Enhancing the Volt

I wanted to share some developments with you about our response to the NHTSA investigation into the Chevrolet Volt resulting from a fire several days after a severe crash test.
If you’ll remember, NHTSA began testing the Volt battery after one of the vehicles it crash tested in May caught fire three weeks after the test. Testing and analysis revealed the fire was the result of a minor intrusion from a portion of the vehicle into a side section of the battery pack. The intrusion resulted in a small coolant leak inside the battery, approximately 50 ml (one-quarter of a cup) of fluid.
Over the past few weeks, GM engineers have completed development and validation on a set of proposed enhancements and shared them with NHTSA staff.
We ran a series of internal tests and all successfully resulted in no battery pack intrusion or coolant leakage, thereby eliminating the chance for a post-crash electrical fire for this test condition.
Through the first 11 months of 2011, Volt owners accumulated more than 20 million miles without any incident similar to the NHTSA tests. That said, we are choosing to go the extra mile to ensure our customers’ peace of mind. GM will conduct a Customer Satisfaction Program and implement structural and coolant system enhancements to further protect the Volt battery from the possibility of an electrical fire occurring days or weeks after a severe side crash.
First, we’re going to strengthen an existing portion of the vehicle’s safety structure that protects the battery pack in the event of a severe side collision. The enhancements add to the robustness in protecting the battery and its coolant lines in the event of a severe side crash. Beginning in February, dealers will begin making these modifications for current Volt owners. When production resumes at the Volt plant this month, we’re integrating similar structural enhancements into the body shop manufacturing process.
In addition to these structural modifications, we’re going to make enhancements to the battery coolant system, including:
-Installing a sensor in the reservoir of the battery coolant system to monitor coolant levels.
-Adding a tamper resistant bracket to the top of the battery coolant reservoir to help prevent potential coolant overfill.
-The Volt’s battery cooling system is sealed and protected, but again we’re taking these steps to provide peace of mind for customers.
These enhancements should prevent battery pack intrusion and coolant leakage thereby eliminating the risk of a post crash electrical fire in the NHTSA’s test side impact pole test. They will also be helpful to the automotive industry as the adoption of electrification technologies expands.
Our actions have nothing to do with the battery pack itself. None of these changes will touch the battery cell or pack. As a result we will not change any part of the manufacturing process at our Brownstown, Michigan, battery pack assembly plant.
I’m proud of the work our team members have done to get these steps in place as quickly as they did. It was an unprecedented response by today’s GM. Our commitment is to provide our customers with the best ownership experience in the industry and we’re focused on delivering that every day.
That’s how we intend to win with Volt, and with every other vehicle we design, build and sell.