of your line staff it didn't happen? >> i'm quite sure. i can't justify to that 100%. i don't think -- >> as a policy, you, gm, did not try to get the obama administration to fail to disclose any tests that were made in a laboratory setting? >> no, no one. >> you're not aware of any accident or any injury that occurred to anyone driving a volt? >> absolutely none. >> they're safe in the vehicle; is that right? >> i own one, yes. >> you drive it and your family members drive it as well? >> i just bought it. >> let me ask you something -- if there was a material defect in a car that was out in circulation right now, would that affect, let's say, your

insurance that gm would be buying from, you know, your insurance carrier, wouldn't they increase your cost of insurance if you had a claim for a product liability? is that a problem for you? >> yes. >> has that occurredded and your insurance company called you say say, wait, there's questions here, and it's going to cost you more to to have insurance, has that happened in >> i insured the car, but that was low because it's a five star rated car by the insurance institute. >> so the very people charged with determining risk as a question of the market now, they have not increased the cost of insurance, but to the contrary and gave it a high rating? >> i assume, yes.

>> can you discus what effect designing has had? are they more competitive? >> this is an evolving area of automotive engineering and technology. it's a halo car in the sense that we get a cashay of being innovative, and all companies innovate. for a background, we sold more volts in the first year than toyota sold priuses in the first year they rolled out the preeout. new technologies take awhile to take hold and gain traction, and i think that the engineers around this has been viewedded as -- described as a moon shot from a technological point of view, and, indeed, i think it was, and that's benefited other

cars. we're rolling out -- >> so it's your experience then that the manufacturing of the volt puts america, essentially on the map with respect to the electric vehicles; is that right? >> the derivatives are going into many of the cars, and, for example, the buick lacrosse, with e-assist, jumps to 30 miles a gallon. we have impacts of exploring technologies and deploying them in the real world ring yes. >> and so the manufacturing of the volt, then, moves america towards clean and first efficiet technologies, not just used in the volt, but other cars to help them become more fuel efficient; correct? >> yes, sir. >> and that, in turn, i might add, has a lot to do with saving jobs in this economy. how many jobs has gm added to

the automanufacturing sector to build the parts for the scroll -- volt? >> one plant outside detroit is dedicated just to the volt production. they put out about 400 every couple days, and they are a couple thousand employees there. i would also say since we've emerged from bankruptcy, we've invested over $5 billion in foreclosure in the country hiring just short of 16,000 additional -- >> $5 billion for the services of? >> all the capital programs here in the united states. >> final question. so it's your intention as the ceo of general motors to have the volt lead the way towards let's say electric and hybrid electric vehicles, revitalizing the manufacturing sector by providing products that consumers find attractive because it saves them money; correct? >> yes, sir. we're developing great

combustion engine cars as well that are fuel efficient. >> i understand that from my own district. thank you very much, sir. thank you. >> thank you. pleased to have with us a member of the full committee from the great state of michigan with unanimous concept from the committee, like for him to join us. before going quickly to mr. kelly, i just want to be clear on a question asked. with the exception, general motors -- you, mr. akerson, had no conversation with folks at the white house concerning this incident? correct. >> no conversation with people you or anyone in general motors had conversation with people at t.a.r.p., and who handled the now defunct task force? no conversation at treasury regarding the issue? >> i had a conversation with mr. massad earlier this week on

another general matter and observed to him i was going to testify today, but other than that, no conversation. >> anyone else at general motors that you know of talk to someone in the administration? talk to mr. lahood about this issue? >> no, sir. >> okay. now yield to the chairman of full committee. >> thank you, mr. chairman. welcome. >> thank you. >> i'll be brief. the question here is not whether or not gm is making good cars and whether or not it's coming back. i think it is, and we take great pride this that, and i think the president did last night. is this, in your history, recognition and as far as you know a typical response to a typical catastrophic event? is this less aggressive or more aggressive in their response to a brand new automobile?

>> as we speak, there's about 8,000. >> there were about 4,000 when this occurred. you may be making 400 a day, but you're selling far less than that. 4,000 or less in june or july, 8,000 or so now. the question is when this occurred -- >> yes. >> the director said, administrator said that it takes six months to do it, but in your experience, would you consider this to be an aggressive response, an average response, or a little slower than average when it comes to when it lights up your phone and they come running in and have emergency meetings and the it's all you can focus on even though you are bored and everybody else had something else in mind for you that day, and when it happens to all great automobile companies,

was this more aggressive i typical, or quite frankly, a little less speedy >> thank you for the colorful description of my routine. [laughter] >> been there done that on a smaller scale. >> i understand. i describe it as proportional. we tried to replicate and find what we suspected to be the root cause, try to replicate it in the field, crashed and tried to stimulate the same outcome we had in the may/june time frame. we could not do that. when they drewed battery out of the car and then impaled it with a steel rod and spun it, it took awhile to get it, and then it was seven days after being impaled in order to replicate a similar situation. the fact that we couldn't replicate it in the field, it's

proportional. >> i appreciate your candor. last question. lithium ion, new technology to you, but not new to the world. the aviation industry regulated volume of it and all other things. do you think you're behind the power curve and have to play catch up? you described not knowing how to replicate that. is that one of the problems going forward on a mass basis with large vol yules of a new, basically other sealed battery that you used? >> well, arguably, we're teamed with the probably one of the leaders, not the leader in battery technology in the world, and that's lg kim out of korea, and they built a plant in holland, michigan to supply not only our cells, but the other competitors in the same market.

i'd say we're a leader in this. we understand the battery technology well, we have a battery lab specifically to study the technology and the evolution and improvement we expect over the years. >> i was not trying to ask what you were doing because i know you're doing that, but in fairness, it's catch up. the american automobile companies, including your previous leased automobile, you're playing catch up on all electric cars and even hybrid, and i applaud you for doing it, but from a safety stand point, don't you think if you had to do it over again, you would have been and would have worked to be a little more aggressive in public confidence by doing what you needed to do sooner? in other words, six months of selling a car that could, and turns out would potentially explode and need different safety procedures. didn't we find as a country that you shouldn't have kept selling this relatively new car the way you were?

>> the battery, as you know, is well used throughout the industry. ..

any customer when you have a where from seven to 21 days to remove yourself from the car if there is an accident. after 25 billion miles on the road for this card there has never been an incident anywhere close to this. there have been no injuries, and so we felt as we found an extreme simulated lab fire that to seven days that this car was safe. as i said in my opening comments, we were not satisfied with this. he wanted to address the issue with our customers, for the law requires, but the cars back, media just as commander being implemented over the last month. >> to characterize it, to make sure you're understood, is fair to say that what you have learned is the entire nation of repair facility salvage yards and other people involved in the automotive industry by going to have to learn and adapt to a lot of new procedures that are

continuing to evolve if we are to ensure safety of handling of these new components both because of high voltage in a potential fire and explosion. that is what you have learned from this, is that those of us who are not -- we get out of a car, but will we go to the salvage yard they need to know what, the tow truck company needs to know it. all the other people need to know it. that is, in fact, the risk that you found after six months. >> before we launch this car, mr. chairman, we conducted nationwide safety tourist across the country to make sure that the public safety was paramount. that is the core values of general motors. we talked to the national fire protection agency, the international association of firefighters, international association of fire chiefs, the a source jim -- association of public safety communication officers, fire chief, police chiefs, 911 call centers to make

sure that we have this understood. we now trained over 15,000 people across the nation on the city protocols. he will have to go back and make sure that it is well understood that the new safety protocols. so i think every organization, an individual should evolve and learn, and we have learned some lessons that i think will benefit the entire industry. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> thanks you, mr. seale. >> we're pleased to be joined. we have four minutes, but only 67 votes of comment. >> i will be very quick. >> to determine from maryland. >> first of all, as a member of the board of ministers of the naval academy of want to congratulate you on being named a graduate of the year. thank you.

-- you herve said. collateral damage from this hearing. as the head, you are assuring the public. listen up. the vote is a safe vehicle. is that right? >> system sir. >> actually, i view this as a positive. it is our chance to get this before the american people. you represent the american people to get our story before you. we have taken ads in the paper : with this that the investigation is incomplete. i do think there has been collateral damage. it will have to work hard to get back. >> i wanted thank you for your leadership and want to take the smaller to think of the employees of gm for producing such a great product. >> it will be about a 20 minute break. we will be back for our full committee folks who want to ask questions. we will keep that is because we

can. >> the committee stands in recess for 20 minutes more less.