GM lithium-battery lab explosion in Detroit injures 2

General Motors Co., maker of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid sedan, said a test battery exploded at a research facility near its Detroit headquarters.

A lithium-ion battery exploded about 9 a.m. at GM’s Warren Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, injuring two people, David Frederick, the city’s fire chief, said today in a telephone interview.

“When the crews were on the scene, they reported smoke but not a lot of fire,” he said.

The center is where GM, the world’s largest automaker, developed the Volt and researches electric-vehicle batteries. Volt sales were hurt after a U.S. investigation into battery fires was announced in November. The U.S. closed the probe in January, saying the Volt and other electric vehicles pose no more fire risk than other cars.

Today’s explosion caused a fire that was extinguished, Kevin Kelly, a GM spokesman, said in a telephone interview. Kelly said at least one person was injured and that he didn’t know how severe it was.

The automaker aims to boost sales of the $39,000 Volt to more than 3,000 a month, Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson said in an interview last week with Bloomberg Radio scheduled for broadcast next month. The best month of U.S. sales of the Volt so far was 2,289 in March.