Chevy to Volt Owners: Baby, Come Back

Photo by Robyn Beck//AFP/Getty Images

Tuesday we told you about the man who paid for (and charges) his Chevy Volt with solar panels on the roof of his house. Today comes news he’s going to have to do with a loaner for a little while.

In what the Associated Press is calling a “move similar to a recall,” General Motors is going to ask owners of the plug-in vehicle to bring their cars in, so that the casing around the battery can be strengthened.

In November, the National Highway Transportation Safety Board announced that it was launching an investigation into Volt batteries that caught fire several weeks after crash tests. GM offered to buy back the Chevy Volt cars from anyone who wished to return them. As of early December, only a few dozen had taken up GM on the offer.

More from the Los Angeles Times:

“The automaker will add structural reinforcement that better protects the battery pack from puncture or a coolant link in a severe side crash, said Mary Barra, GM’s senior vice president of global product development.

It will also add a sensor in the reservoir of the battery coolant system to monitor coolant levels and add a tamper-resistant bracket to the top of the battery coolant reservoir to help prevent potential coolant overfill. Additionally, technicians will drain batteries of their charge following severe crashes. The fix will add about three pounds to the weight of the vehicle.”

Austin was the first city in Texas and one of the first in the country to sell the Volt.