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A123 says batteries for Fisker could have safety issue

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Boston Articles
December 24, 2011|By Bloomberg News
  • Jason Forcier (right), vice president and general manager of A123 Systems, showed off a battery at the companys plant in             Romulus, Mich., earlier this year.
Jason Forcier (right), vice president and general manager of A123 Systems,… (Carlos Osorio/AP )

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - A123 Systems Inc., the Waltham, Mass., maker of batteries for electric vehicles, said it found a “potential safety issue’’ in batteries it supplies to Fisker Automotive Inc.

A123, which also sells batteries to automakers such as General Motors Co. and Daimler AG, said hose clamps that are part of the internal cooling system of its batteries supplied to Fisker were “misaligned’’ and may cause coolant to leak. Such a leak could lead to an electrical short circuit, David Vieau, chief executive, wrote on A123’s investor relations website.

“We have developed a confirmed repair for this situation,’’ Vieau wrote.

A123 expects a “minimal financial impact’’ and its relationship with Fisker “remains strong,’’ he wrote.

Fisker, based in Anaheim, Calif., is ramping up US deliveries of $102,000 Karma plug-in hybrid sedans. Shipments have begun with 225 sent to dealers and 1,200 units “in the pipeline,’’ chief executive Henrik Fisker said in a Dec. 21 interview.

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