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Feds to Study Battery Safety in Electric Cars
Federal lawmakers are planning a May forum to discuss the safety of batteries used in electric cars, Bloomberg reported.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will host a meeting May 18 in Washington, where government officials and auto and battery-industry representatives will discuss “safety considerations” for cars powered by lithium-ion batteries, the agency said.
A Chevrolet Volt electric car caught fire in June, three weeks after a crash test at a NHTSA facility in Wisconsin. Disclosure of the fire, which NHTSA and GM initially didn’t make public, prompted the Detroit- based automaker to offer to take back Volts leased by customers. GM CEO Dan Akerson later testified about the incident to Congress, Bloomberg said.
A123 Systems Inc. said last month it was recalling electric batteries it made for Fisker Automotive Inc. and other automakers after a $107,000 Fisker Karma shut down because of a battery defect during testing by Consumer Reports magazine.
The federal government offers car buyers a $7,500 tax credit for purchase of plug-in electric cars like the Volt, Karma and Nissan Leaf.
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