Thread by @jpr007

CHEVROLET BOLT

GM has said early Bolt models will have their entire battery pack replaced, while newer models will have only defective modules within the pack replaced

Those new parts may not be available until after November
reuters.com/business/autos…

The automaker said it has bought back some Bolts from owners and is reviewing such requests on a case-by-case basis

GM also has said it expects LG to help shoulder the $1.8 billion expense to replace Bolt battery packs

On Friday GM's Jacobson said the two companies are having "high level conversations" about costs, and that GM expects reimbursement

With resolution of the costly recall debacle still up in the air, relations between GM and LG have soured, people familiar with the situation said

The partners are stuck in what one Korean analyst deemed a "show window marriage," one in which a divorce is unlikely as few immediate alternatives are available

The Ultium batteries GM plans to use in key electric models such as the GMC Hummer EV and electric Chevrolet Silverado are scheduled to be made with LGES in joint-venture factories in Ohio and Tennessee as part of a $4.6-billion investment program

But following the latest Bolt recall in late August, Chief Executive Mary Barra left open the possibility that GM could find new partners for future battery plants

GM's Ultium cells have a different design, size and chemistry than the LG cells in the Bolt and are packaged into modules and packs in a different way

GM executives also stress that the automaker, not LG, will control manufacturing and quality control for Ultium batteries

LG and its affiliates have as much at stake as GM, if not more

The Bolt recalls are not the only ones involving LG batteries

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co earlier this year recalled nearly 76,000 Kona Electric cars worldwide to replace defective battery modules after reports of fires linked to LG batteries made in China

LG's signature battery technology, a thin and flexible rectangular format called pouch cells, is one of three different battery types used in electric vehicles

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk took a jab at the GM-LG pouch cell technology in a recent tweet, writing that "probability of thermal runaway is dangerously high with large pouch cells. Tesla strongly recommends against their use"

Tesla mainly uses cylindrical cells from several sources, including some made in China by LG

It is not clear what type of cells LGES expects to produce as part of its plan to invest another $4.5 billion in two additional U.S. battery plants

Switching battery cell technology and formats could slow the investment timetable

On Friday, LGES told Reuters: "We will continue to win orders and proceed (with) our investment in global markets, including the United States, as planned"