Posted on 11/11/2011 5:05:42 PM PST by Sub-Driver
Batteries in Electric Cars Examined After Chevy Volt Fire By NICK BUNKLEY
DETROIT — Federal safety regulators said Friday that they are examining lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars after a Chevrolet Volt caught fire three weeks after it underwent a crash test.
General Motors, which began selling the Volt plug-in hybrid last December, defended it as “a safe car” and said the fire would not have occurred if G.M.’s protocols for deactivating the battery after the crash had been followed.
In a statement, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is working with all automakers to develop post-crash procedures to keep occupants of electric vehicles and emergency personnel who respond to crash scenes safe.
The large, high-voltage batteries used in electric vehicles can be more easily damaged in a crash than traditional car batteries, and create more potential to electrically shock occupants and rescuers.
“Based on the available data, N.H.T.S.A. does not believe the Volt or other electric vehicles are at a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles,” the agency said. “In fact, all vehicles — both electric and gasoline-powered — have some risk of fire in the event of a serious crash.”
G.M. is not aware of fires involving any other Volts after a crash, a company spokesman, Jay Cooney said, and N.H.T.S.A. said the incident is the only time an electric vehicle it crash tested has caught fire. Neither G.M. nor the agency were able to replicate the incident during subsequent testing.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
***The large, high-voltage batteries used in electric vehicles can be more easily damaged in a crash than traditional car batteries, and create more potential to electrically shock occupants and rescuers.
“Based on the available data, N.H.T.S.A. does not believe the Volt or other electric vehicles are at a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles,” the agency said. “In fact, all vehicles — both electric and gasoline-powered — have some risk of fire in the event of a serious crash.” ***
So what they want is someone to go to the car after it has crashed and disable a battery that could give them a potentially fatal shock. Smart.
Why not instead have a switch developed that would shut off the power when a crash of a certain magnitude occures? Wouldn’t that be smarter, safer, and a better selling feature?
In other words... if the airbags deploy, the battery shuts off. Real simple.
But NO, they want all fire and rescue people to be trained on how to safely shut off a Volt in case of a crash. How much time and money will THAT take?
Reminds me of this little gem.. You know whats blue, orange and yellow and looks really good on hippies? Fire
The battery doesn't shut off. It can be switched off from the circuit, but it is still hot (charged) and can cause all manner of havoc. 440 volts can electrocute rather efficiently.
You have to strip your electric car down for it to be safe.
Better set the alarm clock extra early.
Granted, having been jolted a few times I'm a little wary working on light switches etc around the house, but electric vehicles are damn fightening.
[ the fire would not have occurred if G.M.’s protocols for deactivating the battery after the crash had been followed. ]
And the crash wouldn’t happened if they didn’t take the car out of the garage..
They would have been somewhat safer if they had bought a Ford..
Y'mean like ..
dial 911, call the SWAT team, evacuate the house, send the kids to detox, take your iodine pills and salt when you break one o'them curly-cue mercury thingys ... THAT kind of "if only .. " ?
ping
Maybe they already have such a switch. I know that Prius has a high voltage, high current relay (SMR) mounted very close to the battery. The contacts of the relay are normally open; this means that if the relay loses power it disconnects the traction battery from the rest of the car. There is a separate, small, common 12V battery that is used to boot the computers and switch the relay on. This way if you remove the 12V power the 200V battery disconnects. I have no clue if this is also done on deployment of airbags, but it would be a very sensible thing to do - the car isn't going anywhere with the airbags inflated.
“The Volt it’s HOT!”
Why do I get the feeling Nader will go nowhere near this one...
DC with high amps will strike you dead.
I imagine that the amperage on the battery is rather high considering that it has to have enough “Oomph” to move a vehicle.
440 VAC Throws you off of it
28 VDC will make you grab on to it.
Don’t ask me how I know.
How do you know?
That sounds like the voice of experience (either directly or indirectly).
Anyone that drives a battery powered car right now, with the internal combustion engine being available to them is just stupid.
It’s like turning off the central air in your house during the Summer, and air conditioning the place with giant ice cubes instead.....
I said don’t ask me!!
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