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GM Volt: Fire Prevention Battery Box

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by hill, Jan 7, 2012.

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  1. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Whether it needs it or not - GM is going to re-invent their wheel, so-to-speak:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/business/gm-to-reinforce-battery-in-hybrid-car.html?_r=1

    Does the re-do actually need to be done? Iduno. GM often said the Prius was a P.R. stunt (back in the early days). If 'good-things' are just a P.R. stunt in the corporate minds of GM, maybe the work is just for show. Also, I couldn't help but think the original Volt battery box was built "on-the-cheep" (so to speak), in order to keep costs down. Conversely, the Leaf battery box is already beefy'ier, and thus more costly. Will the Volt require a higher sticker price now? Time will tell, I guess.

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    #1 hill, Jan 7, 2012
  2. SlowTurd

    SlowTurd I LIKE PRIUS'S

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    and......will they retrofit the existing volts?
     
    #2 SlowTurd, Jan 8, 2012
  3. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    The new redesign is pretty inexpensive, so no they didn't leave it out to save costs.. GM is doing this work for show, but that does not make it a bad thing. The NHTSA requested they make the cars safer after failing a test. The test represents a very unlikely scenario, and the way the volt failed did not make it unsafe. But car companies should not fight the NHTSA, as it makes them likely to fight them on real safety issues. The redesign allows them to pass the artificial test. They did the right thing, which helps get rid of some of the fud that this safe car is unsafe. From a PR point of view this "fix" is an inexpensive way to help get rid of the fud that Plug-ins are going to catch fire. The coolant sensor is a real fix to a real potential problem though.

    Yes.
     
    #3 austingreen, Jan 8, 2012
  4. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
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    #4 Paradox, Jan 8, 2012
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