As recently as last week, a government safety agency said they were investigating fires involving the lithium-ion battery packs following crash tests of the Chevy Volt. GM claims the vehicle is completely safe. But all 5000 owners will be contacted to reassure them of its' safety and to offer free loaners. GM is taking precautions only, this is not based on customer demands.
The NHTSFA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) said a Volt battery pack caught on fire one week after it endured a side-impact crash test. They also claim another battery gave off smoke and sparks after crash tested. There was also a battery fire at a test facility in Wisconsin last June.
GM's senior vice president of development, Mary Barra, said that both fires discussed above occurred 1-3 weeks AFTER the crash tests and could have been prevented if the battery charge had been drained which GM requested as part of the post-crash procedure. She also states that only a handful of Volts have crashed on public roads, but none have caught fire and no battery packs destroyed.
GM feels strongly that there is no immediate fire risk.
When the first fire occurred in June, the NHTSFA wasn't aware of the post-crash procedures. GM is immediately notified of any crashes (via OnStar) and then sends a team within 24 hours to drain the battery charge to prevent fires. At the test facility in Burlington, WI last June, it was discovered that coolant leaked from the battery and then crystallized. That could have been the cause of the fire per GM. The fire though, came three weeks after a side-impact crash test and was quite severe.
GM states that in all the Volt fires, the battery cells were not involved, only the electronics within the battery pack were involved. More details to come after the NHTSFA finishes their investigation.
Lithium-ion batteries (rechargeable) have been under scrutiny for the last 6 years due to several recalls from companies like Sony, Dell and Apple, who manufacture laptop batteries. (Remember that? Several people suffered 2nd degree burns on their legs.) The conclusion - these batteries can overheat and ignite. Duh.
The FAA also issued a warning to airlines about carrying lithion-ion batteries in their cargo section which could potentially cause a fire. This warning came after a UPS plane crashed in Dubai, killing both pilots. The plane was carrying thousands of lithium batteries. Are we seeing a connection here?
GM continues to say with confidence that its' batteries are stable. GM is working closely with NHTSFA to develop high standards on how to handle these batteries after a crash. Barra contends that the Volt's battery pack was extensively tested prior to the car going on sale. The Volt did win top safety ratings by the Insurance Institute for Hwy Safety and NHTSFA. Hmmm, how did that happen?
The Nissan Leaf, however, did not endure any fires after crash tests. The Leaf's battery pack is air-cooled and very different from Volt's battery pack. Coolant is pumped in between the Volt's battery cells to keep from overheating.
So far the Volt has helped GM's public image, which was once tarnished by inefficient SUV's.
GM's top engineer is absolutely sure the Volt is safe. His daughter drives this car every day with his grandchildren. And she continues to do so.
What are your thoughts? Would these incidents prevent you from purchasing the Volt? I think I might wait for the conclusion of the investigation.
ADDENDUM: 12.1.11
CEO of GM said that GM will buy Chevy Volts back from anyone who purchased one and is fearful the electric car will catch fire.
Better they do this now while there's only 6,000 on the road. But so far GM doesn't anticipate ,many Volt owners to return their cars because already they've received positive feedback when initial communications were started. So far, only 2 customers have taken the loan offers.
Sindi Wasserberg Lash
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