Saturday, December 3, 2011

Response to hysteria about Volt safety

A friend told me, "I hear your Volt is being recalled."  That confirmed my feeling that the headlines about a "probe" of the Volt's safety were sure to create a firestorm (pardon the pun) of nonsense.  As one friendly blogger put it "Let the hysteria begin."  My favorite summation of the issue was the statement:  "If your Volt is completely destroyed in a collision, for safety reasons you should exit the vehicle within three days."  The point is that the fire that broke out in a Volt happened three weeks after a demolition crash test. 

Here is a letter on the issue from a Volt owners facebook page that I signed on to:

OPEN LETTER FROM CHEVY VOLT OWNERS
Why are Chevy Volt Owners Keeping Their Keys?"
Date: December 2, 2011

To the Media and Drivers Across America:

In light of the recent news stories regarding the Chevy Volt, we, as
Volt owners, would like to set the record straight.

We are keeping the keys to our Volt. We love our Volt and we feel
safe driving our Volt.

Volt owners are glad that the NHTSA, GM, and other manufacturers have
now implemented protocols for electric cars in a variety of
circumstances. Just as it is necessary to empty a gas tank after a
major impact, it is necessary to discharge a battery pack after a
major impact. This is a simple and straightforward process. Volt
owners feel assured knowing that government and industry are working
together to define and communicate this process for electric
vehicles, just as they have done for gasoline-powered cars in years past.

We have done our homework and we know that there is no other car that
offers all the advantages of a Volt. We take pleasure in the smooth
driving experience. We get a thrill from the performance and
acceleration. We feel at ease in its comfortable elegance. Perhaps
most of all, we love the convenience and affordability of driving on
electricity everyday, while also having the option of a back-up gas
generator for long distances. This is the beauty of extended range
electric drive. It's fun, it's practical, and it's the future that's
available today.

Lastly, we encourage every driver in this country to test drive a
plug-in electric car. The best way to truly know the electric car
experience is to drive one.

Sincerely,
Chevy Volt Owners (A Facebook Group of 224 Members, signers as of
Friday afternoon include:
Jeff U'Ren, Volt 349
Barry Larkin, Volt 63
Kevin Mark Rooker, Volt 2386
Craig Fisher, Volt 2473
Scott Fauque, Volt 01234
Jack Lucero Fleck, Volt 575
Kelly Hendricks, Volt 1450
Chris Blake, Volt 989
Michael DiPisa, Volt 218
Brent Waldrep, Volt 3945
Shannon Arvizu, Volt 1631
Lyle Dennis, Volt 8
Felix Kramer, Volt 9
Craig Hydrick, Volt 2077
Billy Bell, Volt 1928
Former Governor of Michigan, Jennifer M. Granholm, Volt 3748
Brad J. Horton, Volt 736
Alexandra Paul, Volt 5
Nathan Pinsley, Volt 784
Eric Rotbard, Volt 688
Ken Nelson and Mike Judd, Volt 1712
Yumiko Kato, Volt 2278
Matt Stehouwer, Volt 974
Brett Circe, Volt 169

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