Volt test drive and conversation while waiting

[gilbertguy]

So went to the Arizona Car show in Phoenix today and while waiting in line to test drive a Volt I'm talking to the guy beside me about hybrid cars. He starts into a discussion about how he checked out the original Honda Insight and all the things he didn't like about it. I let him ramble for a minute or two and then mentioned that I actually drove my G1 Insight to the car show today..... It got kind of quiet for a second and then I let him off the hook and we both had a chuckle.

Now, on to the Volt, the battery was low after the 100 folks before me had driven it but I was actually glad, I wanted to see how it drove with the engine powering the car. It did drive for a little bit on battery and then I got to see the engine on transition. It was smooth and quiet, was hard to hear the engine running but I was only going up to maybe 35 MPH. Over all it was a lot of fun to drive it and I'm glad I got the chance.

[Willie Williford]

Read an article the other day about a possible recall on the Volt per the "feds'.
Something about the HV battery exploding in a crash. No recall per Chevy, no reports of any explosions in any crashes. Per the "feds" their (3) test wrecks resulted in an explosion and fire. No other details. GM working with the "feds" to correct the situation.
Another government intervention.

Willie

[02insight]

I think i saw the same article, But someone argued that any other car on the road can catch fire too after a crash due to the gas tank. In that case, any other car's gas tank can explode too.

[gilbertguy]

I'm happy to report that there were no fires onboard during the test drive and we kept all of our hands and arms inside the vehicle while the ride was in motion! While at the car show also got to sit in a Leaf and play with some of the screens, they also had a Focus Electric but it was hands off. Also test drove a Hyundai, Kia, Toyota and Ford hybrid...... they were all nice but for my run around vehicle I just can't give up the high miles per gallon that our little Insights can crank out.

[aisbell]

Originally Posted by Willie Williford

Read an article the other day about a possible recall on the Volt per the "feds'.
Something about the HV battery exploding in a crash.

Here is one article reporting the problem. There was no explosion at all, and no fire when the crash occurred. The lithium-ion battery caught fire one or more weeks after the crash.

Originally Posted by Willie Williford

Another government intervention.

Good for the government! Either GM didn't discover this flaw or they considered it too minor or expensive to fix. A lithium-ion battery that catches fire after being damaged needs to be redesigned, so it's a good thing that the government is holding GM's feet to the fire.

[Eli]

I didn't read the article aisbell posted, but the one I originally read stated that GM's recommended safety protocol for after a crash was not followed, which is the reason for the car catching fire ~3 weeks after the test crash.

I don't think it's a big deal, unless there have been other developments in the last few weeks.

[Cobb]

How was the over all impression for a 40 thousand dollar car? Granted that will only get you into a C class Benz, a ten year old Lexus or 15 year old Jaugar.

I drove the Nissan EV car and it was disappointing over all. The drive train seems awesome, but the interior was cheap, plastic feelin, the seats lack any body or support. It felt like the interior of a ten year old Ford Focus and the dash was hacked up to hold a double din nav unit.

Over all it didnt feel like a 40 thousand dollar car.

I guess driving my friends 150 grand AMG has set the bar too high for me?

[gilbertguy]

Originally Posted by Cobb

How was the over all impression for a 40 thousand dollar car? Granted that will only get you into a C class Benz, a ten year old Lexus or 15 year old Jaugar.

Overall I really liked it but unfortunetly it was a quick drive with lots of others waiting to get in. The seat was comforatable and I thought the dash layout was interesting but because of my short drive I didn't get a chance to use or try much of it.

[UK_MJN]

Originally Posted by aisbell

A lithium-ion battery that catches fire after being damaged needs to be redesigned, so it's a good thing that the government is holding GM's feet to the fire.

It's reported that two more Volt batteries have caught fire during testing and that the NHTSA is formally opening a safety defect investigation as a result.

More here

[jime]

Originally Posted by aisbell

Good for the government! Either GM didn't discover this flaw or they considered it too minor or expensive to fix. A lithium-ion battery that catches fire after being damaged needs to be redesigned, so it's a good thing that the government is holding GM's feet to the fire.

I'm not normally a fan of "big" government, but in this case I agree. Someone has to watch out for the interests of owners and consumers. An individual certainly can't take on GM personally and have any hope of winning.

It may be shown that battery packs will have to be changed out after collisions of more than say 10 MPH. That would allow the batteries to be safely tested and recertified. The investigation should turn up some answers. I think we will have to wait a while for the real answers. After all, we waited 10 years or more for the car in the first place