Crash-Tested Chevrolet Volt Catches Fire at NHTSA Facility
11/11/11, 12:17 PM
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Crash-Tested Chevrolet Volt Catches Fire at NHTSA Facility
Crash-Tested Chevrolet Volt Catches Fire at NHTSA Facility
Talk about wrong place, wrong time: three weeks after being crash-tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a Chevrolet Volt caught fire in an agency parking lot. Bloomberg reports that the fire has prompted a NHTSA investigation into the safety of electric cars.
NHTSA doesn’t have an explanation for the fire, but says that it started in the battery pack and was severe enough to damage vehicles parked near the Volt. It is possible that the crash test damaged something in the battery pack. As a result, the regulatory agency plans to investigate the fire safety of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf. NHTSA reportedly will investigate a case where a Volt caught fire while charging in a garage in North Carolina.
“Based on the available data, NHTSA does not believe the Volt or other electric vehicles are at a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles,” NHTSA officials told Bloomberg in a statement.
Spokespeople from General Motors were unavailable for comment today. In a June 2010 press release, Chevrolet explained that the batteries used in the Volt had been put through the equivalent of one million miles of testing, lasting about four million hours. The company tested the batteries for safety in water, crush accidents, short circuit conditions, and more. The batteries are covered by an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty.
Nissan spokeswoman Katherine Zachary said she wasn’t aware of an investigation into the Leaf by NHTSA. She noted that Nissan has sold about 8000 examples of the Leaf in the U.S. so far, and there haven’t been any reported fires. Like the Volt, the Leaf’s battery pack also carries an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty.
Sources: Bloomberg, Nissan, Chevrolet
http://wot.motortrend.com/crash-test...#ixzz1dQUDuggR
NHTSA doesn’t have an explanation for the fire, but says that it started in the battery pack and was severe enough to damage vehicles parked near the Volt. It is possible that the crash test damaged something in the battery pack. As a result, the regulatory agency plans to investigate the fire safety of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf. NHTSA reportedly will investigate a case where a Volt caught fire while charging in a garage in North Carolina.
“Based on the available data, NHTSA does not believe the Volt or other electric vehicles are at a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles,” NHTSA officials told Bloomberg in a statement.
Spokespeople from General Motors were unavailable for comment today. In a June 2010 press release, Chevrolet explained that the batteries used in the Volt had been put through the equivalent of one million miles of testing, lasting about four million hours. The company tested the batteries for safety in water, crush accidents, short circuit conditions, and more. The batteries are covered by an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty.
Nissan spokeswoman Katherine Zachary said she wasn’t aware of an investigation into the Leaf by NHTSA. She noted that Nissan has sold about 8000 examples of the Leaf in the U.S. so far, and there haven’t been any reported fires. Like the Volt, the Leaf’s battery pack also carries an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty.
Sources: Bloomberg, Nissan, Chevrolet
http://wot.motortrend.com/crash-test...#ixzz1dQUDuggR
11/11/11, 12:32 PM
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Three weeks later???
General Motors says it believes the fire occurred because NHTSA did not follow GM’s recommended safety protocol for a post-crash Volt, spokesman Greg Martin said.
“Had those safety protocols been followed for this test, this incident would not have happened,” he said. This is the only crashed Volt ever to catch fire, Martin said.
NHTSA did not immediately respond to Martin’s statement about protocols.
General Motors says it believes the fire occurred because NHTSA did not follow GM’s recommended safety protocol for a post-crash Volt, spokesman Greg Martin said.
“Had those safety protocols been followed for this test, this incident would not have happened,” he said. This is the only crashed Volt ever to catch fire, Martin said.
NHTSA did not immediately respond to Martin’s statement about protocols.
Last edited by cdynaco; 11/11/11 at 12:34 PM.
11/17/11, 01:23 AM
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I've just read about this a while ago.This goes to show how electric cars can be hazardous despite it's eco-friendliness.They said that a security exploration is being started into whether the batteries in the Volt pose a possible security hazard.There were also reports that Volt uses lithium ion battery packs, just like a laptop computer which also explodes in shock. The batteries comprise banks of small cells. If any cells are damaged or deformed, it can cause an electrical short.Well,I guess we could say the concern over electric car fire risk is more smoke than fire.
I've read the article here: Safety investigation into Chevy Volt fire under way
I've read the article here: Safety investigation into Chevy Volt fire under way
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