Are you thinking of purchasing an electric car? Well, you may want to re-think your decision after reading this. The National Highway Transit Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating reports that the Chevy Volt is prone to bursting into flames after a car crash. Apparently, the car’s lithium battery is the culprit. The Volt is General Motors’s prized entry into the world of electric vehicles.
What caught the suspicious eye of safety officials was a side-impact crash test earlier this year. Testers simulated rollover crashes with the Volt and then let the car sit in storage where it eventually burst into flames. Officials with the NHTSA say the car’s lithium battery is to blame. On the bright side, the Volt has not been exactly flying off the show room floors of GM dealers. To date, less than 6,000 of the electric cars have sold. Also, the batteries did not combust until well after the crash.
For its part, GM says it developed measures to remove and discharge the batteries after a crash. Whether GM has a defective vehicle on its hands remains to be seen. Fortunately, no one has suffered injuries in collisions involving the Volt.
Does this change your mind about buying an electric vehicle?
Colson Hicks Eidson – Florida injury attorneys