General Motors announced today that it is taking active steps to investigate fires in two crash-tested Chevrolet Volts—and to stop the conflagration of rumors that its plug-in electric hybrid can catch fire after a crash.
The company is starting an investigation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to explore why two Volts, after being crash-tested and then sitting for a lengthy period of time, subsequently caught fire. Mary Barra, GM’s vice president for global product development, said in a conference call today that it is possible the vehicles’ batteries were not “de-powered” after their crash tests, which would have either reduced or eliminated the possibility of a fire.
If the investigation concludes that de-powering would have averted the fires, then GM needs only to change its current advice to first responders and repair shops dealing with damaged cars; re-engineering would not be necessary.
Parachutes Optional
So far, this is pretty typical stuff for an automaker in this sort of situation: find the precise cause of an issue, work with the government along the way, and (ideally) come up with a safe fix. The unusual bits are how GM is going to deal with Volts already on the road.
For starters, in the case of future on-road Volt accidents, General Motors plans to send technicians out to each car within a day to properly de-power the battery. OnStar already alerts GM when any of its vehicles are involved in accidents, and as there are only about 5400 Volts on the road right now, GM says it is worth the resources to actually send corporate folks into the field to ensure the cars are properly shut down. Yes, this will mean putting someone on a plane from Michigan or elsewhere to Anytown, USA. While there isn’t a timeline for the full investigation and any resulting operational or vehicle changes, Barra and GM’s North American president Mark Reuss say that this surprisingly involved part of the process won’t last for too long.
If the investigation goes according to GM’s plan, emergency responders, Chevrolet dealerships, and third-party repair shops will be issued instructions for properly de-powering Volts involved in serious collisions.
Finally, any current Volt owners jittery about driving their car before a fix is announced are entitled to a free GM loaner car until the NHTSA investigation is concluded. This even though GM makes it clear that there is absolutely no risk to drivers, as the fires started days or weeks after the test crashes. Jim Federico, GM’s chief engineer for electric vehicles, said: “The Volt is safe and does not present undue risk as part of normal operation or immediately after a severe crash.”
Whether customers will actually hear GM is the real question. The risk of negative public reaction is no doubt part of the reason that the company is being so proactive in spreading its message. The General may have a tough battle ahead: Fables of a few Volts spontaneously catching fire in residential garages—which were discredited by fire marshals—fooled even some veteran reporters on GM’s conference call this morning.
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