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What does that bring the cost per car up to I wonder?
AP Source: GM to call back 8,000 Chevy Volts
By TOM KRISHER | AP – 3 hrs ago
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors will strengthen the structure around the batteries in its Volt electric cars to keep them safe during crashes, a person briefed on the matter said Thursday.
GM will ask Volt owners to return the cars to dealers for structural modifications, said the person, who did not want to be identified because GM executives plan to announce the repairs later Thursday.
The fixes are similar to a recall and involve about 8,000 Volts sold in the U.S. in the past two years. GM is making the repairs after three Volt batteries caught fire following crash tests done by federal safety regulators. The fires occurred seven days to three weeks after tests and have been blamed on a coolant leak that caused an electrical short.
GM's move is considered a step below a recall, which would be issued by a car company and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
NHTSA and GM have said the electric cars are safe and that no fires have occurred after crashes on real-world roadways.
The Volt has a T-shaped, 400-pound (181-kilogram) battery pack that can power the car for about 35 miles (56 kilometers). After that, a small gasoline generator kicks in to run the electric motor.
NHTSA has been investigating the batteries after a Volt caught fire in June at a crash test facility in Wisconsin. The fire broke out three weeks after a side-impact crash test.
GM said the Volt's battery should have been drained after the crash, but it never told NHTSA to do that. Later, two GM executives said the company had no formal procedure to drain the batteries until after the June fire. GM has said that the liquid solution used to cool the Volt's battery leaked and crystallized, causing an electrical short that touched off the fire.
The company now sends out a team to drain the batteries after being notified of a crash by GM's OnStar safety system.
The company sold 7,671 Volts last year, falling short of its goal of 10,000. It was outsold last year by its main electric car compe or, the Nissan Leaf, at 9,674.
What does that bring the cost per car up to I wonder?
Happy, are ya?
So do I understand this correctly? If you get in a wreck in your Volt, Chevy automatically sends out a hit squad to kill your battery?
Do you have to buy a new battery before you can use it again?
Death squads!
I would imagine this falls within the warranty service, seeing it comes from a NHTSA advisory.
Interesting we don't hear about anything similar with the Leaf... probably a better design.
I can hear the detractors from those who lauighed at Ford when he introduced the Model T...
"It'll never work", "haha we told you it wouldn't work".." my horse and buggy are just fine, "this is a passing fad that will never amount to anything"..
Actually this is a voluntary move before a NHTSA recall.
OMG sending out a squad of people to keep a fire from happening. Who does that anymore?
Electric vehicles certainly have their place. I love mine at the ranch.
Don't assume everyone that says the Volt sucks is a Luddite. Might just be why they only sold 7000 even with the huge tax credit...might be because they really DO suck.
I still think this is a joint decision with the NHTSA and probably covered by the warranty service.
I mean, it's still cheaper than mandating a full recall. It's also quite possible it's not a recall because there's no actual solution at this point.
Last edited by ElNono; 01-05-2012 at 05:12 PM. Reason: changed the wording a bit
Maybe full electric do at this stage. Hybrids on the other hand have sold well. At least the Prius has.
Oh, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Chevy pays whatever is necessary to keep this from turning into even a bigger PR nightmare.
GM stock must be in free fall after that news!
Wash. Post Pulls Rug From Under New Electric Cars
Just as mainstream automakers are beginning to launch electric vehicle (EV) technology, The Washington Post is calling for an end to federal tax credits encouraging consumers to purchase electric cars. The Post's editorial coincides with a Republican proposal (not mentioned in the editorial) to repeal the tax credits, which date back to the latter years of the George W. Bush administration. Continuing what has become a pattern in the paper's energy coverage, the Post presents a selective and short-sighted version of the facts.
Take, for instance, the argument that "only upper-income consumers can afford to buy an electric vehicle." In a highly misleading move, the Post provides the price of only one EV option, the luxury $100,000 Fisker Karma. By contrast, the after-credit cost of a Nissan Leaf is $27,700. A CNNMoney guide to the "remarkable assortment" of plug-in cars coming online in 2012 quotes prices starting "from $22,000." Beyond the sticker price, EVs have lower operating costs and represent the only option most families have for really shielding their financial security from perennial es in the price of gasoline.
The Post goes on to argue that the electric car industry is "not ready for prime time," saying "sales of electric vehicles were disappointing in 2011." Chelsea Sexton, an electric car advocate who has advised GM, said via email that 2011 sales of electric cars have for the most part "been limited by production, not demand." "Even so, 2011 [EV] sales were nearly double first year (2000) hybrid sales," Sexton added.
The editorial makes no note of the economic factors suppressing consumer demand for many goods and services. Nor does it recognize that lawmakers supported electric cars because they are not already a well-established technology, not in spite of that fact.
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012010...County+Fair%29
GM stock is a joke. A really BAD joke that taxpayers paid for.
Yeah...another million people on unemployment would have been such a better investment
Over so few cars?
I doubt it.
I haven't looked at the trend, but does anyone even want to own part of Government Motors these days?
To reemploy Americans, we have to do something to bring factories back here. Not just factories like making Toyota in America, but actually making the parts here too. We have to find a way to compete. It can be one or more solutions, but will likely mean lowering the productivity tax and reinstating tariffs.
So of course it's gone way down after yesterday's announcement, right?
Right?
GM stock has been dropping steadily since going public again (down from 40 to 22) and is a currently a couple of points off it's 52 week low.
Whats your point, Chump? If you think it's a great investment feel free to buy yourself some GM stock.
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