NHTSA Investigating Chevrolet Bolt Fires That May Be Caused By EV Batteries
Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that it was opening an investigation after receiving reports of three different Chevrolet Bolt EVs catching fire under the rear seat while parked and unattended.
Notably, the NHTSA said in a statement that “in the three cases identified, fire damage appeared to be concentrated in the EV battery compartment area with penetration into the passenger compartment from under the rear seat.”
It was reported that a fire caused physical harm to one of the EV owners.
Similar incidents have also occurred recently with different model EVs. Prior to the Chevrolet Bolt fires, Hyundai Motor Co. made headlines when some of its EVs caught fire.
After the Chevrolet Bolt fires, Ford Motor Co. and BMW AG announced fires in some of their EVs as well. A
s a result, Hyundai and BMW have decided to recall tens of thousands of its EVs from the global market.
While EVs have already struggled to gain popularity with consumers, the fire incidents certainly will not increase demand for them.