Don’t You Dare Park Your Chevy Bolt Inside, or Outside for That Matter
The hits keep coming for the popular electric vehicle as one neighborhood has asked Chevy Bolt owners not to park in certain lots. And by certain spots, the owner means the entire parking lot. With no solution in sight, what is next for the Bolt EV?
Why can’t the Chevy Bolt park here?
The Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV are still struggling. As the news mounts that these vehicles continue to catch fire out of nowhere, property managers are fighting back. One Reddit user saw a sign explicitly prohibiting having Bolts part in the parking lot. The parking area is outdoors, but the owner is taking no chances. This specific lot is run by SP+ and is a private lot, which gives the owner the right to do so.
The person who posted the image on Reddit is a 2019 Bolt Premier owner and was looking to park in the area. The sign reads, “For customer safety: Chevrolet Bolt EVs are strictly prohibited from parking at this facility. Thank you for your compliance.”
The Bolt has been spontaneously combusting around the country, and Chevrolet has warned owners not to park indoors. However, some Bolt EVs parking in outdoor lots have been catching other vehicles on fire. One 2017 Chevy Bolt Premier caught fire just last week while outside and took out a Hyundai and a Maserati.
Is this dramatic, or the right move for the Chevy Bolt?
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The crux of the issue here is that the Chevy Bolt seems to catch on fire randomly. The vehicle does not need to be on or charging to catch fire. It happens while the car is turned off the charger, which is a scary thought. While this might seem like a dramatic move, perhaps the owner has already had an issue with the EV.
The official Bolt Recall instructions noted that the Chevy Bolt EVs (2017-2022) and Bolt EUVs (2022) should not charge overnight. It also states that vehicles should be parked outside immediately after charging. This leaves a lot of leeway for owners to still be within these instructions and park in some garage.
“Park your vehicle outside immediately after charging, and do not leave your vehicle charging indoors overnight.” Technically, a Bolt parking in an indoor parking garage is still within these instructions.
At this time, production has stopped for the EV
According to Inside EVs, GM has decided to halt production of the Bolt at the Orion Assembly plant. While GM has recalled every Bolt produced, the production halt is more bad news for the company. GM is working alongside battery producer LG Chem to find out the issue and how to move forward. Until then, Bolt owners are forced to figure out how to live with a vehicle that might spontaneously combust at any moment.
No matter how you slice it, this is bad press for electric vehicles and GM in general. Just when people are starting to get used to the idea of an electric vehicle, the Bolt problems have threatened to wipe out all of that progress. So far, the fires have cost GM almost $1.8 billion, and there’s been no solution yet. That number is likely to increase exponentially.
For now, Bolt EV and Bolt EUV owners have found themselves in quite a pickle. Not everyone has the option to park in an empty parking lot with no one parked next to the vehicle. While GM says the company is working on a solution, said solution isn’t coming quickly enough.
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