- A new survey of more than 3,800 U.S. buyers shows a decline in their consideration of the Chevrolet Volt in the wake of a federal probe into post-crash battery fires.
- Consideration of the Volt has slipped among electric-vehicle enthusiasts as well as general consumers, said CNW Marketing Research.
- The study found that 47 percent of EV enthusiasts said they would consider a Volt in December versus 71.2 percent in March.
BANDON, Oregon — A new survey of more than 3,800 U.S. buyers shows a decline in their consideration of the Chevrolet Volt in the wake of a federal probe into post-crash battery fires.
Consideration of the Volt has slipped among electric-vehicle enthusiasts as well as general consumers, said CNW Marketing Research.
The study found that 47 percent of EV enthusiasts (including those responding "very likely" and "likely") said they would consider a Volt in December versus 71 percent in March. Just 1.7 percent of general consumers (very likely and likely) said they would consider buying a Volt in December versus 5.6 percent in March.
CNW Marketing Research noted that the survey was conducted "after the initial report of battery fires" in an e-mailed message to Inside Line.
A federal investigation into the lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles was launched after a Chevrolet Volt caught fire while stored in a garage in a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration testing center. GM has said it is cooperating with NHTSA to find the source of the problem and determine if design changes are needed.
GM's attempts to reposition itself as a leader in the green-vehicle movement hinge on the success of the Volt. The automaker has said repeatedly that the Volt is safe to drive, but it has taken extraordinary steps to reassure consumers — including offering free loaner vehicles and even buying back Volts until the investigation is finished.
In the meantime, a U.S. House regulatory affairs subcommittee said it will hold a hearing into how the Volt defect investigation has been handled, according to media reports. The Web site of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has yet to post the time and date for the hearing, which is expected in late January.
Inside Line says: Have you taken the Volt off of your shopping list?
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tbone85 says:
09:49 AM, 12/14/2011
QDP, your childish and laughably weak insults aside, you failed to address the issue of the actual data or your attempt to manipulate the data you quoted.
What sort of data would be meaningful? A sample size with reasonable statistical significance that includes the actual number of incidents within that sample instead of having the number of incidents manufactured to fit a hater narrative.
You questioned my intellect and education. In your childish rage You've settled those questions about yourself and also raised a question of your own honesty.
qdp says:
09:26 PM, 12/12/2011
@tbone85
Unforturnately it seems either your IQ is so low or your education is so poor that you can't tell the difference between what has happend in NHTSA test center and on the road. Wonder what sort of data would really be meaningful to you if you can't tell the difference? Shame on you jerk.
tbone85 says:
05:19 PM, 12/12/2011
Because of course I've never seen an automobile catch on fire and burn. Any of them that may catch on fire should be recalled and banned. Give it a break. You have no where near enough data points to make these wild accusations, and you've manipulated the ones you had.
You've been a persistent and at times irrational hater of of the Volt. What other conclusion would you possibly ever come to?
qdp says:
12:28 PM, 12/11/2011
@yamahr1
Volt's battery is prone to damage on side-impact test. In real world simulation, "The battery pack in the third test began to smoke and spark Almost IMMEDIATELY, the pack in the second test caught fire a week later" . Do you still think Volt is safe for passengers?
http://www.beautyoftheweb.com/#/hotmail/vista_ie?ocid=vista_ie
"NHTSA had done a side-impact test on a Volt then parked it outside, and three weeks later Chevy's plug-in hybrid caught fire. The battery was determined to be the cause, after its coolant line was ruptured during the side-impact test"
"NHTSA conducted three more tests on the Volt's battery packs over three days, each test involving damaging the pack and rotating the car to simulate an accident and rollover. The battery pack in the third test began to smoke and spark almost immediately, the pack in the second test caught fire a week later"
yamahr1 says:
11:55 AM, 12/11/2011
responding to qdp:
I do not think the Volt should have failed the test, because I believe the objective of the test is passenger safety in the crash. It is not about how well the car itself makes out, or how much damage is caused. In this case, the passengers (as measured by the test dummies) did very well (hence the Volt's 5-star side impact safety rating), and there is also no reason to believe that the car could have caught fire from the impact at the scene of an accident.
I think it's good that NHTSA and GM are following up on the later fire that developed in the battery, but the hype in the media about it is totally reckless and unjustified, and as a Volt driver and knowing its 5-star results in the tougher 2011 NHTSA standards, I feel as safe and well-protected as possible, knowing it's truly one of the safest cars on the road today. So back at you, why should I feel any differently?
qdp says:
11:28 AM, 12/11/2011
@yamahr1
Whatever remedy is taken after the fire, I am wonder if we can agree that Volt should have failed the NHTSA's side-impact test in first place.
yamahr1 says:
08:19 AM, 12/11/2011
@qdp
The post-crash battery draining is supposed to be done by a mobile team that GM put together, not the consumer or Tony's Garage. Even if responders don't know to call GM, the Volt has OnStar crash notification, and supposedly GM will proactively follow up on Volt crashes to make sure that the battery safety is taken care of. Post crash battery safety is something all electric cars will be affected by, and even hybrid cars like Prius have already dealt with similar issues. EVs are not going away at this point, so like with everything else people (emergency workers, tow operators, mechanics, etc.) have to learn new protocols and skills.
qdp says:
08:46 PM, 12/10/2011
@yamahr1
After checking NHTSA's report, I have to admit that what you said is accurate and mine is not so. Thanks for the correcting .
To my view, it seems NHTSA was inexperienced in testing Battery-powered cars. Otherwise it would have checked the batter integrity right after the side-impact instead of letting it sit for 3wks.
However, I still want to insist that, under NHTSA's standard test speed, the fact that Volt caught fire 3weeks later, even if the battery fire happens 1 in 10 tested Volts, is deemed unsafe to public. . If Volt claims to be safe for the standard speed side impact , owners are not liable to drain. furthermore, Volt owners and average mechanic have no ability to drain the battery
yamahr1 says:
03:51 PM, 12/10/2011
@qdb: you either have a bad source, or you're making this all up as you go. As far as I know, the only definitive statement on what NHTSA actually did and found is here on their site: http://www.nhtsa.gov/PR/Volt
It mentions 2 fires. One was the actual side-impacted car, which sustained battery damage and whose battery caught fire 3 weeks later. As mentioned by mk40, some other sources have indicated that a couple of subsequent crash tests on actual cars were done and showed no issues. All other tests mentioned in NHTSA's statement were from intentionally damaging the batteries only and flipping them upside down, they were not Volt crash tests. Out of those 3, one battery caught fire a week later, one sparked and smoked but did not catch fire, and one did nothing at all.
It's also pretty clear that none of the fires would have taken place if the batteries were discharged after the crash/damage occurred, just as gas would be drained from a damaged fuel system.
qdp says:
09:32 AM, 12/10/2011
@ mk40
NHTSA tested 4 Volts and 3 of 4 caught fire within 3week period.
No matter whether Volt initiallly passed safety test with five stars rating but later on caught fire in 3weeks is safe or not, 3 out of 4 catching fire in test is way too high to be considered safe in commonsense. Furtheremore, we saw alot of cars passed safety test but still were recalled, didn't we.