GM Claims The Volt Is Safe but Offers Free Of Charge Cars To Volt Owners

GM tries to reduce the level of anxiety among Volt owners following last week’s battery fire revelations. 

In light of the recent anxieties over potential fires in the Chevy Volt’s battery, GM wants to reassure owners by offering a free replacement of their current Volt if they feel uncomfortable with it in any way. The offer comes after the investigation begun last week by the NHTSA into possible post-crash electrical fires. Mark Reuss, GM North America President and Mary Barra, Sr. VP of Product Development offered their explanation of the events in a press conference and both of them insisted that the car is safe.
None of the fires happened while drive or after an accident, but only during and after crash testing the cars and their batteries packs in a controlled situation.Mary Barra explained that the first Volt that caught fire last June, some three weeks after it was used in a crash test, was due to “significant electrical charge or energy, was left in the battery after the test. When electrical energy is left in a battery after a severe crash it can be similar to leaving gasoline in a leaking fuel tank after severe damage,” she explained. “It’s important to drain the energy from the battery after a crash that compromises the battery’s integrity – or you risk potential fire.”

Following those events, GM developed a process to depower batteries following an accident and these new procedures will be distributed to dealerships and mechanics who handle or store vehicles after severe crashes.Barra further said that a post-crash Volt initially shouldn’t be at risk, but the potential for an electrical fire from this condition would likely not exist until days after the crash took place.”We will take every precaution to assure our customers and the public of our total commitment to safety of anyone who drives the Volt,” said Barra.Barra also correctly pointed out that battery safety doesn’t only conern the Volt alone, as there are many other popular vehicles that utilize lithium-ion batteries, so there will be extensive research within the entire industry to better understand and solve this issue. “Engineers and other automotive companies will address new issues such as a process and protocol for depowering batteries,” she said.

Chevrolet Volt to Sell for $75,333 in China with No Rebate

The Volt is creating a mini-crisis in the bilateral relationship between the two great powers. 

The Chevrolet Volt is coming to China and it is not going to be cheap for prospective customers. The price of the plug-in hybrid electric has been set at a staggering $75,333 (or if you’re Chinese then it’s RMB 2,000 shy of RMB 500,000).In the U.S. the Volt’s priced at $41,000 and after a $7,500 tax break the cost is just $33,500. However no rebates are being offered for Chinese customers just yet. Thing is, the Chinese want to build the Volt in China, which would involve the transfer of the Volt’s technology.
However, GM and the American government are reluctant to do this due to the likelihood of intellectual property theft. In retaliation the Chinese government is refusing to grant the Volt the $19,500 rebate offered to other electric cars in China.The Chevrolet Volt will be sold in China in 13 Shanghai Chevrolet dealerships and in eight other cities including Beijing.So the question is whether GM is willing to give up this technology for the sake of selling Volts in the fastest growing automotive market in the world? Yeah, this is going to be interesting.

Michel Motorsports Gitano Is Cooler Than The Chevy Volt

There will soon be a new plug-in hybrid sports car to compete with the Fisker Karma.

When you think of plug-in hybrids, there aren’t many options, and the Fisker Karma is pretty much the only one that’s really appealing for any reason other the technology. It seems there will be a new entrant to the world of plug-ins with emotional appeal though, and it is called the Gitano.The car from Michel Motorsports has a 100 mile range in EV mode, and can then travel under the power of a rotary range extender located in the trunk.

The same company is also working on an all-electric conversion for the fourth-gen (E46) BMW 3-Series, this might not sound all that interesting, but word is that if you ask them to, they’ll crank the horsepower up to 1000.If you like the Gitano but electric propulsion isn’t your thing, then it can be ordered with a gen IV LS V8 producing 430 horsepower and 424lb-ft of torque.