Jeep, Ford, Audi plug-in hybrid recalls: Battery replacement the next step? - Related to heavy, charger, step?, trump, focus

Automakers want Trump DOT to restart EV charger funding

Last week's Department of Transportation (DOT) announcement placing a freeze on the federal government's EV charging infrastructure program has already prompted responses from a range of industry interests—including at least one that counts automakers among its membership.

In a statement first , the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) asked the Trump administration to restore the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which the organization called "an effective and key element of a truly strategic energy policy that promotes innovation. Domestic investment, and energy security."

The EDTA counts six automakers among its members. Ford, General Motors, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Stellantis, and Toyota are part of the group along with 20 other interests including charging networks, charging-hardware suppliers. And the retail giant Walmart. Although this pushback was a statement of the group and its interests, it's unclear which companies might have, for instance, signed onto a letter pushing for this rollback of Trump administration policy.

2023 Nissan Ariya at EVgo charging station.

"We urge the Administration to quickly resume the critical work of the program and minimize uncertainty for states and their businesses, who have invested in infrastructure to serve local and. National goals for advanced transportation," the EDTA statement noted.

The Trump DOT move introduced last Thursday rescinds previous guidance for the program, which was created under the 2021 infrastructure law to disperse funding for a $ billion national network, on the way to a target of 500,000 EV chargers. The agency mentioned it would fund projects already approved but freeze funding for new projects until revised guidance is issued.

2023 Toyota bZ4X at EVgo charging station.

Under the NEVI framework. States issue plans showing how they would spend available funding. The DOT has stated it will make states submit new plans once altered guidance is complete, which is likely to create additional uncertainty and slow a process that was just beginning to pick up speed, even if the money isn't actually taken away.

Several of the EDTA's member automakers are also partners in Ionna. Which has suggested that it will take advantage of the NEVI program to reach its goal of 30,000 chargers by 2030. That plan makes Ionna the most likely charging-network rival to Tesla, which has already won many NEVI contracts. That creates more financial risk to charging companies, as the funding is placed in limbo—and a growing conflict of interest as Tesla CEO Elon Musk continues to act as an unofficial advisor to the Trump Administration.

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Melaka JPJ to focus on heavy vehicle overloading

The Melaka state road transport department (JPJ) will be intensifying enforcement on heavy vehicle overloading, as the offence of overloading vehicles has been identified as one of the most common offences, Bernama has reported.

Vehicle overloading violations could threaten the safety of other road customers and contribute to the occurrence of fatal accidents. noted Melaka JPJ director Muhammad Firdaus Shariff, who added that the department will conduct special operations in areas known to be hotspots for heavy vehicles. “We will also organise special programmes to raise awareness about the violation,” Firdaus noted.

The Melaka state JPJ held its Chinese New Year special operation on the Alor Gajah-Jasin Highway near Melaka Sentral, which saw 2,419 vehicles inspected and. Of these, action was taken against 267 vehicles for various offences. 223 notices were issued, and six motorcycles were seized by Melaka JPJ, .

From the special operation, the most common violation found was driving without a licence, at 94 offences recorded, followed by not having valid road tax and insurance (88 offences), and technical violations including non-compliance with vehicle licence plate specifications, and issues with side mirrors (85 offences).

Heavy vehicles, or lorries in particular have been under the spotlight in recent times. With a ban on lorries to be enforced from February 19 on certain highways.

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Jeep, Ford, Audi plug-in hybrid recalls: Battery replacement the next step?

Damage to the batteries' separator could lead to shorts and/or fires.

Recall campaigns from Stellantis, Ford, and Audi allow replacement of battery packs.

New paperwork filed by battery supplier Samsung SDI says the issue remains under investigation.

Plug-in hybrids from multiple automakers have been recalled due a potential issue with vehicles' Samsung SDI-supplied battery cells that could cause loss of power or fires. And new paperwork filed with the federal government this week implies that the issue has not yet been fully resolved.

A total of 180,196 vehicles are affected in the , including 155,096 from Stellantis, 20,484 from Ford. And 4,616 from Audi. Each automaker, in recent months, already introduced an individual recall for its respective vehicles.

Stellantis issued a battery-related recall for the Jeep Wrangler 4xe and. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe SUVs last October. Audi then recalled its Q5 and A7 plug-in hybrids in December, and Ford then issued a recall for plug-in hybrid versions of the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair SUVs in January.

All of these vehicles have Samsung SDI cells that are broadly similar. , which emphasizing that exact specifications are still unique to each automaker. Each automaker told the safety agency that defects in these cells could lead to internal short circuits or fires. Ford and Stellantis also reported damage in the separator layer between the cathode and anode in some cells. Which could lead to short circuits and fires. Ford and Audi both noted internal analysis pointed to manufacturing defects, and both noted they would install new software as a temporary remedy.

These new documents filed by Samsung SDI don't expand the list of vehicles recalled, but. They underscore that the issue lacks a clear resolution, as of yet. In paperwork filed February 5, Samsung SDI calls the issue "still under investigation" for both Ford and Audi. A letter from the NHTSA, reacting to the Samsing SDI filing and dated February 6, asks the battery supplier for a "summary of all warranty proposes, field or service reports, and. Other information."

In a statement provided to Green Car Reports Friday, Jeep parent Stellantis underscored that for its vehicles, the issue has been remedied. "The remedy includes a software upgrade and, if necessary, replacement of the high-voltage battery, both provided at no cost to owners," it stated. Pointing to notification letters sent out in December. "Customer safety is our highest priority, and we appreciate the patience of our consumers as we worked to resolve this matter and implement a solution for all affected vehicles."

For now. Owners of affected vehicles can call the respective automakers' customer service departments for more information. Stellantis can be reached at 800-853-1403, Audi at 800-253-2834, and Ford at 866-436-7332.

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