3 week old GM crash test fire prompts US Li-ion probe

[brucedp]

See
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/11/us-gm-volt-idUSTRE7AA53H20111111

U.S. regulators are investigating the safety of batteries used to power electric vehicles after a General Motors Co Chevrolet Volt caught fire following a routine crash test.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Friday that it has asked other manufacturers who make electric cars or who plan to do so for information on how they handle lithium-ion batteries. The request also includes recommendations for minimizing fire risk.

[edited by admin]

 

[mvukovich11]

The rest of the story:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday it had investigated a fire that occurred in Wisconsin this spring, after the Volt extended-range electric vehicle underwent a 20 m.p.h., side-impact test for its five-star crash safety rating. The crash punctured the Volt's lithium-ion battery pack, and after more than three weeks of sitting outside, the vehicle and several cars around it caught fire. No one was hurt.
General Motors believes the fire occurred because NHTSA did not drain the Volt's battery following the crash, a safety step the automaker has recommended for first-responders, GM spokesman Rob Peterson said. GM did not tell NHTSA of the safety practice, Peterson said.

 

[mariamiles]

I've just read about this a while ago.This goes to show how electric cars can be really 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. 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.

 

[brucedp]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/12/01/2816618/charger-for-volt-didnt-spark-iredell.html

Charger during the fire sent a repeated 'getting warmer' warning

 

[seattler]

Interesting, thanks!

 

[sabrinabrown]

I've heard about that news too about Chevy volt. Still the U.S. House of Representatives recently convened a hearing into the Chevrolet Volt fire. Instead of addressing a significant problem concerning the car or the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration investigation, the hearing was used to stage a series of partisan squabbles. It was determined the batteries had been cracked and leaked coolant after the crash, which caused a short and subsequent fire.