General Motors will no longer provide any battery replacements for the all-electric version of the Chevy Spark.
The Chevy Spark electric vehicle, or the EV, was first launched in 2013, and GM continued to make new models until 2016.
GM to No Longer Provide Any Battery Replacements
According to a report from EV-Resource or InsideEVs, a GM district executive confirmed to EV-Resource that the company is no longer going to supply the Spark EV's battery.
GM's Spark EV battery packs inventory has reportedly run out, and the automaker does not plan to make more.
The Verge reported that with the oldest model of the Spark EV reaching almost 10 years old, car owners might find themselves without a working vehicle if their battery pack fails.
GM offers an eight-year/ 100,000-mile warranty specifically for the battery pack in its Spark EVs and other electric vehicles, which means the warranty has already run out or is close to running out for Spark EVs release in 2013 and 2014.
It is not clear if GM will continue to honor it warranty and somehow replace the battery pack in broken-down Sparks or if the automaker will offer to purchase the car back instead of just replacing the battery pack.
Spark EV owners might not have the best of luck finding a battery pack online or in another market either. There is not really a market for Spark EV batteries compared to other EVs, considering companies might not find value in providing parts for a vehicle on the more inexpensive side.
Also, GM only managed to sell 7,400 Spark EVs, mainly in Oregon, California, and Maryland, before ending the three-year run.
As GM works toward making and replacing battery packs in more than 140,000 electric Chevy Bolts that were recalled in 2021 because of fire risks, perhaps GM does not have the tools needed to create battery pack replacements for the Spark EV.
GM only resumed manufacturing Bolt EVs in early April following a production freeze lasting several months and recently announced its plans to discontinue the non-electric version of the Chery Spark sometime in 2022.
Solid-State EV Batteries
According to Cleantechnica, after GM announced that it has plans to produce solid-state EV batteries. The company also signed a deal with the Korean firm POSCO Chemical to build a new battery factory in the United States.
The new battery factory will manufacture the materials needed for GM's Ultium energy storage platform, which is different from solid-state batteries.
The new partnership between POSCO Chemical and GM indicates that the automaker is getting closer to solid-state products.
Lithium-ion technology has set a very high bar for EV battery performance, but auto industry stakeholders have been hot on the trail of solid-state batteries, which offer the potential for lower cost and higher performance.
Lighter weight, faster charging times, and a more sustainable supply chain are also considerations.
As the name indicates, a solid-state EV battery sports a sold electrolyte, not a liquid or gel-like conventional lithium-ion battery.
For years, solid-state technology has been around in the R&D doldrums for decades. This has led skeptics to postulate that lithium-ion technology will hold sway for years.
In January, it was reported that GM only sold 26 EVs in Q1 2021.
In April, GM officially restarted the production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV.
Related Article: GM's New CAM Factory in North America Critical for its EV Transition? Ultium Batteries to Made Locally
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Written by Sophie Webster
