After several battery fires in those cars, General Motors looked into it and found problems with some LG battery packs used in 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EVs. All of the affected Bolt packs need to be replaced, which is why GM issued a recall. On the other hand, GM said in June of last year that it would not replace the batteries in cars made between 2020 and 2022. Instead, it would use a complicated software tracking system to check the battery’s safety over time. GM promised those customers a new battery, but now they’re offering a $1,400 Visa gift card to get them to use testing software. Electrotech says that the software that GM is putting on these Bolts will check the batteries’ health to see if they need to be replaced.On the other hand, there are two things that should be kept in mind. To do this, owners will have to drive the program for about 10,000 km (6,200 miles), and the Bolt will only be able to charge to 80% while the diagnostic process continues. The way is meant to restore the battery’s charge capacity to 100% if it is safe, but many customers find driving more than 6,000 miles at 80% of the battery’s full range uncomfortable. During that time, what if the battery dies and needs to be changed often? Many people on the ChevyBolt.org forum are unhappy with this answer and would rather get new batteries than drive 6,200 miles with the caps on. Also, those miles may take a while to add up because many EV owners only drive short distances. Even worse, if the program decides that a new battery is needed, the car must have gone that many miles before March 31, 2025, to qualify. This $1,400 is a part of the settlement reached in the class action case because of the recall. Customers must put the software on their Bolt and sign a legal release to get the $1,400 Visa. “GM is announcing a compensation program for 2020-22 Bolt EV/EUV owners upon installation of the final advanced diagnostic software as part of the original battery recall,” said a spokesperson for General Motors. After placement, owners can get a Visa reward card worth $1,400. This only works for people in the US who own Bolt EVs or EUVs. We value how patient and understanding our customers are. Bolt owners from 2022 to now have every reason to be unhappy because they were first told that their batteries would be replaced, but an update that makes the car less useful for daily tasks has let them down. Of course, if the software decides after the testing period that the batteries must be replaced, those customers can still do so. But driving for months or even years with harmful or possibly dangerous batteries could lead to this.
