Following the reports of the 13 fire incidents involving the Hyundai Kona Electric with 1 each report of fires in Canada and Austria, sources reported that Hyundai in South Korea will be recalling 25,564 units of the Kona Electric in the home market. The EVs manufactured between the September 2017 and March 2020 will be recalled starting from 16th October 2020. Now new reports suggest that the South Korean brand is likely to globally recall the Kona Electric manufactured between September 2017 and March 2020. The number of vehicles populated for the recall is close to 77,000.
Hyundai’s U.S. arm has also reportedly filed its recall plan to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently. The brand is likely to recall more than 11,000 units of Kona Electric in North America, more than 37,000 units in Europe and close to 3,000 units sold in other countries. In the Indian market, Hyundai retails the Kona Electric powered by a 39.2 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack that comes with a 134 Hp / 395 Nm permanent magnet synchronous electric motor with a single-speed reduction gearbox that powers the front wheels of the car providing an ARAI tested range of 452 km on a single. As of now, no reports of fire have been reported in India.
Earlier reports suggest that a fault in the battery pack could lead to a short circuit in the system overheating the batteries and eventually, a fire could erupt risking the lives of the occupant and other road users. The recall is expected to include battery inspections, battery replacements and various software updates. The exact cause of the recent fires are yet to be determined and the battery manufacturer LG Chem will jointly investigate the fault with Hyundai.
Sources also reveal that following the recall and battery replacements which could be nearly as expensive as 30% of the EVs cost, Hyundai shares fell by 1.4% and on the contrary, LG Chem shares rose 1.8%.