Quote:
Originally Posted by 8cd03gro
You don't even know the details of how the fire started yet and you're already saying there is no way there is a problem. The investigation is to find out if there is a problem. Sure, this type of thing can be turned into sensationalism like with the Toyota gas pedal debacle, but the whole point of the investigation is is to find any potential problems. I doubt the NHTSA has shorted a bunch of GM stock and there is some huge conspiracy to drive it into the ground. “Based on the available data, NHTSA does not believe the Volt or other electric vehicles are at a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles,” NHTSA officials told Bloomberg in a statement. I don't see any problem with investigating a fire and making a statement that there's no reason to believe there is an issue yet. If everybody had enough bias to their given brand to just assume there isn't an issue the NHTSA would never open investigations.
|
You just said it all. NHTSA officials see no greater risk of fire than with a gas vehicle. That is not the headline they wrote -- Volt Catches Fire!
This is the same technique attorneys have been using for years.
Mr. Smith when did you stop beating your wife?
I find the headline a pathetic attention grab by the NHTSA. We live in a sound byte world. Few will read the complete press release because the article quoted in the OP was not a complete press release. It is a cheap shot pure and simple. The headline is Volt Catches Fire. The text goes on to say the NHTSA believes the Volt to be safe and wants to look at ALL the cars that use similar batteries. The headline should have been NHTSA Initiates Study for Post-Crash Storage of Electric Vehicles. That is accurate, but a dull sound byte. Why was the NHTSA on Bloomberg -- because they put out a dramatic title on a dull story -- Volt Catches Fire
The NHTSA and GM have NOT been able to create any condition in which the batteries used on the Volt spontaneously combust. My guess, and maybe it isn't a guess, is that a short was created. The batteries in the Volt are cooled by a liquid. Damage to the cooling system could have created a problem through corrosion. Pulling the plug would have reduced the possibility of a short. Discharging the batteries would have eliminated all potential for a fire. A discharged battery cannot over heat or short out. Sometimes I know more than I can say.
The result of the NHTSA seeking attention with an sound byte press release is reflected in the title of this thread. I am tired of a press that caters to the lowest common denominator with sensational sound bytes. In six months or a year when they announce there is no flaw that caused this fire will anyone see it? Page One Volt Catches Fire. Buried in the business section six months later Electric Cars Pose No Additional Fire Risk. It doesn't even out. They never get the doubt they just created out of the market place. The damage is already done.
So when did you stop drinking, doing drugs, beating your wife???
I am so sorry I said you were no longer fill in the blank...
Clarifications, completed reports and apologies never offset the initial headline.