This Is The Chevy Volt's Post-Crash Safety Protocol
TTAC has received the following protocol, developed by GM in the wake of the June Volt fire at a NHTSA facility in Wisconsin, from a GM source and has confirmed its legitimacy with a second GM source. Though the procedure may be refined based on the findings of NHTSA’s latest round of tests, it gives a good picture of what GM currently does to ensure the safety of Volt driver and passengers as well as rescue workers, towing company workers and salvage yards. And, I have to say, it puts some of my fears about this safety scare to rest. It hadn’t occurred to me that GM’s Onstar system could provide opportunities to respond to crashes in real-time, and apparently the system provides a wide variety of data with which GM’s “corporate SWAT team” can tailor its response to any Volt crash event. Hit the jump for the full procedure.
- Chevy Volt sends Onstar message of just occurred crash event.
- Onstar team notified of Volt crash and immediately implements standard crash protocol to assist vehicle operator
- Onstar immediately pulls key crash criteria from crash notification, i.e. vehicle speed, vehicles conditions (rollover), etc
- Onstar team notifies Volt Battery Team Leader of crash event including key vehicle conditions
- Volt Battery team leader works with Onstar to ping Volt and check additional data if appropriate (higher severity crash events, battery data, etc)
- Volt Battery team Leader determines if high crash severity standards met for depowering or if there is any question about battery severity level. If yes to either, Battery team representative is sent to crash site
- Volt Battery team works with Volt advisor to contact Vehicle Owner and/or determine vehicle location
- Volt Battery representative obtains approval from owner and then proceeds to investigate the crashed Volt and depowers battery if deemed necessary
- Post Crash Volt stable and ready for disposition
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- FreedMike Sounds like an excellent way to waste a ton of money.
- Theflyersfan 175K what...miles? Kilometers? Yards? Is this the one Land Rover in the universe that made it over 100,000 under its own power? I'd be too afraid to drive it daily. Just waiting for the first dash light - it always starts with just one - before the Christmas tree lights up, something sputters or stumbles, and then you're on the side of the road, miles from nowhere, with the toxic smell of frying electronics spewing from each vent. If you and your loved ones are into unplanned surprises and pain, go for it. If a beach vacation in Somalia mixed in with some overland trekking in Chechnya is your idea of best vacation ever, we have a vehicle for you. If you think your local Land Rover dealer has the best coffee in town, and you don't mind hours of HGTV on their waiting room TV, go for it. Just update your Facebook page regularly as the rest of us want to read the carnage.
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- Oberkanone Nope. Never. Run away. Unreliable money pit.
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And the Volt wins CRs customer satisfaction survey. Hate it all you want Buickman, the owners love it. Oh that's right the customer is always wrong, right?
European car journalists seem to praise the European version (Opel Ampera) for being a bright idea, with it's range extender, and that it drives better than most EV or hybrid cars. On the other hand, I think most European car journalist haven't grown up with American car manufacturers so they may not be able to grasp the sheer extend of GM's uselessness in the past.... Odds are 50/50 if it's a great little car or a time bomb... Now, tell me once again why they can't make the side-windows as big as they were obviously trying? or is it a nostalgic hint back to Mercury's of the 50's ?