The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that after a new battery caught fire during the test, the US federal regulator has launched a formal safety defect investigation into the Chevrolet Volt.
Earlier this month, U. S. officials said they had launched an investigation into the safety of electric vehicles after the Volt's damaged lithium battery caught fire three weeks after a crash test.
No one was injured in the May fire, which damaged property at a government testing facility in Wisconsin.
NHTSA then tried to recreate the May test, which was tested three times last week on Volt lithium
Ion battery pack, intentionally damaging the battery box and damaging its coolant line.
The report said the battery caught fire during two tests.
Therefore, NHTSA is conducting a safety defect investigation on Chevrolet Volt, which may cause damage to the battery
The fire was triggered after the accident, "The safety regulator said in a statement.
"There is no reason to worry about Chevrolet Volt owners who have not had a serious collision with the vehicle," the statement stressed . ".
No recall has been made so far and NHTSA says it has no report on the real situation
Causing the battery life to crash
Related fires in Chevrolet Volt or other vehicles powered by lithiumion batteries.
Nevertheless, "The agency is still concerned about the damage of the Volt battery as part of three tests explicitly designed to replicate the real battery
"The World crash has caused a fire," it stressed . ".
"If NHTSA finds an unreasonable security risk, the agency will take immediate action to inform consumers and ensure GM communicates with current owners," the statement added . ".
GM, in a statement, insisted that the vehicle was "safe, as part of normal operation or would not have an unnecessary risk immediately after a serious crash" and expressed support for NHTSA
"The focus and research of GM and the agency continues to focus on the handling, storage and disposal of battery performance, collisions or other major events such as fires, to better serve first and second responders, "said Jim Federico, chief engineer for General Motors electric vehicles.
"There are no reports of similar incidents in the field.