Rep. Latimer Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Address Electric Vehicle Battery Fires

Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Congressman George Latimer (D-NY) and Congressman Rob Bresnahan, Jr. (R-PA) introduced the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Battery Safety Act of 2026, bipartisan legislation focused on diminishing the risk of injury and death from battery fires in electric and hybrid vehicle accidents and supporting firefighters' ability to extinguish such fires safely and effectively when they occur.

The ownership and use of electric (EV) and hybrid vehicles has proliferated rapidly in the last decade with over 3 million sold in the United States alone in 2024 by companies such as Tesla. The novelty of such vehicles, including the use of powerful batteries, and the reliance on all electrical instead of mechanical systems, has exposed drivers and passengers to new dangers in the case of vehicle impacts, where both the battery compartment is breached and the electrical systems fail. Damage to the battery can cause an uncontrolled release of energy from the power supply resulting in explosion and extremely hot chemical fires which, when combined with failure of the electric door release, can be horrifically fatal, and extremely difficult to extinguish. Some recent high-profile fatal incidents include:

• August 3, 2024 - Tesla Cyber Truck - Beach City, Texas, 1 killed.
• Sept. 16, 2024 - Tesla Model 3 - White Plains New York, 2 killed.
• November 2024 - Tesla Cyber Truck - Alameda County, California, 3 killed.
• November 2024 - Tesla Model S - Wisconsin, 5 killed.
• December 3, 2024 - Tesla Model 3 - Pelham Manor, New York, 2 killed.

The persistence of these awful fire deaths, and the lost opportunity for escape or rescue often due to door design, require a decisive response from the federal government as the regulator of automobile and consumer safety. Additionally, fighting these extremely hot and toxic fires requires uniform methods and credible research to better understand and respond to the health effects of fighting vehicle battery fires.

"There have been a number of truly ghastly EV accidents in my district involving extremely intense battery fires, horribly taking the lives of our residents, and challenging firefighters with unique chemical fires that are difficult to extinguish," said Congressman George Latimer. "It is time that we, as your federal representatives, take action to establish standards ensuring Americans that they are not taking unnecessary risks every time they get behind the wheel of an electric or hybrid vehicle. This bill will require the relevant regulatory agencies to set standards related to battery safety, increase passengers' ability to escape a battery fire, educate firefighters on best practices for fighting battery fires, and get a better picture of the health effects of fighting such a fire," Latimer added.

"Innovation and safety must move forward together. As electric and hybrid vehicles become more common on our roads, it is our responsibility to ensure the technology meant to carry people forward does not place them-or the first responders who protect them-at unnecessary risk," said Fitzpatrick. "This legislation establishes clear national safety standards for EV and hybrid batteries, requires practical, lifesaving design features, and enforces accountability where it belongs. It reflects a clear understanding of what is at stake, and a simple principle that should guide us: safety must be built in, not left to chance."

"I am honored, individually and on behalf of my wife Millie Ortiz Sheehan and Daughter-in-Law Diana Trochez Sheehan, both of whom died in an EV crash/fire in September of 2024, to be asked to endorse a bill that promotes EV safety," said New York resident and crash-victim relative, Francis Sheehan. "It is particularly noteworthy the additional applicability of the bill to my family in that it also promotes firefighter safety related to EV fires. My son Francis, Diana's husband, is a career firefighter in the Scarsdale Fire Department, and together we feel this bill is a comprehensive effort to address multiple issues associated with the EV battery fires, including increased passenger survivability, more effective firefighting, and greater understanding of the health effects on first responders."

The Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Battery Safety Act of 2026would:

• Requires Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with industry, fire fighters and standards experts to issue final rules within 2 years governing EV and hybrid battery safety, including uniform firefighter access to and placement of battery cells, incorporating technology to suppress "thermal runaway", and designing safeguards to permit adequate time to escape the passenger compartment during a battery fire.
• Requires the Secretary of Transportation to publish first responder guidelines for fighting EV and hybrid battery fires within 1 year of issuing the final rule.
• Requires Secretary of Transportation to issue final rules within 2 years requiring new EVs and hybrids to incorporate a clearly marked interior and exterior mechanical release on every door and hatch to allow safe exit in case of electrical system failure.
• Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services within 1 year to conduct a study of the health effects of fighting EV and hybrid battery fires, in cooperation with firefighters and standards experts, and to report to Congress and the public on the results.