The Truth About Electric Car Safety

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Worried that an electric car might explode after a collision? In fact, after extensive crash testing like the side-impact test pictured here, the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf were awarded five stars and high safety ratings for rollover protection and front, rear and side collisions.
Worried that an electric car might explode after a collision? In fact, after extensive crash testing like the side-impact test pictured here, the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf were awarded five stars and high safety ratings for rollover protection and front, rear and side collisions.
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief David Strickland, left, is greeted on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, prior to testifying before the House Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending subcommittee hearing on the safety of the all-electric car, the Chevy Volt.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief David Strickland, left, is greeted on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, prior to testifying before the House Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending subcommittee hearing on the safety of the all-electric car, the Chevy Volt.
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General Motors CEO Dan Akerson is sworn in on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, prior to testifying before the House Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending subcommittee hearing entitled,
General Motors CEO Dan Akerson is sworn in on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, prior to testifying before the House Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending subcommittee hearing entitled, "Volt Vehicle Fire: What did NHTSA Know and When Did They Know It?"
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The electric Leaf and Volt both earned 5-star crash safety ratings.
The electric Leaf and Volt both earned 5-star crash safety ratings.
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This Friday, March 25, 2011 photo shows James Brazell as he poses with a charging unit for his Chevy Volt electric car at his home in Asheville, N.C. Brazell plugs the car in after short trips.
This Friday, March 25, 2011 photo shows James Brazell as he poses with a charging unit for his Chevy Volt electric car at his home in Asheville, N.C. Brazell plugs the car in after short trips. "Pretty much I top it up every time I bring it into the garage," he said.
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A Nissan Leaf electric car is plugged into a charging station at the Seward Park Co-op apartments on the Lower East Side of Manhattan May 6, 2011 in New York. Connect by Hertz unveiled its first rental electric car and charging station in New York City where customers can rent this car by the hour.
A Nissan Leaf electric car is plugged into a charging station at the Seward Park Co-op apartments on the Lower East Side of Manhattan May 6, 2011 in New York. Connect by Hertz unveiled its first rental electric car and charging station in New York City where customers can rent this car by the hour.
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Experts say cars carrying batteries are safer than cars carrying gas tanks.
Experts say cars carrying batteries are safer than cars carrying gas tanks.
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One gallon of gas has the explosive power of 30 sticks of dynamite, but it's generally not perceived as dangerous.
One gallon of gas has the explosive power of 30 sticks of dynamite, but it's generally not perceived as dangerous.
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At this point, most Americans have internalized the precautions necessary for safety around gas-powered vehicles.
At this point, most Americans have internalized the precautions necessary for safety around gas-powered vehicles.

In November 2011, the extended-range electric Chevrolet Volt was beginning a modest sales climb when it was temporarily derailed by a report from Washington, D.C. A Volt had caught fire after a government crash test, which led to an official safety agency investigation. The fire occurred three weeks after the crash test, which damaged the battery, and could easily have been avoided if appropriate post-collision safety precautions had been followed.

According to Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, an electric car’s battery could potentially catch on fire if it heats to the point that it ignites flammable liquids near the battery. Draining fluids and removing gas tanks is common at junkyards and garages following real-life car accidents, but is not necessary in the case of gasoline-powered test crashes, because the testers use expensive, non-flammable Stoddard fuel, which poses no fire risk.

General Motors had actually developed procedures for draining and discarding the Volt’s battery pack following a crash, but according to company spokesman Greg Martin, GM hadn’t communicated them to the testing agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), at the time of the test. The Chevy Volt fire received a great deal of publicity, and raised a key question for potential buyers of electric cars: Are electric cars safe?

The public was suddenly unsure, especially after the Volt fire was hit by politically motivated attacks. “Move over, Solyndra,” wrote Greenwire, an environmental news service. “Conservatives opposed to the Obama administration’s spending on clean energy have a new whipping boy. The electric Chevrolet Volt is the new focus of angry conservative blog posts, testy congressional hearings and joking videos.” In December, Mitt Romney said the Volt is “an idea whose time has not come,” and the car was derided by some commentators as “Obama’s car.” The inconvenient truth here is that the Volt was launched in 2007 with George W. Bush in the White House, and the $7,500 federal tax credit that helps people buy it was also passed on Bush’s watch, in 2008. Even the first stages of the GM and Chrysler bailouts happened before Obama took office.

The facts surrounding the Volt fire are complex, and at least partly because of the sensationalist coverage, some people were left with the impression that the Volt has a record of exploding on impact, when in fact this has never occurred.

  • Published on Apr 4, 2012
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