Despite Massive Recall on Chevy Bolts Jay Leno Says EVs Are Here to Stay

“I mean, the electric car is here to stay. I predict a child born today will probably drive in a gasoline powered car about as often as you would drive in a car with a stick shift now,” remarked Jay Leno, to CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith”.

Leno’s comments came on the heels of General Motors telling owners of some Chevy Bolts not to park them within 50 feet of other cars to reduce the risk of potential fire spreading to other cars and trucks.

The Detroit carmaker has recalled over 140,000 of the Chevy Bolts produced since 2016 due to the risk of batteries spontaneously catching fire from “two rare manufacturing defects.”
At the end of August, GM had recalled every Bolt and Bolt EV ever sold around the world.

The company had blamed battery supplier LG, citing two manufacturing defects, and said it would seek reimbursement for costs estimated at roughly $1.8 billion.

“The last days of old technology are always better than the first days of new technology, but we’re beyond the first days of new technology,” said Leno.

According to Leno, electric car fires are less severe than fires in gas-powered cars.

“I mean the advantage, if there is one, to an EV fire is, it doesn’t blow up,” Leno explained.

“You’re in it, you smell something, there’s smoke, and then it doesn’t go up in a ball the way a gasoline car would. That’s not to say it’s not dangerous and, hopefully they’ll fix the problem.”

GM’s production on the Chevy Bolt has been halted due to the global chip shortage. The company said it would not restart the assembly line until it is confident that LG would be supplying them with “defect-free” cells.

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.