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Evie Charging Update: Chevrolet Bolt Recall Response

Charge Bolt

Evie Charging Update: Chevrolet Bolt Recall Expansion

Posted August 24, 2021 at 15:25 CST
Updated September 16, 2021 at 15:20 CST
Updated January 25, 2022 at 14:50 CDT
Updated September 19, 2022 at 18:20 CDT
Updated November 1, 2022 at 16:30 CDT

November 1, 2022

All Chevrolet Bolts have been fully repaired with new batteries. All batteries now provide 250+ miles of range and no longer have potential battery defect. Charging and trips can continue as normal. 

September 19, 2022

General Motors has started to replace our 2021 Chevrolet Bolt batteries, in compliance with the recall. To date, 25 of our 101 Bolts have been addressed, providing over 250 miles of range on a full charge. 

These vehicles are released back into the Evie Home Area once clearing inspection, however will still appear under the range provided under the guidance of the recall on the Evie Carshare App, which caps the range at 220. If you are in a Chevy Bolt that has range higher than 220, this means you are driving a vehicle no longer under recall conditions. 

Once all batteries are replaced, we will adjust the Evie Carshare App to the correct battery range. 

 

January 25, 2022

General Motors has developed new in-vehicle software to decrease the stresses on the batteries in each vehicle. Until the recall is fully completed, all Bolts in our fleet will only charge to 80%. All other recall restrictions are lifted, meaning it’s safe to resume: 
• charging indoors overnight
• operating below 70 miles of range
• parking indoors after charging

Our 2021 Chevrolet Bolts are currently undergoing the software installation at a Certified Chevrolet EV Dealership in preparation for our return to the streets. All successfully completed vehicles will have a QR code in the drivers side wing window, verifying the software update has been successful. This certifies that the battery update removes charging and parking limitations originally placed on the vehicle. 

Any vehicle available on our app is compliant with the NHTSA’s recall requirements and is available for trips. 

September 16, 2021 at 15:20

At HOURCAR, member safety is our top priority. When a manufacturer issues a recall on a vehicle, we work to immediately remedy the situation and ensure the safest environment for our members and those who accompany them.

On August 20, 2021, Chevy issued a recall of all Chevy Bolts, with interim guidance as to steps to be taken to ensure user safety until the full remedy (replacement of defective battery modules) could be performed. We fully implemented these steps. Today, new recall guidance, attributed to a spokesperson from GM, was widely reported in the media. This new guidance is much farther-reaching than GM’s initial recommendations. We are still assessing the impact of this guidance and seeking confirmation from GM. However, in agreement with our partners at the Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, we have decided to pause the Evie pilot until further notice. This does not affect any scheduled or future trips on the HOURCAR service, which will remain fully operational.

We apologize for any inconvenience this causes, and will keep our members updated on the status of the Evie pilot as soon as we have further information.

HOURCAR Member Services

August 24, 2021 at 15:25:

This post is in response to an expansion of an ongoing Chevrolet Bolt recall. In the past year, a dozen Chevrolet Bolts of earlier model years have started on fire as the result of a defect in the charging procedure (specific details here). Although the 2021 Bolts have a different battery and there have been no reports of this issue, the extension of the recall has been issued by Chevrolet out of an abundance of caution. Evie is currently comprised of the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt which has had zero instances reported.   

On August 20, 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) added 2019-2022 Chevrolet Bolt vehicles (about 73,000 cars) to the recall of the 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt vehicles (about 69,000 cars) after a dozen cars started on fire in a little more than a year.  While GM is continuing to investigate this issue and work toward a remedy, we at HOURCAR will institute the following updates to the Evie and HOURCAR services: 

•Set all cars at 90% state of charge (Target Charge Level mode). This will keep the battery from being fully charged and reduce the risk of overloading the system. 
•When the battery is at 30% or below, the car will automatically go out of service for our team to come and charge the vehicle. 
•Per the recommendation of GM, we will be ending the HOURCAR round-trip EV Pilot at the University of Minnesota 4th St Ramp and Minneapolis A Ramp, which will remove the vehicles from being inside of a structure as of Monday, August 23rd. With the closure of this pilot, HOURCAR will be comprised of only internal combustion engine (gasoline) vehicles.  

Evie is great for quick one-way trips with on-street parking, and HOURCAR is great for round-trip adventures to the great outdoors. While there have been no issues reported with the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt, we are requesting members to keep Evie trips in town so that the HOURCAR team can charge them per the recall guidelines. If you are taking a longer trip,  reserve an HOURCAR and leave the charging to us. All HOURCARs have a fuel card inside, and our Subarus even have Minnesota State Park passes. If you do take a longer trip with a Chevrolet Bolt and need to charge it, do so outside and for no longer than 8 hours; the Chargepoint Charging Card is located inside of the glovebox.  

You will be notified of any major changes or developments which affect your transportation options with us as this recall develops. Minor changes will be made directly to this page. We appreciate your understanding and support as we continue to transform the way the Twin Cities get around. If you have any questions, please view our FAQs or reach out to us at Evie@HOURCAR.org