Some time back an investigation was opened to determine if the Chevrolet Volt had a propensity to light ablaze after an automobile accident. The government delayed any warning from going out to consumers and have now reported that the Volt poses no risk:
Chevrolet’s electric-powered Volt has been cleared by US federal safety investigators, with the plug-in car deemed to present no more significant fire risk than its gasoline-powered counterparts, and leaving Chevvy with the unenviable task of re-marketing the vehicle. “No discernible defect trend exists” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said of the Volt, going on to highlight General Motors’ improvements to the structure of the car and the battery cooling systems. The investigation – perhaps uncomfortably public for GM – will educate new NHTSA guidelines on dealing with electric car safety.
Now that the government has given their money receiving cronies the all clear how about an investigation performed by a third-party that doesn’t have a conflict of interest? I’m sorry but I’m far more willing to trust a private entity like Consumer Reports (whom I don’t trust very much) than I am the federal government who has a stake in General Motors. Trusting the federal government to investigate the Volt is like asking Bernard Madoff to investigate investment fraud.