# Re: [EVDL] Prototype EV Battery Explodes at GM Michigan Research Lab



## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

*Re: [EVDL] Prototype EV Battery Explodes at GM Michigan Research Lab*
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----------



## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

*Re: [EVDL] Prototype EV Battery Explodes at GM Michigan Research Lab*

Two very different takes. One says:

It was significant structural damage. Three very large windows were blown
out and thick, fortified doors were forced open by the blast. Our fire
commissioner said the blast went straight up in the area where they test...

The other:

Damage was confined to the lab, which has windows and doors designed to give
way in a blast...

Peri

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
Of brucedp5
Sent: 12 April, 2012 1:36 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [EVDL] Prototype EV Battery Explodes at GM Michigan Research Lab


{unformatted}
http://www.dailytech.com/Prototype+EV+Battery+Explodes+at+GM+Michigan+Resear
ch+Lab+/article24446.htm
[image] Prototype EV Battery Explodes at GM Michigan Research Lab by Tiffany
Kaiser Apr 11 2012

[image] Fire Department at the Warren, Michigan GM Technical Center
(Source: digitaltrends.com)

GM says the battery had nothing to do with the Chevrolet Volt

A prototype electric vehicle (EV) battery exploded at a General Motors plant
in Michigan this morning, seriously injuring one auto worker. 

The explosion occurred at a General Motors Technical Center battery research
lab in Warren, Michigan at approximately 8:45 a.m. The Warren Fire
Department and authorities were called immediately to investigate.

The building was safely evacuated, with only one employee requiring
treatment. Four other employees were evaluated at the scene and did not
require further treatment, according to GM.

It was discovered that a small fire had started due to "extreme testing of a
prototype battery." 

"We are aware of an incident this morning at about 8:45 a.m. in one of the
laboratories at the Alternative Energy Center at the General Motors
Technical Center in Warren, Mich.," said GM in a statement. "Fire and
emergency authorities were called to the scene. The building was evacuated.
All employees have been accounted for. We are aware of five employees being
evaluated on scene by medical personnel and only one employee is being
further treated."

The one employee that required further treatment is expected to make a full
recovery, with some chemical burns and a possible concussion.

Warren Mayor James Fouts visited the GM site after the explosion for a
further look, and said there was plenty of damage and a chemical smell at
the scene.

"I just want to say how very fortunate we are that only one person was
seriously injured," said Fouts. "There were 80 people in that building, but
only one person received a possible concussion and some chemical burns, from
what I've been told.

"It was significant structural damage. Three very large windows were blown
out and thick, fortified doors were forced open by the blast. Our fire
commissioner said the blast went straight up in the area where they test
lithium batteries. The building was stuffed with personnel and equipment,
but it was designed very well."

GM wouldn't say exactly what kind of battery exploded, but mentioned that it
was built by A123 Systems and was going through tests that were meant to
stress the battery. GM made sure to note that the battery was not Chevrolet
Volt related.

"The incident was unrelated to the Chevy Volt or any other production
vehicle," said GM in a statement. "The incident was related to extreme
testing on a prototype battery."

GM is likely making sure to protect its Volt against any more bad publicity
than it has already received in the past year. Back in May 2011, a Chevrolet
Volt caught fire after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) conducted a side-impact crash test on the vehicle. It caught fire
while parked in the Wisconsin testing facility.

This incident prompted an investigation of the safety of lithium batteries
used for EVs. In November 2011, three more Volts were tested by the NHTSA,
and two out of three either sparked or caught fire while the third remained
normal.

"We're not yet able to confirm that it was a battery per se, but it was in
one specific lab in the advanced research building," said Wilbert McAdams,
Warren fire commissioner. "There's water damage to the building and OSHA
will have to be called in because a person was injured."

McAdams is referring to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, which is currently inspecting the situation.
[C 2012 DailyTech]


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304444604577337704120872184.ht
ml?mod=googlenews_wsj
[image] Test Explodes Electric-Car Battery, Injuring General Motors Lab
Worker
A123 Systems' Lithium-Ion Battery Explodes During Car Maker's 'Extreme' Test
By SHARON TERLEP -Matthew Dolan contributed to this article.

General Motors Co. said an electric-car battery undergoing tests at a
Warren, Mich., research center exploded, sending an employee to the
hospital.

The lithium-ion battery exploded at about 9 a.m. Wednesday at GM's Technical
Center, where the auto maker designs and develops new vehicles, a spokesman
said. Emergency personnel examined five employees on the scene and
transported one to a local hospital, he said.

The explosion is the latest glitch in the auto industry's efforts to bring
electric vehicles to market. GM's battery-powered Volt and Nissan Motor
Co.'s 7201.TO -1.32% Leaf had disappointing sales in their first year, and
several start-up companies producing batteries for electric cars have
struggled.

Warren Mayor Jim Fouts said in an interview the lab explosion blew out three
of the building's exterior windows and an eight-inch-thick door. The
building will likely need extensive renovations, he said. "They had extreme
testing going on," he said.

[image] GMBATTERY Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
A123 Systems, which made the battery that exploded during 'extreme' testing,
will make batteries for the Chevrolet Spark, pictured, in January.

GM said the explosion occurred when chemical gases released from the battery
ignited inside a closed chamber. Damage was confined to the lab, which has
windows and doors designed to give way in a blast, a spokesman said. GM and
the city's fire department are investigating.

The GM employee taken to the hospital was listed in stable condition with a
suspected concussion and chemical burns, according to a city official.

The experimental battery involved in Wednesday's incident was being
developed for all-electric cars, including a coming line of Spark
subcompacts, and is made by A123 Systems Inc., AONE +5.96% people familiar
with the matter said. An official from A123 wasn't available for comment.

A123 last month said it would recall defective battery packs developed for
auto makers that were produced at its Livonia, Mich., plant. A flaw in the
manufacturing process led to defective packs that could cause them to fail,
the company said then.

A123, which is owned in part by General Electric Co., GE +1.44% is one of
several battery companies that built production facilities with aid from the
U.S. government. A123 received $249 million in federal grants to build
battery facilities.

Fisker Automotive Inc., the maker of a $100,000 plug-in hybrid sports car,
and Smith Electric Vehicles, of Kansas City, Mo., are among A123's
electric-vehicle battery customers.

A different type of lithium-ion battery, made by South Korea's LG Chem Ltd.,
was at the center of a fire safety investigation into GM's Volt last year.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration cleared Volt,
which uses a gasoline engine as well as a battery, in January, saying the
car is no more dangerous than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. But the
incident led to months of adverse publicity, which GM executives say hurt
the Volt's sales.

Batteries in that lab undergo testing in which they are damaged, exposed to
extreme heat and cold, shaken, and doused with water in an effort to ensure
they are safe.

In 4 p.m. trading, A123's shares were up five cents to 94 cents a share on
the Nasdaq Stock Market. GM shares were up 32 cents at $24.03 on the New
York Stock Exchange.
[C 2012 Dow Jones & Company All Rights Reserved]





{brucedp.150m.com}

--
View this message in context:
http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/Speaking-of-Fai
lures-in-Public-tp4549849p4551259.html
Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at
Nabble.com.

_______________________________________________
| Moratorium on drag racing discussion is in effect.
| Please take those discussions elsewhere. Thanks.
|
| REPLYING: address your message to [email protected] only.
| Multiple-address or CCed messages may be rejected.
| UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub
| OTHER HELP: http://evdl.org/help/
| CONFIGURE: http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/ev


_______________________________________________
| Moratorium on drag racing discussion is in effect.
| Please take those discussions elsewhere. Thanks.
|
| REPLYING: address your message to [email protected] only.
| Multiple-address or CCed messages may be rejected.
| UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub
| OTHER HELP: http://evdl.org/help/
| CONFIGURE: http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/ev


----------



## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

*Re: [EVDL] Prototype EV Battery Explodes at GM Michigan Research Lab*

And those are just fires that make the news. The NFPA gives statistics that
show that highway vehicle fires happen many times per hour and several
deaths per week.

In 2000, over 300,000 vehicles caught fire in the US, causing 450 deaths.
In 2010, over 180,000 vehicles caught fire, causing 285 deaths.

http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=953&itemID=29658

And yet a single Volt fire is huge news.

-Morgan LaMoore



> EVDL Administrator <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> > The media will no doubt make plenty of hay with this. Do you suppose
> > they'll make as big a deal of all the explosions involving gasoline?
> ...


----------



## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

*Re: [EVDL] Prototype EV Battery Explodes at GM Michigan Research Lab*

I wonder how many prototype gas tanks that the auto manufacturers blew up
before they came up with the ones you see on the road today?
Can you say Pinto?
-Tom



> brucedp5 <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> >
> > {unformatted}
> ...


----------

