Then General Motors Chairman Ed Whitacre congratulates Brownstown Battery Plant Manager Nancy Laubenthal on as first Chevrolet Volt battery comes off the assembly line in Michigan last year.
At the same time the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was preparing to announce that a formal investigation had begun over Chevrolet Volt battery fires, the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) released its latest results, which gave the Opel Ampera a top 5-star rating. The Ampera is a virtual clone of the Chevrolet Volt.
It appears that neither NHTSA nor Euro NCAP could do otherwise. Chevrolet Volt fires prompted NHTSA to say that damage to the Volt’s batteries as part of three tests “explicitly designed to replicate real-world crash scenarios” have resulted in two fires, the reason for the investigation. (See NHTSA Opens a Formal Defect Investigation into Chevrolet Volt Battery Fires When a Second Fire Occurs After a Crash Test)
Euro NCAP, and independent testing agency, said in its tests the Opel Ampera scored maximum points in a severe side pole impact with good protection of all body areas. The “electrical safety of the car was checked after all of the impact tests and no problems were found.” It was a side impact test by NHTSA that resulted in a Volt battery fire.
In comments published with the highest possible rating, Euro NCAP also said the Chevrolet Volt has been “scrutinized by Euro NCAP and the car is structurally identical to the Opel Ampera.” Chevrolet told Euro NCAP that the Volt also has the same levels of safety equipment as the Ampera. “Euro NCAP believes that the star rating of the Ampera can also be applied to the Chevrolet Volt.” So the Volt has now received top safety ratings from NHTSA, Euro NCAP and the independent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
While questions remain about the significance of the fires, General Motors is continuing its expansion of sales of the Volt. Next year Shanghai GM Chevrolet dealerships in eight Chinese cities will start selling the Volt. Since the Volt does not qualify for Chinese government subsides under a job creating industrial policy, it will be priced at RMB 498,000 (~$75,533), which is laughably non-competitive.
Nevertheless, China will be among the first global markets to offer the Volt, which provides up to 35 miles (80 kilometers) of electric driving. With its onboard engine-generator – essentially the world’s longest extension cord, Volt has a total driving range of 570 kilometers in so called extended-range mode, which is really just a hybrid running on gasoline.
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