According to South Korea’s transport ministry, Hyundai has decided to recall its Kona electric model locally over a possible short circuit due to what could be faulty battery cell manufacturing. The resulting spark could cause a fire.
The recall will commence on October 16 and will include software updates and battery replacements following an inspection. Involved are 25,564 Kona EVs built between September 2017 and March 2020, reports Reuters.
This recall “is a proactive response to a suspected defective production of high-voltage batteries used in the vehicles, which may have contributed to the reported fires,” said the carmaker, adding that it will use all necessary measures to identify the cause of the issue and address customers’ needs.
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Of course, this is a very serious problem, especially after there have already been some 13 incidents of fire involving this model, including documented ones in Canada and Austria. The one in Canada took place in a garage in Montreal where the Kona simply exploded despite not being plugged into anything at the time.
LG Chem, who makes the batteries for the Kona Electric, said that the exact cause of that fire hasn’t been determined and a reenactment experiment conducted together with Hyundai did not lead to a similar incident, which means the fires may not be related to faulty battery cells.
After the recall was announced, Hyundai shares fell 1.4%, mostly because battery replacements could be costly – the battery accounts for roughly 30% of an EV’s overall price. Meanwhile, LG Chem shares actually went up 1.8%.
