The Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV have had a pretty bad time of it this year. First there was a giant recall earlier this year of more than 40,000 cars going all the way back to 2017 due to the risk of fire from its batteries. That cost General Motors US$2 billion, though thankfully for the Detroit automaker, its battery supplier, LG, is picking up US$1.9 billion of that tab.
Finally, after a change to the batteries and car software, the Bolts began production again just last month, with new batteries also going out to existing Bolt owners. But according to a report from Automotive News, Chevrolet is once again shutting down Bolt production at its Orion, Michigan factory, this time because of a shortage of the new batteries.
General Motors is prioritizing the new LG batteries for existing owners, which is leading to a shortage of batteries for new vehicles. So it’s shutting down the Orion plant from November 15 to December 3, with production resuming on Dec. 6. “Battery module replacements remain the priority,” said spokesman Dan Flores in a statement. “We will continue to adjust Orion’s production schedule moving forward to best support the recall.”
