GM Maintains Chevy Volt is Safe but Fire is Always a Risk with Lithium Batteries | DENENA | POINTS
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GM Maintains Chevy Volt is Safe but Fire is Always a Risk with Lithium Batteries

General Motors must have received a huge number of queries from concerned Chevy Volt owners since the U.S. NHTSA announced its safety investigation a few days ago. The investigation stems from NHTSA concerns regarding dangers of injuries or fatalities from sudden explosion or fires in the Chevy Volt’s lithium-ion batteries.

The NHTSA’s concerns arose because a lithium-ion battery in a Chevy Volts it had tested for crash worthiness suddenly erupted into flame. The lithium-ion battery, damaged in the side impact crash test, erupted into flame some time after the actual crash test. It burst into flame while it was stored on a lot at the testing facility. The fire was so intense that it burned other nearby vehicles as well as the Chevy Volt itself. So the NHTSA isn’t just idly speculating about the fire hazard that could occur in Chevy Volt lithium-ion batteries. NHTSA knows of the danger firsthand.

Lithium-ion batteries always present a heightened risk of fire and explosion compared to other batteries and to many other fuel sources. The risk stems from:

  • The much greater potential energy stored in the lithium-ion batteries,
  • These batteries’ extreme sensitivity to overheating,
  • Lithium’s high reactivity, and
  • Lithium’s extremely violent reactions to both water and nitrogen.
  • The high reactivity that makes lithium an excellent energy source also makes it a fire hazard. With lithium, you can’t have one without the other. That’s the tradeoff.

Lithium-ion battery designers go to great lengths to create safety vents and other features intended to reduce the dangers of fire and explosion from the batteries. But the slightest manufacturing or design defects or damage from a wreck can circumvent these safety measures and lead to fires and explosions. That’s what happened at the NHTSA testing storage facility. The lithium-ion battery got damaged in the side impact crash test, and when enough heat and pressure had built up in the damaged battery (no longer completely protected by safety vents and seals), the battery suddenly erupted violently into flame. The lithium-ion battery flame will burn at about 1,100 degrees.

GM staunchly maintains that the Chevy Volt is safe and presents no unusual risks. But in a highly unusual move, GM is offering free loaner vehicles to Chevy Volt owners concerned about the fire dangers presented by their vehicles. The highly unusual offer of free loaned cars coming so quickly after the U.S. NHTSA announcement of its investigation leads me to believe that GM must’ve been deluged by calls from Chevy Volt owners. GM says that it’s making the offer of free loaner vehicles to ensure that Chevy Volt owners won’t lose confidence in their electric cars. But I wonder if the offer might not have just the opposite effect.