM product? I love my Bolt and I think it is a solid product, but GM's handling of this battery recall is soo 1980's and makes me regret ever getting involved with GM again after years of Japanese and Korean products. I would love to remain in the GM family with Chevrolet but they are asking for too much time and effort to own their product at a time when there are more EV choices out there. C'mon GM, is it asking too much to simply plug in inside the garage and not worry about burning my house down? How about offering to replace all affected battery packs to keep your loyal customer base in the GM family. Or you can have your lawyers fight this until the federal agency drags you kicking and screaming to do the right thing for your customers but that presents an ugly image for future EV buyers.
 
Claire Green said:
Another Bolt EV fire happened in New Jersey one week after the Bolt fire in Vermont. .....
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I suppose that it might be possible that the battery checks done when the new software was installed did not reveal problems with these two cars, and that not enough time elapsed after the software was installed to detect the problems. It sounds like its not that straightforward to detect faulty cells. If time is all that is required, then we should be hearing stories of software detection of problems in some cars as time passes, and repairs being done before a fire. If we hear no such stories, and only stories of fires, then I would start to be worried.
I am still using hilltop reserve, which should allow avoidance of the problem, and I am reluctant to put my car outside for fear of a fire just yet. Its starting to be very worrying though.
 
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There were several Bolt fires that happened after the first software update limiting charge to 90%, that is the reason the second software update was created as the fix for the recall. If it takes time for the fix to prevent fires then is that really a fix? If that was true wouldn't GM just say so in their recall website and wouldn't NHTSA advise owners to wait for the software to do it's intended purpose? It is pretty clear GM has no idea what the problem is and is doing everything to avoid the obvious solution of battery replacement. Software did not solve Hyundai battery fires why would GM software be any better? There is a mechanical/chemical issue with the LG battery and if one thinks software will fix that issue then ask yourself......do you feel lucky punk? (Clint Eastwood voice)
 
Claire Green said:
.... If it takes time for the fix to prevent fires then is that really a fix? If that was true wouldn't GM just say so in their recall website and wouldn't NHTSA advise owners to wait for the software to do it's intended purpose? .... ...
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We don't know the answers to these questions, because, of course, GM does not tell us. From what I understand the "fix" does not prevent fires, it merely detects bad cells so that the battery can be taken to be "fixed". I don't know how the bad cells are detected, but its logical that it has to be observed over a period of time to figure out if it is bad, discharged, or overcharged and so on. Its bound to be statistical, because all cells will be a little different from each other in the first place, and statistics require longer term monitoring to sort out the natural variability from the significantly different cell. Over the short term, only obviously bad cells would be detected, while over the longer term deteriorating cells would become detectable.
As to whether or not GM would "just say so" depends on commercial/political considerations that I can in no way judge.
The time it took for GM to come up with the fix I am willing to bet was to figure out how long is necessary to detect the bad cells that are causing fires. Its not only cell voltage and current-draw that might be observed but also cell temperatures over the short and long term, so with so many variables, trying to find a bad cell is going to be statistically long term rather than a simple one-time set of measurements on the battery. Also, I am sure there are more variables than just four. Its difficult enough for one mind to comprehend three variables, never mind more than four.
There is no question that all of us would be happier if we had new batteries, but who is to say those too won't have similar or different problems?
Having a fire in your nice Chevy Bolt is like having a magnum fired at you, but if we insist on being a trail blazer well we have to face the consequences. I am sure Sir Richard Branson would tell us to suck it up, as we already made the investment.
 
GM does not tell us because GM does not know what the problem is, and if they don't know the problem how on earth are they going to fix this. Cell voltage can be monitored individually but cell current draw and temperature cannot be measured because the cells don't have that capability. There are six thermistors to monitor battery pack temperature and they are located in six different locations in the battery pack so no way of detecting cell temperatures when monitoring for bad cells. What it can detect is the start of a thermal runaway in a section of the battery pack. But in the end is it really the consumer's responsibility to understand all these? GM engineers worked for 6 months and the best they can come up is an "advanced" software that does not work in preventing battery fires. If they have a solution let's hear it and let them be transparent about it.
 
Claire Green said:
What it can detect is the start of a thermal runaway in a section of the battery pack.
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I doubt its so capable as to catch thermal runaway in time to stop a fire. It seems to me that in order to be successful the software would have to detect earlier signs of a problem than the "start of thermal runaway", which by definition is probably too late. Long term monitoring would be the only way to go about it. GM already monitors tire pressure, and many other things long term, and reports to me every month. I am waiting for a report on my battery.... maybe with breath bated.
 
Part of the "advanced software" in the final fix is to sound the car horn when it detects the start of a thermal runaway so I know for a fact that the Bolt battery is capable of detecting a thermal runaway. You are the only one assuming it can stop a fire in time when thermal runaway is detected. Weren't you the guy who has confidence in his dealership to inform you about the recall and buyback? Now you have confidence that OnStar will monitor your battery when there's a problem. If I remember correctly you were so confident that there was nothing to worry about the battery fire a couple months ago. Long term monitoring does not inspire confidence in me, it's like burying one's head in the sand and waiting for "some" time to see if a problem crops up.
 
Claire Green said:
Part of the "advanced software" in the final fix is to sound the car horn when it detects the start of a thermal runaway so I know for a fact that the Bolt battery is capable of detecting a thermal runaway. You are the only one assuming it can stop a fire in time when thermal runaway is detected. Weren't you the guy who has confidence in his dealership to inform you about the recall and buyback? Now you have confidence that OnStar will monitor your battery when there's a problem. If I remember correctly you were so confident that there was nothing to worry about the battery fire a couple months ago. Long term monitoring does not inspire confidence in me, it's like burying one's head in the sand and waiting for "some" time to see if a problem crops up.
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Too bad these cars don't have an "auto summon" like feature. The car could go park itself in the middle of an open field before it bursts into flames.

Sorry - bad joke..
 
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