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General Motors today announced
enhancements to the vehicle
structure and battery coolant
system in the Chevrolet Volt
that would further protect the
battery from the possibility of
an electrical fire occurring
days or weeks after a severe
crash.
The enhancements come in
response to a National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
Preliminary Evaluation to
examine post-severe crash
battery performance.
NHTSA opened a Preliminary
Evaluation on November 25, 2011
following a severe-impact lab
test on a battery pack that
resulted in an electrical fire
six days later. The test was
conducted to reproduce a coolant
leak that occurred in a
full-scale vehicle crash test
last May that resulted in an
electrical fire three weeks
later.
The Volt is a Top Safety Pick by
the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety and has earned
other safety awards from key
third-party organizations.
Through the first 11 months of
2011, Volt owners accumulated
nearly 20 million miles without
an incident similar to the
results in the NHTSA tests
“The Volt has always been safe
to drive. Now, we will go the
extra mile to ensure our
customers’ peace of mind in the
days and weeks following a
severe crash,” said Mary Barra,
GM senior vice president of
Global Product Development.
GM
will conduct a Customer
Satisfaction Program to further
protect the Volt battery from
the possibility of an electrical
fire occurring days or weeks
after a severe side crash.
Modifications will:
-
Strengthen an existing
portion of the Volt’s
vehicle safety structure to
further protect the battery
pack in a severe side
collision
-
Add a sensor in the
reservoir of the battery
coolant system to monitor
coolant levels
-
Add a tamper-resistant
bracket to the top of the
battery coolant reservoir to
help prevent potential
coolant overfill.
GM
conducted four successful crash
tests between December 9 and 21
of Volts with the structural
enhancement. The enhancement
performed as intended. There was
no intrusion into the battery
pack and no coolant leakage in
any of the tests.
“These enhancements and
modifications will address the
concerns raised by the severe
crash tests,” Barra said. “There
are no changes to the Volt
battery pack or cell chemistry
as a result of these actions. We
have tested the Volt’s battery
system for more than 285,000
hours, or 25 years, of
operation. We’re as confident as
ever that the cell design is
among the safest on the market.”
Volt customers will be
individually notified when the
modifications are available for
their vehicle. The enhancements
are being incorporated into the
Volt manufacturing process as
production resumes this month.
The modifications and
enhancements will be applied to
all Volts, including vehicles
sold in Europe. The European New
Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP)
has awarded the Chevrolet Volt
the top five-star safety rating.
“We’re focused on one thing
right now: doing what’s right
for our customers,” said GM
North America President Mark
Reuss. “We’ll live up to our
commitment to make sure our
customers are delighted with
their purchase.”
Vehicle electrification
technologies are important to
the future of the automotive
industry, which is why GM will
continue its leadership role in
helping the Society of
Automotive Engineers develop
standards that will help tow
truck operators, salvage yards
and vehicle recyclers in the
proper handling of electric
vehicle components. GM will help
develop educational materials
that can be used by these
stakeholders in the future. |
