With the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launching a full-on investigation on the Chevrolet Volt’s lithium-ion batteries over fire concerns, General Motors will offer Volt owners a complimentary loaner vehicle within the GM family while the company and the NHTSA look for a “resolution of the issue,” which is how to deal with the damaged battery through the days and weeks following a severe crash.
Those who have been paying attention should already know what is sparking these concerns. For those who are new here, the investigation was opened due to a Volt catching fire on NHTSA grounds, three weeks after it going through a side-impact crash test. The Volt’s battery fire was great enough to damage nearby vehicles, and sounds like troubling news for anyone who plans on garaging their totaled Volt after it crashed (for the record, nobody has pulled such a stunt).
We salute GM for their efforts in keeping its Volt consumers calm, cool and hopefully safe from charring. For more details, we have provided the press release below.
Comments
the problem ..is maybe they need a protocol whit electric car after a crash you need to do this,,,,,,,,,like a gas car in scrap yard…not allow to have fuel in thank and battery removed..
They do have specific procedures for the Volt. Specifically, the power cord needs to be severed/cut after a crash (or a crash test). I wonder if the gurus at the NHTSA did this…
Cutting the power cord will not drain away the charge as cutting the gas line will not drain away the gasoline…. The battery must be discharged if the car has been impacted.