trevmar wrote: On January 23, a vehicle that had already received the repair – a software update – caught fire in Daegu. That made Korean authorities question if the recall was effective or not.
Anybody know what the software update did? As in, was it simply a range-reduction to 90% charge like the Bolt gets, or do the Battery Management algorithms get changed to maybe slow down the amps near the 100% charge level as it is hooked up to a charger? Or more frequent charge voltage bank checks (& balancing) as it approaches 100% during a charging session? Stuff like that. .... I don't hear of Bolt getting anything but range reduction, so it's a different view of matters Hyundai-Kia has!
trevmar wrote:The main issue with Hyundai's safety campaign is that it does not replace the defective battery packs. Officially, the company is not doing that because it could see nothing wrong with these components, as it said about its investigation on the Canadian fire. Rumor has it the company is also avoiding that due to the massive costs involved.
I read Hyundai replaces the battery at the dealership under the recall if a technician can find weird, sick cells or banks inside. Sure the defects may not always manifest themselves. That rare-ish Kona battery that erupts in flames may be having some particles getting loose inside cells or cracks developing in some critical cell area, unkown, but that could happen at any time, suddenly.
As for how Hyundai is afraid of the cost of replacing massive numbers of batteries (actually impossible due to production rates constraints & the mystery of the cause itself), I've always said that GM & Hyundai should just cut their losses now by issuing $1,000 to $2,000 checks to customers NOW & avoid replacing batteries. Then apologize for the permanent 10% range loss and move on. That still might not stop the Class Action Lawsuits though, but the $$ math should be looked at. Customer goodwill is also a cost here, don't forget.
trevmar wrote: Bolt EV owners such as David Baker are not happy about the situation. Baker got in touch with InsideEVs to complain that GM has to offer a definitive repair so that the car stops depreciating.
Another reason GM needs to issue $1,000 or $2,000 checks to at least partially compensate these customers for the 10% range reduction.