The Chevy Volt isn’t prone to catching fire after all, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The all-electric car came under scrutiny last year after one caught fire following a side-impact crash test. GM offered a buyback program for Volt owners concerned their cars might suddenly immolate, then the company made “enhancements” to the Volt’s battery coolant system. That set things right, as far as the NHTSA is concerned: it says “no discernable defect trend exists” in the Volt, and that GM’s revisions “reduce the potential for battery intrusion resulting from side impacts.” Chevy dropped the Volt’s price by ,000 for 2012, too. So what do you think? Is a ,000 starting price and less of a chance of burning to death enough to make you go electric?

Chevy Volt safe from fire hazard after all, says government originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors staunchly defended the Chevrolet Volt on Monday, even as it offered to loan replacement vehicles to any Volt owner concerned about a federal inquiry into the safety of the car’s battery pack.

GM responded assertively and candidly to what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration called “a formal safety defect investigation” into the Chevrolet …

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Click to viewWhen he’s not driving around in circles, NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt Jr. apparently likes to opine on the state of electric cars and green technology. CNS news tracked down Earnhardt to ask him what he thought of electric cars, specificially the Chevy Volt. Here’s what he said: More »

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