Perception of the Chevy Volt, and electric cars in general, have been altered by the spread of fear and misinformation.

We all knew it was going to happen, yet it’s still hard to watch the media blow the Chevy Volt fires out of proportion. I knew the first incident involving a fire with an electric car was going to be in the news and give EV-naysayers all they need to say: “See, I told you these cars aren’t safe.”

I’m not saying the Volt doesn’t need to be looked at and have GM correct whatever caused the fires, because it does. But let’s put things into perspective. These fires were one to three weeks after the cars were crash tested by the NHTSA. They didn’t burst into flames while people were driving them, like you might assume what happened given the amount of attention this is getting.

For the past couple weeks, I’ve been greeted by dozens of friends, relatives and customers at my restaurant that have asked me if my car was also recalled, and wondering if I’m still as supportive of electric cars like I was before I realized how dangerous they all are. I want to congratulate the media. They really doing a great job of spreading the FUD on this one. Then, they combine the fires with talk about the sluggish sales and how they only sold 8,000 Volts this year. Of course, they fail to mention that just like the Nissan LEAF, about every one made has been sold or is being used as a demonstration unit. You can’t sell what you don’t have.

Don't Yell Fire on a Crowded Highway

Is there a double standard here? Are electric cars being held to a higher standard than their gasoline siblings? Do they need to be even safer than gas cars in order to be accepted? It sure seems that way. Let’s take a look at some recent automobile news and tell me if you remember reading anything about these fire-related recalls in the newspaper:

On August 22 of this year, Audi began a recall of their 2011 & 2012 R8 Spyder vehicles. It seems a fuel line can rub against a heat shield in the engine compartment and catch FIRE.

A few days earlier on August 15, Ford announced they would be recalling 2007 Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego’s because there were inadequate welds on the fuel filler pipe and gas tank which could leak and in the presence of an ignition source, catch FIRE.

Last month BMW announced they are recalling 32,000 of its 2008-2011 cars (select 5-series, 7-series, X5’s & X6’s) because of a faulty electronic circuit board that could damage the water pump of the car and lead to a FIRE.

On July 29 of this year, Daimler trucks of North America recalled certain 2010 & 2011 Saf-T-Liner C-2 school buses because “The intake air grid heater may short circuit and fail due to excessive internal temperatures. A short circuited grid heater could result in a FIRE and injury to vehicle occupants.” I wonder who might be the vehicle occupants of a school bus? Ya think school buses full of children possibly catching FIRE is a bit more newsworthy than a couple Volts catching fire weeks after NHTSA crash tests? I do!

Then there’s Honda. Last year Honda recalled 646,000 Fits because a faulty power window switch could cause a vehicle FIRE. That’s a lot of recalled cars. I swear I don’t remember seeing this in the headlines for a few weeks last year. On September 12, 2011, Ford began a recall of certain model F-150’s and F-250’s from various years between 1997 and 2003. The reason: The fuel tank straps were defective and could break. This would cause the fuel tank to possibly separate form the vehicle while it was being driven and come in contact with the ground. In other words, it can literally fall off while you’re driving down the highway. This obviously poses a FIRE hazard.

In October 2010, Chrysler recalled about 26,000 cars and pickup trucks because power steering fluid can leak onto a hot engine and cause a FIRE. In June of 2010 Toyota announced they were recalling approximately 13,000 Lexus HS 250 H after testing revealed that the car could leak fluid during a rear end collision and cause a FIRE.

Let’s not forget in March 2011 when Mazda recalled 52,000 Mazda6 sedans. I remember this one did make the news for a day, but only because of how strange the problem was. Mazda said the problem was because "a certain type of spider may weave a web in the evaporative canister vent line and this may cause a restriction of the line." Blocking the vent line can prevent air from getting into the gas tank. This results in negative air pressure inside the tank. That can lead to a crack in the gas tank and the possibility of a FIRE.

Spreading Fear and Misinformation

All of these fire-related recalls are just what I found from the past two years, and I’m sure there are more because I hardly looked. Most of these recalls were completely missed by the press or at the best casually mentioned in the nightly news. Why is that? Why are two Volts that had fires weeks after being crash tested so much more dangerous than all of these recalls where in some cases cars burst into flames while people were driving them? I didn’t even mention the famous Ford recall in 2009 when Ford recalled 14 million vehicles because over 550 of them caught on fire, many of which while people were driving them and in some instances even burned down some homes.

Whatever the propulsion system: gasoline, hydrogen, diesel, natural gas, propane or electricity, there’s a lot of energy stored in the vehicle and under extreme circumstances like serious crashes, there is a potential for that energy to leak, ignite, explode, etc there is just no way around it. Car fires have been around as long as there have been cars. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue to strive to make cars as safe as possible and it certainly doesn’t mean one type of fuel is inherently more dangerous than another.

However I really don’t believe the intense media attention surrounding the Volt now is driven by concerns over public safety. I believe it’s politically motivated and designed to spread fear and misinformation about electric vehicles, and make no doubt about it, this is hurting all EVs. How else can you explain why these two fires, weeks after intense crash testing, are getting so much attention? How else can you explain that over a quarter of a million gasoline cars go up in flames every year, injuring and killing their passengers and we barely hear a peep about it in the news? How else can you explain when a gasoline car is recalled after people are injured or even killed, it isn't lambasted in the headlines like the Volt has been recently? If anyone has the answer, I’d love to hear it.

Let's just face it. There are powerful forces out there that don't want to see electric cars succeed and they are going to fight like hell to spread fear and misinformation every chance they get. This problem with the Volt just gave them some ammunition, and they can only ride it so long. Sooner or later they'll be another incident, one that will hurt or even kill the passengers. Accidents happen. It's unavoidable and you know the press will be all over it. The only thing we, as electric car supporters, can do is continue to counter balance the FUD as much as possible, posting comments to stories and talking to people about why you support EVs and why they aren't any more dangerous than the car they drive that's lugging around nearly 20 gallons of gasoline.