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Why Americans aren’t buying more EVs (arstechnica.com)

submitted 4 months ago by boem@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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[–] QuadratureSurfer@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I would avoid used Bolts, especially because of all the issues those have had with going up in flames.

Hopefully they've fixed those issues in the newest models...

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/14/gm-warns-some-bolt-ev-owners-dont-park-them-inside-or-charge-them-unattended-overnight.html

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

From what I can tell, it only really impacts 2017 and 2019 Bolts, and most (all?) of the problematic ones have been recalled. Certainly ask for proof when buying though.

I'm just going to get a different year instead.

[–] QuadratureSurfer@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

They expanded the initial recall. It affects models from 2017 to 2022. If you read the linked article I previously provided, then you missed the key point that vehicles were still bursting into flames even after the recall.

Expanded recall: https://gmauthority.com/blog/2021/09/gm-asking-chevy-bolt-ev-owners-to-park-50-feet-away-from-other-vehicles/

GM stopped replacing the batteries of the newer models and instead offered a software solution that would monitor the batteries for any issues and allow the vehicle to charge beyond the 80% limit that they had set because of these issues. https://electrek.co/2023/06/14/bolt-battery-recall-diagnostics/

But it's worth noting that this software update has failed to prevent some fires, so the problem isn't really "fixed" even with this: https://electrek.co/2021/07/08/chevy-bolt-ev-catches-on-fire-after-receiving-both-of-gm-software-fixes/

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Ah, interesting. Thanks for the clarification. There's been a lot of white-washing by people arguing that the problem wasn't as bad as it was (it's still a small percentage of vehicles), and I was considering getting a 2020 to avoid the issues in the earlier models.

That said, I may still get one. From the last link:

Briglin didn’t always run the battery low before recharging, but said that “at least 50% of charges” he plugged in below 20%. This is a similar pattern to the last fire on May 1 and something that seems to trigger the runaway thermal events.

I will rarely be below 50% charge, much less 20%. My commute is 25 miles each way, 2x/week, so if I assume 50% range in winter, I'll still need <50% battery capacity. The rest of the driving would be around-town, so maybe 10-15 miles/day. So I could set a cap of 80% and charge whenever it gets <40% and probably be totally fine.

But I also plan to park in a garage with flammable stuff nearby (bare drywall, dry leaves, cardboard boxes, etc), so maybe I won't even take that small risk. Idk, I'll need to read more about it. I could park outside if needed though, I have a brick house with external outlets that I could use, it's just kind of inconvenient.