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Chevrolet Will Buy Back Your Volt

A Chevy Volt charging station on display outside the Austin Convention Center during SXSW 2011.
Photo by Nathan Bernier, KUT News
A Chevy Volt charging station on display outside the Austin Convention Center during SXSW 2011.

Austin was the first city in Texas and among the first in the country to sell Chevrolet’s plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the Volt. And if you were one of the exclusive few early adopters to buy the car, General Motors wants you to know you can send it back free of charge.  

Why would they make such an offer? It all stems from concerns about burning batteries.

Federal officials launched an investigation last Friday after lithium-ion batteries in the Volt caught fire during at least three safety tests.

Now racing to contain the public relations disaster, GM has said it will buy back any Volt from an owner.

Austinites have been encouraged to buy plug-in electric hybrid vehicles. Austin Energy has been installing electric vehicle charging stations all over town, providing rebates to homeowners who install chargers in their driveways, and even giving some chargers away for free.

Meanwhile, the United States Embassy in France is buying four Chevy Volts. Two were delivered yesterday, and two more will arrive in early 2012, the New York Times reports.

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion-dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on X @KUTnathan.
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