Electric Vehicles: NHTSA Closes Chevy Volt Investigation, Says Plug-In Vehicles are Safe

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has declared General Motor’s Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle is safe after concerns over the car’s lithium battery.

“Based on the available data, NHTSA does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles. Generally all vehicles have some risk of fire in the event of a serious crash,” the NHTSA said in a statement Friday.

Last year, the NHTSA started a safety defect investigation on the Volt after a side-impact collision test caused a fire three weeks after the test. That and subsequent tests led GM to make modifications to reinforce the battery pack and the coolant system.

“These enhancements should prevent battery pack intrusion and coolant leakage, thereby eliminating the risk of a post-crash electrical fire like the one in the NHTSA side-impact pole test,” Marry Barra, GM’s senior vice president of global product development, is quoted as saying by the IBTimes. “These will also be helpful to the automotive industry as the adoption of electrification technologies expand.”

General Motors now has the burdensome task of easing consumers’ minds when it comes to the safety of their main electric car. Rival manufacturers of electric vehicles may also suffer as the practicality of green transport is also far from ideal.

Since it launched just over a year ago, GM has sold 8,000 Chevrolet Volts, less than the 10,000 units forecast.

Does the NHTSA’s announcement put your mind at ease when it comes to the safety of electric vehicles? Would you buy a Chevy Volt now that they have been deemed “safe” by the government?

via IBTimes