Our team has put more than one million miles into making the Chevrolet Volt as safe as it is remarkable, so any safety questions get our attention. After all, our families, neighbors, co-workers and friends are among those who own the cars we’re tasked with designing, engineering and manufacturing.

We want to put the latest news in perspective – and highlight new news. First: The Volt is safe. It received a 5 star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program and a Top Safety Pick Award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

There was recent attention on an incident where a Volt caught fire three weeks after being subjected to a side pole crash test by NHTSA. The fire occurred because the battery wasn’t completely discharged after the test. GM developed its battery depowering process for the Volt after NHTSA’s test.

GM, NHTSA and other manufacturers are developing protocols to handle electric vehicle batteries after severe crashes, just as they have processes to handle crashed gas-powered cars and trucks. These protocols, when developed, will help dealers, salvage yards and collision shops to safely depower batteries.

NHTSA released a statement on this test reiterating the Volt is safe: “Based on the available data, NHTSA does not believe the Volt or other electric vehicles are at a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles. In fact, all vehicles – both electric and gasoline-powered -- have some risk of fire in the event of a serious crash.” You can see the statement at http://tinyurl.com/NHTSAEV.

GM also worked with NHTSA to investigate two garage fires in which a Volt was involved. Last month, a Volt was in a fire in Mooresville, NC. Yesterday (14 Nov), the investigating fire marshal announced preliminary determination that “the source of the ignition seems to be from outside the area of the vehicles.” In April, a garage fire in Barkhamsted, CT, consumed a Volt and a homemade EV that was also parked in the garage. The investigating fire marshal told media “it wasn’t the cars” that caused the fire.

While the Volt has been vindicated, we continue to learn from all investigations on how electric vehicles behave in extreme situations. We’re helping to train first responders how to handle EVs at crash scenes. Safety certainly extends to those who put their lives on the line to make our roadways even safer.

Our team will continue to build on our safety commitment to Volt owners, occupants and those who help keep our roads safe.

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