General Motors (GM), which is currently facing a US federal safety probe after Volt batteries caught fire, has opted for a less volatile battery chemistry for its 2013 Chevrolet Spark electric car line-up.

The company has chosen A123 Systems for phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries which, according to battery experts and suppliers, are less likely to burn in comparison to other lithium chemistry batteries such as the one used in the Volt.

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This move by GM among other carmakers highlights the fast changing technology in the electric and hybrid vehicles segment.

Randy Fox, a spokesman for GM, said the company chose this battery for the Spark “based on their performance to our packaging, performance, quality, cost and safety specifications. We did not select A123 solely on its battery chemistry.”

According to Andy Chu, vice president of marketing for A123, the automaker had announced a deal with A123 back in October, four months before the first Volt battery had caught fire, however, earlier when A123 bid to supply battery technology for Volt, it lost out to South Korea’s LG Chem.

While lithium-ion batteries are not fireproof, they are less likely to catch fire than lithium metal oxide batteries.

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According to GM, it developed procedures for the handling of the Volt battery following the June fire which initiated the federal probe.

A phosphate-based lithium ion battery makes it more difficult for the fire to spread from one cell to the next.

Chu added that, apart from GM, Fisker Automotive will also make use of lithium phosphate batteries in its Karma sports car. BMW is also buying this battery for use in the ActiveHybrid 5 and ActiveHybrid 3 models, with the former set to go on sale in March 2012.