Hyundai is to recall some 82,000 electric vehicles worldwide due to a potential fire risk from the battery pack.

The issue mainly affects the Kona Electric built between 2018 and 2020; some 75,000 will be recalled globally. But just under 6,000 Ioniq Electric models will also be recalled along with a smaller number of electric buses.

The issue is reported to have been linked to 15 vehicle fires and lies with alleged defects in the battery cells made by LG Energy Solution – but LG has disputed this and said Hyundai has misapplied its suggestion for fast-charging logic in Hyundai’s battery management system.

While work on the recall has already started in South Korea, the total number of cars affected in other markets including the UK and Europe has not been announced yet, nor have details of how the recalls will be carried out. Instead the carmaker said it’s exploring ways to sort the work.

A Hyundai spokesperson said: “Hyundai Motor Company has decided to voluntarily recall certain Kona Electric, Ioniq EV, and Elec City vehicles in Korea for battery system assembly replacements. The issue is being investigated by the company, including to establish the situation in relation to the models sold in Europe.”

According to the Financial Times, it’s the most expensive electric vehicle recall by any carmaker to date and will cost an estimated US$900m (€735.8m / £636.4m)

It’s the latest recall to be announced within the electric vehicle sector; both BMW Group and Ford announced recalls of various plug-in hybrids in 2020 due to potential fire risks.