A123 says batteries for Fisker may have potential safety issue

DETROIT (Bloomberg) -- A123 Systems Inc., the 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, CEO David Vieau wrote in a memo on Waltham, Mass.-based A123's investor-relations Web site.
"We have developed a confirmed repair for this situation," Vieau wrote, adding that the company has begun to fix the fewer than 50 cars affected. A123 expects a "minimal financial impact" and its relationship with Fisker "remains strong," he wrote.
Fisker, based in Anaheim, Calif., is ramping up U.S. deliveries of $102,000 Karma plug-in hybrid sedans. Shipments have begun with 225 sent to dealers and 1,200 units "in the pipeline," CEO Henrik Fisker said in a Dec. 21 interview.
Karma production is now 25 units a day and may rise to 60 a day next year, said Fisker, a vehicle designer who has styled cars for Aston Martin and BMW. A123 will supply battery packs for GM's Chevrolet Spark electric subcompact going on sale in 2013.
The company has reported losses in every quarter since 2008 and went public in September 2009.

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