Dan Akerson gets ready to defend Volt before US House Committee
By Julybien, 26 Jan, 2012. 0 Comments
Dan Akerson GM CEO
General Motors CEO Dan Akerson will appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to testify for the Chevrolet Volt. In a five-page copy of his testimony, Akerson said the Volt has received "a disproportionate level of scrutiny" by critics of the company and the Obama administration. GM’s CEO insists the Volt is safe despite a recently closed probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into a possible risk of fire in the car’s battery pack. He noted that the Volt is a technical showcase for GM and "establishes a beachhead in the electric car segment for future profits in sales." He, however, mourns that because the Volt was rolled out in the wake of GM's government bailout and during a tense political season, it has become a political lightning rod.
Akerson said that it’s unfair for the Volt to be treated as “a surrogate for some to offer broader commentary on General Motors' business prospects and administration policy." He concluded that these might be the reasons why federal regulators opened a probe into the Volt's battery safety.
The NHTSA commenced a probe in November 2011 into the Volt’s battery pack after two incidents wherein the pack caught fire or emitted sparks in the days or weeks after the crash tests. The car’s battery also caught fire in June, three weeks after the NHTSA finished side-impact testing. The agency recently closed the probe, concluding that the Volt or other electric cars pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles. The agency said it believes that a modification to reinforce the Volt's battery pack will make the car safer. [source: Autonews]
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