Nissan and Toyota had Better Worry About the Volt Fires And So Should You

You have to be wondering how closely Toyota and Nissan are watching the NHTSA investigation into the Chevy Volt fires.  Actually, all car makers should be watching for fallout very carefully.  But specifically, Toyota just started taking orders on the Plug-in Prius.  And the Nissan Leaf has been competing (sales-wise) with the Volt from the beginning.  And consumers are not going to make a distinction between any of the car makers when it comes to battery fires.

They've seen too many cases in laptops and phones now of spontaneous combustion to ignore the issue.  Mind you, the opposite argument could be made, that they have gotten used to the risk of having batteries that could overheat near them on a constant basis.  But I doubt it.  There's something different about the batteries in electric and quasi-electric cars (the size!).

Imagine if consumers stop trusting large battery packs.  What will the automakers do when it comes to the new fuel efficiency guidelines if they can't sell at least some electric or extended range electric vehicles?  They are all working on them.  Imagine if all the research investment, time and money, has been wasted in the effort as they have to pull up and wait for a new generation of batteries to come forward?  Imagine what that will mean when they lobby for a postponement to the new fuel economy laws?

I can see it now.

"I'm sorry senator, we really would like to build and sell electric cars, but we just can't yet.  The technology isn't there.   I'm sure you understand why we can't put voters, err... I mean drivers at risk just to meet these fuel economy guidelines." - any car maker lobbyist in D.C.

In case you're not familiar, the NHTSA was conducting crash tests on the Chevy Volt (5-stars!).  They put one through it's paces (i.e. smashed it up, really good!) and then placed it into storage.   A few weeks later, a fire broke out in the battery pack (the coolant line had been severed) and burned up the Volt, plus several nearby cars.  Since then, in cooperation with Chevy (General Motors), they have subjected several other Volts to similar circumstances in an effort to start more fires.  They were successful (smoke and sparks, at least).

GM says this is a known factor when dealing with these battery packs.  One of the safety measures they've outlined is to discharge the battery pack after an accident to keep a fire from starting.  But the NHTSA didn't follow their guidelines and that's why the fire occurred.  In the meantime, they emphasize their cars are safe (noting the 5 star rating they received) but just in case anyone's nervous, they will let them drive a loaner for free while the investigation continues.  A 'handful' of customers have done just that.

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Nissan Frontier Hill Climb videos

Nissan Frontier: Hill Climb

Nissan Frontier: Hill Climb

With full-size horsepower and torque, the Nissan Frontier is the mid-size truck that acts like a full size, giving the driver the feeling they can ...

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Nissan ALV Concept

ALV Concept - A competition that brings athletes and journalists together

The Nissan Xterra has won its class at multiple ALV competitions - In today’s competitive market, a car’s best asset may be the cyclist, skier or triathlete who endorses it.  The reason is that automakers can no longer compete solely on the basis of quality.

The situation was quite different twenty years ago, when I first started writing about cars. Shoppers would read up on which models had the most warranty claims or safety recalls, and as much as budgets would permit, buy something that didn’t make the black list.

Today there are very few bad cars. Electronic controls are more reliable than the mechanical parts they replaced, and production lines are closely monitored for quality failure. This isn’t to say that some cars aren’t more reliable than others. But it’s a far cry from the time when mechanical parts would fail on  thousands of cars, leaving their owners stranded.

Although automakers know that lifestyle plays a major role in new car sales, they aren’t as savvy about the needs of people with active lifestyles. We started the Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year program eight years ago with two objectives: to recognize the cars and trucks that best meet the needs of people with active lifestyles, and to give the automakers a better understanding of what those of us who run, cycle, swim and so forth need our cars and trucks to do.

Whereas most car of the year competitions focus on various aspects of vehicle performance, we are more concerned with how well the vehicle helps to enhance our performance as athletes. So we evaluate how easy it is to load bicycles into the cargo area, or to clean the upholstery after an especially muddy trail run. We want to know if a sport-utility vehicle designed to go off-road can ford water, and if it can maintain directional control when one or more wheels is off the ground.

As athletes, safety is very important to us. Active lifestyle vehicles have to meet certain criteria, such as having antilock brakes, side curtain airbags, and electronic stability control. Pedestrian safety is also important. A body structure designed to minimize injury to a pedestrian involved in a collision always gets our vote.

The competition started out with two categories: best value and best luxury car. Best value cars are priced under $35,000; while luxury cars and trucks are $35,000 and over. Since the first year, we’ve divided the pool further, separating on and off-road vehicles, and adding family, urban and green car categories.

The family category includes any vehicle with three rows of seating.

Green ALV is open to all types of alternative fuel vehicles, from hybrids and electric cars to clean diesel and biodiesel. We look at fuel economy, sustainability, and emissions, as well as the same criteria we use to evaluate other active lifestyle vehicles.

The urban category includes vehicles priced at or below $20,000, that meet the needs of people with active lifestyles. As the name suggests buyers often reside in urban areas, where they are limited to smaller cars, but need the capability to carry large cargo.

The Judging Process

Thirteen automotive jurors evaluate the field of entries: our jurors include men and women aged twenty-five to eighty-three. Each juror brings to the table a special area of expertise within the automotive field. Many are also athletes. We have among our ranks two runners, two cyclists, an adventure racer, a skier, and three competitive race car drivers.

Unlike some competitions, there is no judging template for ALV. We ask each of the jurors to bring his or her individual perspective to the table. As a result, we have a lot of tie breakers, but that’s what makes this competition more interesting.

Elite and area athletes get an opportunity to drive and vote on the entries as well, at a one-day program in August. This year our ride-and-drive event moves to Local Motors in Phoenix, Arizona. The move give us access to an off-road course for the first time, while providing a easily accessible location from all parts of the US.

Over the past seven years, our athlete evaluators have included elite runners and triathletes, professional football players, surfers, cyclists, beach volleyball players and adventure racers.

Re-visit the Carspondent web site for updates on this year’s Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year competition.

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