--- title: "Elon Musk Ridicules GM Over Electric Cars That Keep Catching Fire" description: "Tesla CEO Elon Musk argued GM may be having trouble keeping up with Tesla in EV market share because of recent fires involving the Chevy Bolt." date: "2021-08-31" modified: "2021-08-31" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-gm-fire" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "general motors" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Ridicules GM Over Electric Cars That Keep Catching Fire ![Tesla CEO Elon Musk argued GM may be having trouble keeping up with Tesla in EV market share because of recent fires involving the Chevy Bolt.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Flack and Fire Tesla CEO Elon Musk ridiculed General Motors in a tweet this morning, saying the US carmaker may have trouble keeping up with Tesla's EV market share — because [GM's Bolt EVs keep catching fire](). Musk was responding to a [tweet]() about Tesla having [79 percent of the electric car market]() in the US according to registration data. "This might be part of the problem," Musk replied, adding a link to [an article by *The Verge*]() about GM's recent recall of all Chevy Bolt EVs for fire risk. The veteran car manufacturer recently had to expand its recall of the Chevy Bolt EV, a popular all-electric subcompact hatchback, to [include all models]() after several fires caused by defects in the vehicles' battery packs made by LG Chem — a troubling blow for one of the most popular EVs in the country, and electric vehicle adoption as a whole. ## Total Recall GM had to go as far as warning owners not to charge their Bolts in or near their homes overnight and park them outside. "We are working aggressively with LG to adjust production to have replacement modules available as soon as possible," a GM spokesperson told *The Verge*. GM isn't the only carmaker having trouble with manufacturing. In fact, Tesla has had its own recalls. Faulty displays forced the company to [recall 135,000 vehicles]() earlier this year. And while it has yet to recall vehicles to prevent potential fires in people's homes, [plenty of Tesla vehicles]() [have caught fire]() while charging. Dominating market share isn't exactly good news, except of course to those holding Tesla shares. The Chevy Bolt EV was the only other non-Tesla EV that sold more than 10,000 vehicles in 2020, [according to *Electrek*](). That means competition is seriously lagging behind in the electric car market sector in the US. Tesla has been leading the charge and other US carmakers are having trouble catching up, which could end up slowing electric vehicle adoption in the country on the whole. There may be a silver lining to GM's recent troubles, at least for drivers. Owners of 2017, 2018, and 2019 Bolt EVs, all affected by the recall, will see a eight percent additional battery capacity bump, thereby improving range, [according to *InsideEVs*](). **More on the recall:** *[GM Just Recalled Every Chevy Bolt Ever Made]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()