Ontario man told his EV needs $33K battery. Software update fixes the problem

An Ontario man said he couldn't believe an electric car he bought three years ago for $20,000 would need a new battery at a cost of more than $33,000.

"They called me to say I needed a new battery, but I actually felt sick, bewildered, perplexed that the battery could cost that much,” said Charles Jakl of East Garafraxa, near Orangeville.

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Jakl bought a 2018 Chevrolet Volt Hybrid three years ago and he said when the car was just over 161,000 km, which is just outside its warranty period, it stopped working.

“The car right now is a paperweight. It has been sitting at the dealership since December," said Jakl.

After speaking with CTV News Toronto, we contacted General Motors Canada on his behalf and a spokesperson said the company was working with Jakl to resolve the issue.

Jakl then contacted CTV News Toronto again to say GM decided to take another look at the car and found it was a software update issue and the car did not require a new battery, which was a relief for him.

GM worked with Jakl to repair his car at no cost and his Chevy Volt is now back on the road.

EVs require new set of skills for mechanics: expert

As the automotive industry moves towards electric vehicles there is also a great need to have knowledgeable mechanics to work on them.

Chris Muir is an automotive professor at Centennial College, the largest automotive school in Canada for training auto mechanics.

Muir gave a refresher course to faculty at the college about some of the safety requirements needed when working on an electric car and said the college has been updating its curriculum to teach new mechanics about EV repairs.

"There has probably been a bit of a drought of training for electric vehicles particularly in the aftermarket,” said Muir. “We have to train technicians that are used to working on mechanical repairs how to work on new electrical software-driven machines. It’s a challenge, but we offer the training for it.”

Muir said EVs require a new set of skills for mechanics and those used to working on combustion engines without proper training could misdiagnose repairs, especially in the case of software updates.

"If you miss a bulletin for a vehicle software update then there is a chance you could spend a customer's money unwisely on parts that didn't need to be replaced,” said Muir.

Larger dealerships are more likely to have EV specialists on staff and there are also ongoing training courses offered by colleges and manufacturers to help train mechanics to work on EVs.