This morning I am full of praise for General Motors Corporation and Stewart Chevrolet of Colma, California. Five years ago, Elena bought the first all-electric car that Chevrolet offered-the Chevy Bolt. Her experience with the car has been excellent for over five years. There were just a couple of petty issues that were resolved.
Some other owners of these cars were not
that fortunate. The battery of their Bolts caught fire. In some cases, the
vehicle was burned to the ground. In fairness, this problem was a tiny
percentage of the Bolts on the road.
General Motors identified serious defects
in the car's battery that is manufactured by LG of South Korea. Some software
fixes were attempted to rectify the problem. These fixes did not prove to be
effective. General Motors made the tough decision to replace the batteries in
all Bolt vehicles with possible battery problems. The cost of this replacement
will be $1.9 billion dollars.
This morning, I will take Elena's car to
Stewart Chevrolet. They will spend two days installing a new battery in Elena's
car. As this is warranty work, Elena will be charged nothing for this repair.
Elena and I have learned a lot about
electric cars over the last five years. In simple terms, an electric car is a
computer on wheels. It has far fewer parts than an internal combustion vehicle.
The key to the whole vehicle is the battery.
When Elena gets her car back later this
week, for all intents and purposes, she will have a new car that will last her
many years.
It is good to see a few companies out
there who stand behind their products and do the right thing.
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