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Archive for the 'Safety' Category

Video: GM’s Rough Road Chevy Volt Testing

November 5th, 2009 | Posted in: Safety with 159 Comments

A few days ago I wrote about an experience I had with my MINI E electric car.  I rode over a construction zone pothole and as a result the power electronic unit failed, making the car undriveable until it was towed and the component replaced.
At the time GM Volt executive Tony Pozawatz assured me “we [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 159 Comments

MINI E Pothole Fail, GM Working Hard on Chevy Volt Quality

October 28th, 2009 | Posted in: Engineering, Prototypes, Safety with 123 Comments

As some readers may know, I am one of 100 people in New York who are leasing the MINI E electric car for one year.  I recently passed 5000 miles of driving the car, and for the most part am very happy with it, especially in that all those miles have been covered without using [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 123 Comments

Nissan LEAF Will Emit Artificial ‘Blade Runner’ Engine Noise

September 18th, 2009 | Posted in: BEV, Competitors, Safety with 239 Comments

One of many attributes of electric cars that distinguish them from those powered by gas is their silence.
This extremely blissful absence of gasoline exploding violently in steel chambers is a fringe benefit of EVs.  I can say as a daily EV driver it is indeed a pleasure.
There has long been consideration though to give EVs [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 239 Comments

Chevy Volt Underwater Testing

August 25th, 2009 | Posted in: Battery, Prototypes, Safety with 220 Comments

I previously had a discussion with Lance Turner, lead engineer in the Volt battery lab who also worked on the EV-1 program.
I asked him if there are any special considerations about the Volt and its high power battery getting exposed to water, such as in a flood, or accident where the car gets submerged.
Lance advised [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 220 Comments

Your Questions Answered by Top Chevy Volt Executives, Part 3

November 19th, 2007 | Posted in: Battery, Engineering, GM Q and A, Safety with 72 Comments

Q: Are you on schedule with the mules?
A: “Yes we’re on schedule.”…”The definition of what kind of mule is ready when I’m not going to define.”..(SF) “We will definitely let you know when its ready.”
Q: Are you planning to lease the battery? Is it still on the table?
A: (TP) “No decisions have been made one [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 72 Comments

New Chevy Volt A123 Systems Battery Interview

August 13th, 2007 | Posted in: Battery, General, Safety, Video with 8 Comments

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ayuFBDrSg]
OK. There was one more interview that came out of the Traverse City CAR event. Sam from AutoblogGreen got to talk to David Vieau and Rick Fulop, CEO and co-founder/business chief respectively of A123. The full transcript of his interview is here. My comments are in parentheses. The video above [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 8 Comments

EMFs and Neurodegenerative Disorders

January 28th, 2007 | Posted in: Safety with 3 Comments

There continues to be talk and concern in the blogosphere about sitting on top of a massively powerful electric motor, and the resultant exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs). There is some weak epidemiological data in the literature for certain risks. An intriguing study from 1998 can be found here.
This study examined the incidence [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 3 Comments

Safety Issues

January 14th, 2007 | Posted in: Safety with 2 Comments

There seem to be two major concerns our there about this vehicle’s safety. One is the fact that the battery could overheat and explode. Remember the Sony Li-ion battery recall? This is usually a rare event and there should be safeguard probes within the batteries that cut over current when heat begins to [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 2 Comments

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