According to an article written by Guy's Automotive News, it appears that soon after an auto accident, the Chevrolet Volt may catch on fire and even cause fire damage to vehicles around it, possibly in the towing storage area or the auto body repair shop it is taken to. In fact, if you own a Chevrolet Volt and are involved in an auto accident, it is advised that you exit the vehicle safely and wait for the emergency vehicles to arrive at a safe distance from the vehicle. It is also recommended to keep a collision damaged Volt outside and not in an enclosed area or garage. This apparent safety defect should be part of the learning curve for these new electric cars that are hitting the market like the Nissan Leaf and the upcoming Mitsubishi MiEV that’s scheduled to hit the auto market in the early 2012 year and Ford Focus Electric in late 2012.
With President Barack Obama’s plan for putting 1 million vehicles in operation on our roads by 2015 reducing America’s dependency on foreign oil, electric cars may become a important transportation milestone for us Americans. Electric car sales for Chevrolet over 6,000 cars and Nissan is over 8,000 cars. Obviously we can not ignore that electric cars are here and we must learn from the early safety issues to help prevent tragedies.
Safety needs to be a priority for electric cars with lithium-ion batteries. Battery fires from lithium-ion batteries can reach temperatures of 1,100 degrees and lithium-metal battery fires can reach over 4,000 degrees. Spontaneous combustion can occur with these batteries even days after an auto accident so it is imperative that auto repair shops, collision repair shops and towing yards follow proper discharge procedures and safety measures when handling these new electric automobiles of the new millennia.
NHTSA and Chevrolet (GMC) are investigating the cause and effects of these electric car batteries and how to make them safer. There are federal safety guidelines for all types of vehicles that are in place for situations like automotive collisions to ensure driver safety. This fire problem will help future auto makers create more safer electric cars to come.
By Guy's Automotive
for more information on Chevrolet Volt electric car fires, please visit Chevrolet Volt – Electric Car Under Fire About Catching Fire After an Auto Accident
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