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Transport Evolved - Why Are We Still Seeing Electric Car Battery Recalls?
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Right now, the Volkswagen Group is recalling around 100,000 electric cars worldwide across Volkswagen, Cupra and Audi, all for battery cells that, in rare cases, can overheat and catch fire. And if that sounds familiar, it should: from the Hyundai Kona Electric and Chevrolet Bolt EV to the Jaguar I-Pace, Porsche Taycan and Mercedes-Benz EQB, cell-level manufacturing defects have been behind some of the most expensive recalls the EV world has seen.
So in today's video, Nikki asks a simple question: why are we still seeing battery recalls? From clean rooms and bunny suits to the tiny flaws that can take years to come to light, and how few companies make the cells (and the machines that make them), she explains why making a battery is so hard, why one bad batch can show up in several brands at once, and why things are slowly getting better.
Watch on YouTube — or if you'd prefer (we would), PeerTube.
Chapter Breakdown:00:00 - Introduction
02:27 - Not a specialist...
03:07 - The recalls right now - and some history
04:53 - How most recall campaigns went
06:21 - A reminder: some safety statistics
06:53 - Volkswagen's recall - what we know (and don't)
07:40 - Why we're still seeing recalls
08:29 - Making a battery is hard
13:24 - Small supply chains, big problems when things go wrong
15:00 - The machines that make EV batteries
16:21 - Errors can take a long time to notice
17:46 - New rules and battery passports could help
18:19 - Engines are easy in comparison
19:44 - The rest of the auto industry has its own supply issues
21:03 - Disassembly is a one-way process
21:30 - X-ray imaging is starting to help
22:10 - Things are improving
24:41 - Thanks, and goodbye!
Our earlier videos on EV batteries and recalls:Just Why Are Electric Car Batteries So Hard To Produce (And Diagnose)? – YouTube
What's Causing All These Electric Car Battery Failures? – YouTube
TEN 600 | iX3 In High Demand, EVs Go Further, The Little Trains That Could! (Fraunhofer's automated X-ray checks for EV batteries) – YouTube
TEN 604 | Mach-E Trail, VW's Battery Recall, PHEVs Still Lying! – YouTube
Links:Benjamin Nelson: Ford Ranger EV Walk Around Tour and Overview
Darell Dickey (EVnut): EV1 - Driving it the final week before the crusher
Science Buddies: Potato Battery Science Project
NHTSA recall 26V630: Volkswagen ID.4 (MY2023–26, 22,524 vehicles)
NHTSA recall 26V698: Audi Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron (MY2024–25, 9,048 vehicles)
VW and Cupra's European battery recall: 72,700 EVs (electrive)
Audi joins: VW Group's EV battery recall passes 85,000 (Electrek)
The receipts: our sourcesWhere battery tech is now
Patent encumbrance of large automotive NiMH batteries (Wikipedia, with its citations)
NIO's first mass-produced 150 kWh semi-solid-state pack (CnEVPost, Apr 2024)
Greater Bay Technology's all-solid-state production line (Gasgoo, Oct 2026)
CATL sodium-ion batteries go into production cars (CnEVPost, Feb 2026)
BYD's second-generation Blade battery: 10–97% in nine minutes (electrive, Mar 2026)
Parking facilities banning Chevy Bolts (InsideEVs, 2021)
Volkswagen Group's October 2026 recalls
VW's battery recall affects 72,700 EVs (electrive, 21 Oct 2026)
VW's EV battery recall reaches over 85,000, with Audi included (Electrek, 28 Oct 2026)
NHTSA recall report 26V630: VW ID.4, SK Battery America cells
NHTSA recall report 26V698: Audi Q4 e-tron, SK Battery Manufacturing (Hungary) cells
Earlier battery recalls
Hyundai recalls Kona Electric in Korea (electrive, Oct 2020)
NHTSA recall report 20V630: Kona Electric BMS update
NHTSA 21V650: Chevrolet Bolt advanced diagnostic software
GM to replace Bolt battery modules (TechCrunch, Sep 2021)
LG to pay GM up to $1.9 billion over Bolt fires (CNBC, Oct 2021)
Hyundai and LG agree Kona recall cost split (Korea JoongAng Daily, Mar 2021)
NHTSA recall report 26V362: Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
Jaguar buying back nearly 3,000 I-Pace EVs over fire risk (Green Car Reports, Nov 2024)
NHTSA recall report 24V731: Porsche Taycan, LG cells
Mercedes-Benz EQB third recall (Carscoops, Feb 2026)
NHTSA recalls database (campaigns 24V732, 26V073 and others)
Fire data
Petrol and diesel cars 20 times more likely to catch fire than EVs (The Driven, MSB figures)
NHTSA recall data, downloadable (used for our count of fire-risk recalls)
How cells are made
Clean-room classes for battery production (AFRY)
Battery dry rooms (Volta Foundation)
Intel's "Bunny People" (Intel)
Lithium intercalation in graphite (research paper)
The ramp-up of a gigafactory: 15–30% scrap (Fraunhofer FFB / RWTH Aachen PEM)
Electrode overlap and anode overhang (UK Battery Industrialisation Centre)
Who makes the cells, and the machines
Global EV battery market share 2025 (SNE Research via CnEVPost)
Machine and plant makers for battery production (battery-news.de, Jan 2026)
Wuxi Lead Intelligent's market share (The Bamboo Works)
Battery equipment market: China 68% of top-25 sales (Control Engineering / Interact Analysis)
Hidden defects that pass end-of-line testing (KIT / TU Braunschweig)
Traceability and the engine comparison
EU battery passport mandatory from 18 February 2027 (Environment + Energy Leader)
Polyolefin separator film (Ube)
Carmakers make most of their own engines (Automotive Manufacturing Solutions)
China's machine-tool industry (ICE Italian Trade Agency, Jun 2024)
Takata recall spotlight (NHTSA)
Denso fuel pump recall 20E-085 (NHTSA)
Inspection, and recalls getting smarter
Automated X-ray analysis for EV batteries (Fraunhofer IIS, 21 Sep 2026)
NHTSA recall report 26V432: Hyundai Ioniq 5, SK On cells
Hyundai and Kia ICCU recalls (Electrek, Mar 2024)
CATL's Liyang plant named a WEF Lighthouse factory
Battery pack prices fall to $108/kWh (BloombergNEF, Dec 2025)
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Donate Bitcoin: BC1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH
Join the Conversation:
Subscribe to our Main Channel, Transport Evolved
Don't forget to check out Kate Walton-Elliott's new venture, Antithesis Press!
Credits:Host, Script: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Camera, Editor, Color: Vi Horton
Art & Animation: Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music: "Got It" (Instrumental Version) by VESHZA, via Artlist.io – Listen on Artlist
Right now, the Volkswagen Group is recalling around 100,000 electric cars worldwide across Volkswagen, Cupra and Audi, all for battery cells that, in rare cases, can overheat and catch fire. And if that sounds familiar, it should: from the Hyundai Kona Electric and Chevrolet Bolt EV to the Jaguar I-Pace, Porsche Taycan and Mercedes-Benz EQB, cell-level manufacturing defects have been behind some of the most expensive recalls the EV world has seen.
So in today's video, Nikki asks a simple question: why are we still seeing battery recalls? From clean rooms and bunny suits to the tiny flaws that can take years to come to light, and how few companies make the cells (and the machines that make them), she explains why making a battery is so hard, why one bad batch can show up in several brands at once, and why things are slowly getting better.
Watch on YouTube — or if you'd prefer (we would), PeerTube.
Chapter Breakdown:00:00 - Introduction
02:27 - Not a specialist...
03:07 - The recalls right now - and some history
04:53 - How most recall campaigns went
06:21 - A reminder: some safety statistics
06:53 - Volkswagen's recall - what we know (and don't)
07:40 - Why we're still seeing recalls
08:29 - Making a battery is hard
13:24 - Small supply chains, big problems when things go wrong
15:00 - The machines that make EV batteries
16:21 - Errors can take a long time to notice
17:46 - New rules and battery passports could help
18:19 - Engines are easy in comparison
19:44 - The rest of the auto industry has its own supply issues
21:03 - Disassembly is a one-way process
21:30 - X-ray imaging is starting to help
22:10 - Things are improving
24:41 - Thanks, and goodbye!
Our earlier videos on EV batteries and recalls:Just Why Are Electric Car Batteries So Hard To Produce (And Diagnose)? – YouTube
What's Causing All These Electric Car Battery Failures? – YouTube
TEN 600 | iX3 In High Demand, EVs Go Further, The Little Trains That Could! (Fraunhofer's automated X-ray checks for EV batteries) – YouTube
TEN 604 | Mach-E Trail, VW's Battery Recall, PHEVs Still Lying! – YouTube
Links:Benjamin Nelson: Ford Ranger EV Walk Around Tour and Overview
Darell Dickey (EVnut): EV1 - Driving it the final week before the crusher
Science Buddies: Potato Battery Science Project
NHTSA recall 26V630: Volkswagen ID.4 (MY2023–26, 22,524 vehicles)
NHTSA recall 26V698: Audi Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron (MY2024–25, 9,048 vehicles)
VW and Cupra's European battery recall: 72,700 EVs (electrive)
Audi joins: VW Group's EV battery recall passes 85,000 (Electrek)
The receipts: our sourcesWhere battery tech is now
Patent encumbrance of large automotive NiMH batteries (Wikipedia, with its citations)
NIO's first mass-produced 150 kWh semi-solid-state pack (CnEVPost, Apr 2024)
Greater Bay Technology's all-solid-state production line (Gasgoo, Oct 2026)
CATL sodium-ion batteries go into production cars (CnEVPost, Feb 2026)
BYD's second-generation Blade battery: 10–97% in nine minutes (electrive, Mar 2026)
Parking facilities banning Chevy Bolts (InsideEVs, 2021)
Volkswagen Group's October 2026 recalls
VW's battery recall affects 72,700 EVs (electrive, 21 Oct 2026)
VW's EV battery recall reaches over 85,000, with Audi included (Electrek, 28 Oct 2026)
NHTSA recall report 26V630: VW ID.4, SK Battery America cells
NHTSA recall report 26V698: Audi Q4 e-tron, SK Battery Manufacturing (Hungary) cells
Earlier battery recalls
Hyundai recalls Kona Electric in Korea (electrive, Oct 2020)
NHTSA recall report 20V630: Kona Electric BMS update
NHTSA 21V650: Chevrolet Bolt advanced diagnostic software
GM to replace Bolt battery modules (TechCrunch, Sep 2021)
LG to pay GM up to $1.9 billion over Bolt fires (CNBC, Oct 2021)
Hyundai and LG agree Kona recall cost split (Korea JoongAng Daily, Mar 2021)
NHTSA recall report 26V362: Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
Jaguar buying back nearly 3,000 I-Pace EVs over fire risk (Green Car Reports, Nov 2024)
NHTSA recall report 24V731: Porsche Taycan, LG cells
Mercedes-Benz EQB third recall (Carscoops, Feb 2026)
NHTSA recalls database (campaigns 24V732, 26V073 and others)
Fire data
Petrol and diesel cars 20 times more likely to catch fire than EVs (The Driven, MSB figures)
NHTSA recall data, downloadable (used for our count of fire-risk recalls)
How cells are made
Clean-room classes for battery production (AFRY)
Battery dry rooms (Volta Foundation)
Intel's "Bunny People" (Intel)
Lithium intercalation in graphite (research paper)
The ramp-up of a gigafactory: 15–30% scrap (Fraunhofer FFB / RWTH Aachen PEM)
Electrode overlap and anode overhang (UK Battery Industrialisation Centre)
Who makes the cells, and the machines
Global EV battery market share 2025 (SNE Research via CnEVPost)
Machine and plant makers for battery production (battery-news.de, Jan 2026)
Wuxi Lead Intelligent's market share (The Bamboo Works)
Battery equipment market: China 68% of top-25 sales (Control Engineering / Interact Analysis)
Hidden defects that pass end-of-line testing (KIT / TU Braunschweig)
Traceability and the engine comparison
EU battery passport mandatory from 18 February 2027 (Environment + Energy Leader)
Polyolefin separator film (Ube)
Carmakers make most of their own engines (Automotive Manufacturing Solutions)
China's machine-tool industry (ICE Italian Trade Agency, Jun 2024)
Takata recall spotlight (NHTSA)
Denso fuel pump recall 20E-085 (NHTSA)
Inspection, and recalls getting smarter
Automated X-ray analysis for EV batteries (Fraunhofer IIS, 21 Sep 2026)
NHTSA recall report 26V432: Hyundai Ioniq 5, SK On cells
Hyundai and Kia ICCU recalls (Electrek, Mar 2024)
CATL's Liyang plant named a WEF Lighthouse factory
Battery pack prices fall to $108/kWh (BloombergNEF, Dec 2025)
Sponsors And How To Support Us!Support the Show:
Donate Bitcoin: BC1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH
Join the Conversation:
Subscribe to our Main Channel, Transport Evolved
Don't forget to check out Kate Walton-Elliott's new venture, Antithesis Press!
Credits:Host, Script: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Camera, Editor, Color: Vi Horton
Art & Animation: Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music: "Got It" (Instrumental Version) by VESHZA, via Artlist.io – Listen on Artlist
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