Photo: GM
GM has promised to resume Chevy Bolt production after the fire recall, but the planned deadlines have passed and the restart date has been pushed back several times. Nevertheless, the Orion Assembly plant has finally restarted Bolt’s production on April 4 and we’re all confused.
Chevrolet Bolt carried so much hope for GM’s EV ambitions and was touted in its early days as a Tesla killer. Nevertheless, it failed miserably after multiple battery fire reports prompted a string of recalls in the search for a cause and a fix. After both GM and LG Chem have tried to dodge the responsibility and fix the problem with software updates, GM finally pulled the plug on the Bolt. A massive recall was issued in August 2021 to replace the defective batteries on more than 140,000 vehicles.
GM has always said that Chevy Bolt production will resume at a later time but the proposed dates have come and gone without anything happening. Chevrolet is still working to replace the batteries in recalled Bolts today, so the news of the Orion Assembly plant restarting Bolt production was somehow a surprise. Despite several missed deadlines to restart Bolt production, GM was quick to point out that production was resuming “as planned”.
The question is, does it still matter? GM has announced plans to overhaul the Orion plant to build its newest Ultium vehicles. According to GM, production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV will continue during the plant’s conversion, but it’s unclear for how long. This sounds more like a stubborn decision on GM’s part to resume production, without clear benefits. After all, GM’s focus should be on bringing their Ultium EVs to the market in meaningful numbers. Bolt, being built on a different platform, would not help very much.
Who knows, in the face of high fuel prices, Chevrolet Bolt might prove a viable option for a lot of people. But let’s not forget that GM’s electric duo has become a little long in the tooth and there are better alternatives on the market now as opposed to a year ago. Besides that, the Bolt comes with a dark legacy of fires and we’re not sure people will be able to get over it. At one moment, parking lots and garages banned Bolt owners from using their premises because of the fire danger.
GM has always said that Chevy Bolt production will resume at a later time but the proposed dates have come and gone without anything happening. Chevrolet is still working to replace the batteries in recalled Bolts today, so the news of the Orion Assembly plant restarting Bolt production was somehow a surprise. Despite several missed deadlines to restart Bolt production, GM was quick to point out that production was resuming “as planned”.
The question is, does it still matter? GM has announced plans to overhaul the Orion plant to build its newest Ultium vehicles. According to GM, production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV will continue during the plant’s conversion, but it’s unclear for how long. This sounds more like a stubborn decision on GM’s part to resume production, without clear benefits. After all, GM’s focus should be on bringing their Ultium EVs to the market in meaningful numbers. Bolt, being built on a different platform, would not help very much.
Who knows, in the face of high fuel prices, Chevrolet Bolt might prove a viable option for a lot of people. But let’s not forget that GM’s electric duo has become a little long in the tooth and there are better alternatives on the market now as opposed to a year ago. Besides that, the Bolt comes with a dark legacy of fires and we’re not sure people will be able to get over it. At one moment, parking lots and garages banned Bolt owners from using their premises because of the fire danger.
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