Manufacturers of electric vehicles around the globe are starting to feel the ‘heat’ with exploding battery packs and battery fires as the race to be the top EV producer with the possible longest range takes a front seat and battery safety technology takes a rear seat.
More EV manufacturers have issued recalls over fire risk. Earlier this month Audi issued a recall in the U.S. for the E-Tron SUV due to the risk of battery fire. No fires had been reported in the 1,644 E-Trons that Audi has delivered to happy customers but after dieselgate, the group does not want an unwanted incidents and fines.
The company issued the recall after it found that moisture can seep into the battery cell through a wiring harness. There have been five cases worldwide where this has caused a battery fault warning.
Earlier this year in May, Tesla issue a software update that will change battery charge and thermal management settings in Model S sedans and Model X SUVs following a fire in a parked vehicle in Hong Kong. The software update, which Tesla said at the time was being done out of “an abundance of caution,” is supposed to “protect the battery and improve its longevity.” The over-the-air software update will not be made to Model 3 vehicles.
4 days ago, Chinese EV manufacturer, Nio issued a recall of nearly 5,000 of its ES8 electric SUVs after a series of battery fires in China and a subsequent investigation revealed a vulnerability that created a safety risk.
The recall affects a quarter of the ES8 vehicles it has sold since they went on sale in June 2018.
A Nio-led team of experts that included the supplier of the battery pack module, investigated a reported fire involving an ES8 in Shanghai. The team concluded there was a vulnerability in the design of the battery pack that could cause a short circuit.
The battery packs in the vehicles involved were equipped with a module specification NEV-P50. These packs were pressing up against voltage sampling cable harness due to improper positioning, Nio said. The insulation on the cable may wear out due to this repeated contact and cause a short circuit, Nio determined.
The battery packs were a joint venture production between Nio and CATL.
CATL issued this below statement after the issue was confirmed.
PRESS Statement: The Ningde era was concerned about Weilai Automobile’s decision to recall some ES8s. We attach great importance to this matter and will actively cooperate with Wei Lai’s recall to protect consumer rights.
According to the investigation, due to the interference between the recalled battery pack and the module structure supplied by our company, under certain extreme conditions, the risk of short-circuit sampling harness short-circuit may occur, posing a safety hazard. The batch module is custom designed and used only for the 4,803 ES8 products recalled this time.
Ningde era always regards safety as the lifeline of the company and adheres to the principle of safety as the center to ensure the healthy development of the new energy automobile industry.
Ningde Times New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. June 27, 2019
