When the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officially closed its investigation into whether the Chevy Volt batteries are safe, it did something highly unusual.
NHTSA issued a statement essentially saying, "case closed."
Typically, when NHTSA closes an investigation, there is no public statement. Not this time.
This time, NHTSA issued a very public release, explaining it closed the Volt case, finding no safety defect.
Then the federal government went a step further.
In its release, NHTSA said the Chevy Volt and other electric vehicles pose no greater risk of catching on fire than gasoline-powered cars.
It was a very public and strong statement about the safety of electric vehicles.
The conspiracy theorists will immediately say the feds gave the Volt a big stamp of approval because Uncle Sam still owns 25 percent of the stock of Chevrolet's parent, General Motors .
And there's no doubt this will come up when the House Oversight Committee holds a hearing on the Volt investigation next Wednesday.
One thing is clear: NHTSA sent a strong message Friday about electric cars, their technology, and the safety of those vehicles.
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