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DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators have launched an investigation into electric and hybrid vehicle batteries after five automakers recalled them for possible defects that could cause a fire or stall.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the investigation covered more than 138,000 vehicles with batteries manufactured by South Korea’s LG Energy Solution.
General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, hyundaiStellantis and Volkswagen have issued recalls since February 2020, many due to internal battery failures that could increase the risk of fire.
The agency says it will write LG and other companies that may have purchased similar batteries to ensure recalls are made when needed.
On Tuesday, messages were left from LG Energy Solution asking for comment.
The investigation is another mistake in a growing global rollout of electric vehicles by all automakers to replace internal combustion vehicles to reduce emissions and fight climate change. Ford and BMW have also recalled batteries in recent years. In addition, the US National Transportation Safety Board investigated a number of fires in Tesla vehicles and said that high-voltage lithium-ion batteries pose safety risks for first responders after accidents.
Many governments rely on counting electric cars to replace gasoline-powered vehicles that emit greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
Data on electric vehicle fires is limited, but a small sample by the insurance industry’s Highway Loss Data Institute in April 2021 found that EVs and their traditional gas counterparts have approximately the same number of non-accident fire claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years.
The institute tracked claims for 10 EVs and their gas equivalents and found that EVs had 0.19 fire claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years, compared to 0.2 for their gasoline counterparts.
In a document published on its website on Tuesday, NHTSA said the recalls began on February 24, 2020, when Mercedes recalled its 2019 Smart Fortwo electric vehicle. The high-voltage battery made by the company said LG there was a defect inside the battery cells that could ignite, increasing the risk of fire.
Eight months later, hyundai recalled some 2019 and 2020 Kona EVs with a similar issue.
In November 2020, General Motors began a series of recalls involving more than 140,000 Chevrolet Bolt EVs from 2017 to 2022 due to “two rare simultaneous manufacturing defects found in the same battery cell.” The flaw caused at least 10 fires and caused GM to warn owners to park Bolts outdoors. LG Energy Solution has agreed to reimburse GM $2 billion for recall costs, and the company remains in the current joint venture. LG to produce batteries for new generation electric vehicles. This month, GM is scheduled to restart production and sales of Bolts with replacement battery cells.
hyundai It issued a second battery recall in March 2021 covering the 2019 and 2020 Konas and 2020 Ioniq EVs, saying that a short circuit inside the batteries could increase the risk of fire while parking, charging or driving.
Last February, Stellantis’ Chrysler brand recalled some 2017 and 2018 Pacifica plug-in hybrid minivans. LG batteries after receiving a dozen fire reports. A month later, VW recalled some 2021 ID4 electric vehicles with unreliable connections that could cause stalling inside the batteries. Stellantis also has a joint venture with LG Energy Solution to make batteries for the electric vehicles of the future.
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