It looks like Hyundai has a bigger problem on its hands with the Kona electric vehicle.
According to Reuters, Hyundai plans to recall over 51,000 Kona EVs, related to battery cell fire risks. The recall will also expand to North American, Europe, China and other markets, according to a report from South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Europe will see 37,366 Kona EVs recalled, while North American will see 11,137 units recalled.
This week, Hyundai will recall 25,564 Kona EVs in South Korea, an announcement made last week.
The company said in a statement it “is in the final stages of filing a voluntary recall notice with the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) for U.S. Kona EVs and will start the process of informing owners of these vehicles,” reports Reuters.
The issue appears to be related to risks of battery cell fires due to short circuit, related to faulty manufacturing, according to Hyundai.
LG Chem Ltd., battery supplier for the Kona EV said last week its battery cells were not the reason for the fires, after conducting a re-enactment experiment with Hyundai. LG Chem also supplies batteries to Tesla.
The recall will see the Kona EV get software updates and battery replacements for affected models.
The SNAFU will cost Hyundai according to KB Investment& Securities on Monday, noting it could cost the South Korean company as much as $522.1 million USD if the nearly 77,000 Kona EVs all saw battery replacements.
Sounds like the Kona EV could be the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 of electric vehicles. Let’s hope nobody gets hurt from this.
