Jonathan Gitlin
The Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration has opened an investigation of the Chevrolet Bolt EV following a number of experiences of car fires. Particularly, NHTSA says it was contacted by two house owners reporting that their Bolt EVs had caught hearth whereas parked and unattended. The company did some digging and turned up a 3rd occasion, and on October 9 it opened a preliminary investigation into the scope, frequency, circumstances, and security penalties of the fires.
In every case, NHTSA says the burn sample was related: hearth injury was concentrated within the lithium-ion battery compartment (which sits beneath the passenger compartment), with some penetration into the passenger space by means of the rear seat. The three affected vehicles span mannequin years 2017-2019.
In a single case—a MY 2018 Bolt EV in Belmont, Massachusetts—the car was plugged right into a charger within the proprietor’s driveway when it caught hearth. On this case, the residents and their neighbors needed to be evacuated by the hearth division on account of noxious fumes and smoke.
