The Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration (NHTSA) has revealed the foundation explanation for the battery fires that halted Ford (F) F-150 Lightning manufacturing.
Again in early February a battery defect resulted in a hearth in an F-150 Lightning that was awaiting remaining inspection, and the hearth unfold to 2 different automobiles. Ford halted manufacturing then as battery provider SK On discovered an answer, with manufacturing restarting on March thirteenth.
Now recall paperwork launched by NHTSA element precisely what occurred in these automobiles, resulting in the recall of 18 Ford F-150 Lightnings.
In one in every of NHTSA’s security recall studies associated to the F-150 battery challenge, the report said a producing defect within the battery cells “could lead to an inside brief circuit when the excessive voltage battery is at a excessive state of cost… which might lead to a hearth.”
The report went on to element that the defect was on account of “manufacturing course of deviations on the provider [where] the cathode aluminum tabs could contact the anode electrode materials inflicting an inside brief circuit” when the battery is at a “excessive state of cost.”
The report said that Ford was capable of replicate the difficulty, and will hint the faulty battery packs right down to the precise automobiles that had them put in, resulting in the recall of these 18 F-150 Lightnings. Remediation of the difficulty would require the set up of recent battery packs put in freed from cost.
Ford additionally reported that no F-150 Lightnings within the subject suffered from any battery brief circuits resulting in fires.
“Within the weeks forward, we are going to proceed to use our learnings and work with SK On’s staff to make sure we proceed delivering high-quality battery packs – right down to the battery cells,” a Ford spokesperson instructed Yahoo Finance in an announcement when the automaker introduced it could be restarting manufacturing.
Whereas it’s a optimistic that Ford was capable of diagnose and repair the battery challenge, the large query for buyers and analysts is whether or not Ford’s manufacturing and reliability points are going to plague its F-150 Lightning rollout, which remains to be in its nascent stage and figures to be an enormous progress driver for its EV unit within the years to return.
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Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter and on Instagram.
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