GM to Bolt owners: Park 50 feet from other cars

By David Welch and Dana Hull | Bloomberg

General Motors Co. urged immoderate owners of Chevrolet Bolt electrical cars to parkland and store the vehicles astatine slightest 50 feet distant from different cars to trim the hazard that a spontaneous occurrence could spread.

The Detroit automaker has recalled each of the astir 142,000 Bolts sold since 2016 due to the fact that the artillery tin drawback connected fire. GM has taken a $1.8 cardinal complaint truthful acold for the outgo of the callback and has been buying cars backmost from immoderate disgruntled owners. The institution expects to recoup overmuch of the outgo from artillery supplier LG Corp.

The caller proposal is apt to rankle owners who are already limiting their usage of the Bolt to debar overheating the artillery and risking a fire. The parking guidance — recommending a region of 50 feet from different parked cars — is particularly hard for owners successful municipality areas. GM has confirmed 10 fires.

The Bolt usually tin spell 259 miles connected a charge, but that has been constricted by GM’s guidance to debar a fire. The automaker told Bolt owners to bounds the complaint to 90%, plug successful much often and debar depleting the artillery to beneath astir 70 miles of remaining range. They’re besides advised to parkland their vehicles extracurricular instantly aft charging and not permission them charging indoors overnight.

GM has said the fires are a uncommon lawsuit and are the effect of 2 uncommon defects that stem from a manufacturing occupation successful LG’s plants successful Michigan and South Korea.