Published : Feb. 16, 2022 - 16:03
A promotional image of 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV (GM)
General Motors will resume the production of Chevrolet Bolt models and power them with LG Energy Solution batteries, signaling its restoration of trust with the South Korean battery giant.
According to GM Wednesday, the production of Bolt electric vehicles will commence on April 4 after a months-long shutdown due to recall. GM in August recalled some 143,000 Bolts after defective LG Energy Solution batteries caused fires. Of the total recall cost of $1.8 billion, LG Electronics and LG Energy Solution agreed to pay 1.4 trillion won.
“GM will resume production at its Orion Township, Michigan, plant the week of April 4, 2022,” a GM spokesperson Dan Flores said in a statement.
As Bolt production goes back on track, the partnership between GM and LG Energy Solution is expected to strengthen. The two are building two joint battery factories in Ohio and Tennessee and recently decided to build another one in Michigan. The three factories will churn out batteries worth 120 gigawatt-hours per year, which is enough to power more than 180,000 Bolts, for instance.
GM aims to have a zero-emissions lineup by 2035 and deliver 400,000 electric vehicles in North America by 2023. Bolts mounted with upgraded LG Energy Solution batteries are expected to become available in the Korean market in the second quarter of this year.
By Kim Byung-wook (
kbw@heraldcorp.com)