Sunday, November 27, 2011

NHTSA Opens Formal Investigation on Chevy Volt and Li-ion Batteries after New Crash Tests Result in Fire


Earlier this year, a Chevrolet Volt caught fire while stationary at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Winsconsin facility car park, three weeks after it had been subjected to a side-impact crash test on May 12.

Alerted by the incident, General Motors and NHTSA repeated the test in June, but failed to replicate the fire. GM spokesman Greg Martin had said at the time that the fire was most likely caused because the agency staff had not followed the proper safety procedures mandated by the company for handling the Volt and its battery after an accident

Nevertheless, NHTSA joined forces with the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense, as well as General Motors, to determine the safety levels of the Volt’s lithium-ion batteries.

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