Chariots On Fire

Chariots on Fire

Update

June 30, 2016: first US fatality involving self-driving technology ... and it was a Tesla.

The first U.S. fatality using self-driving technology took place in May when the driver of a Tesla S sports car operating the vehicle's "Autopilot" automated driving system died after a collision with a truck in Florida, federal officials said Thursday.

October 3, 2013: now Teslas are bursting into flames. 

May 9, 2012: now it's the Fisker Karma that is the subject of a probe that its owner says started on fire and burned the family's home down (Sugar Land, Texas). The story may be bogus, but then again, one never knows.

January 5, 2012: all Volts are "called back" for several structural repairs; not a formal recall

January 4, 2012: 2011 wrap-up for the Volt. Predicted - 10,000 in sales; actual - 7,000. I was surprise the Volts did that well.

December 16, 2011: Audi CEO -- the Volt is for idiots : no amount of fuel savings will recoup up-front cost.

Third, de Nysschen addresses the Volt head-on, saying that it is simply not economically feasible at present. The features, size and performance offered are those of a gasoline powered car that costs roughly half as much, according to de Nysschen, so those that pay that premium aren't being economically sensible. Use of taxpayer-funded subsidies, which are already being heavily touted as a way to make the Volt affordable, are proof that the technology isn't currently sustainable in a pure market sense. Further, no amount of fuel savings will recoup the up-front costs.

December 12, 2011: Volt's exploding batteries could derail all electric vehicles -- Forbes.

December 8, 2011: GM says close to fix. This a.m. CNBC reports that GM is now looking at the welds. This is at least the third thing they are looking at. All other fixes involve major design changes. Welds would be least expensive, easiest to fix. It looks like the fix is in.

December 1, 2011: Volt power cords subject to failure, fire.

December 1, 2011:  GM will miss Volt sales target this year , selling less than 7,000 this year; about 3,800 shy of its goal. But they still plan to sell 5,000 Volts/month --- per month --- next year, all with the exploding battery:

While GM is expanding annul production to 60,000 units starting in January, the Volt is being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration because its batteries caught on fire in the weeks following three government crash tests. 

I can't make this stuff up.

November 25, 2011: I can't make this stuff up -- "One Volt battery pack that was being closely monitored following a government crash test caught fire ...[A]nother recently crash-tested battery emitted smoke and sparks ...

Criminal?  Government Motors sells Volt before it developed answer to exploding battery . Still no solution. And yet, oil companies subject to fines and jail time for killing a solitary sandplover. I can't make this stuff up. GM is given a pass on this.

Original Post

Link here.

The headline and the lede suggest risk of fire to passengers if involved in a crash with a Chevy Volt:

• U.S. regulators are investigating the safety of batteries used to power electric vehicles after a General Motors Co Chevrolet Volt caught fire following a routine crash test.

You have to read well into the story to get this little nugget:

• The Volt crash test was conducted last May at a facility in Wisconsin. The fire did not break out until more than three weeks later.

I don't know about you, but if involved in a crash that totals my car, I would probably not be sticking around regardless of how safe the car was.

Somehow, this seems like the perfect car: it destroys itself in a fire three weeks following a collision. What more can you want from a car when it comes to negotiating with the insurance company on whether it was a total loss or not.

It would be nice to know how severe the original crash was. If this was a fender bender, it would be bad news, but obviously it was a catastrophic crash test.

Speaking of Chevy Volts, I saw my first Volt today -- I assume it was a dealer's Volt -- it was black and had a huge "VOLT" logo and a lightning like bolt in white on the right side. It was turning in front of me so I don't know if the left side had the same logo. Maybe the left side had a silhouette of a flaming Volt. Who knows? Anyway, for $40,000 it looked very small. I spotted the Volt headed south on University Avenue, Williston, North Dakota, just as it was turning into the parking lot at Williston State College, "where the people make the difference."