Problems reported with Hyundai, BMW, and Ford EV/PHEV models

Investor concerns about the quality of electric vehicles (including plug-in hybrids) have heightened in the past month. There have been a number of reported cases of Hyundai’s Kona EV catching fire, while several media sources (including Electrive on October 13) have reported that BMW is recalling 26,700 plug-in hybrids. On the heels of Ford’s recall of 20,500 Kuga plug-in hybrids, the automaker is also reportedly set to delay the roll out of the Escape plug-in hybrid into next year rather than launching this year (Bloomberg, October 14). Based on company data, LG Chem supplies batteries for the Hyundai Kona, and batteries for BMW’s electric vehicles are supplied by Samsung SDI and Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL).