United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 1 D · 1 R cosponsors

HR 6948 — To amend title 49, United States Code, to require each new electric and hybrid vehicle to be equipped with technology that allows the timely extinguishment of an electric vehicle battery fire, and for other purposes.

Last action — Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 06, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Advancing 34% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 2 sponsors

    1 primary, 1 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (1 D · 1 R) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

This bill mandates safety technology for new electric and hybrid vehicles to prevent battery fires.

The bill requires all new electric and hybrid vehicles to have technology that helps extinguish battery fires and improve safety. It establishes standards that must be implemented within two years of its enactment.

What this means for you
  • Workers: Automobile manufacturers will need to ensure compliance with new safety standards for electric and hybrid vehicles.
  • Consumers: If you buy a new electric or hybrid vehicle, it will need enhanced safety features to prevent battery fires.

Bill Text

Sections of law this bill changes

1 section in 1 law

From the bill's own amending language, matched to the official United States Code (current through Public Law 119-121).

Motor vehicle safety · 49 U.S.C. ch. 301 1 section
  • § 30165 Civil penalty Amends

    49 U.S.C. § 30165 — at 30165(a)(1)

    The law today

    (a) Civil Penalties.— (1) In general.— A person that violates any of section 30112, 30115, 30117 through 30122, 30123(a), 30125(c), 30127, 30141 through 30147, or 31137, or a regulation prescribed thereunder, is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $21,000 for each violation. A separate violation occurs for each motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment and for each failure or refusal to allow or perform an act required by any of those sections. The maximum penalty under this subsection for a related series of violations is $105,000,000. (2) School buses.— (A) In general.— Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the maximum amount of a civil penalty under this paragraph shall be $10,000 in the case of— (i) the manufacture, sale, offer for sale, introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce, or importation of a school bus or school bus equipment (as those terms are defined in section 30125(a) of this title) in violation of section 30112(a)(1) of this title; or (ii) a violation of section 30112(a)(2) of this title. (B) Related series of violations.— A separate violation occurs for each motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment and for each failure or refusal to allow or perform an act required by that section. The maximum penalty under this paragraph for a related series of violations is $15,000,000. (3) Section 30166.— Except as provided in paragraph (4), a person who violates section 30166 or a regulation prescribed under that section is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty for failing or refusing to allow or perform an act required under that section or regulation. The maximum penalty under this paragraph is $21,000 per violation per day. The maximum penalty under this paragraph for a related series of daily violations is $105,000,000. (4) False or misleading reports.— A person who knowingly and willfully submits materially false or misleading information to the Secretary, after certifying the same information as accurate under the certification process established pursuant to section 30166(o), shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $5,000 per day. The maximum penalty under this paragraph for a related series of daily violations is $1,000,000. (b) Compromise and Setoff.— (1) The Secretary of Transportation may compromise the amount of a civil penalty imposed under this section. (2) The Government may deduct the amount of a civil penalty imposed or compromised under this section from amounts it owes the person liable for the penalty. (c) Relevant Factors in Determining Amount of Penalty or Compromise.— In determining the amount of a civil penalty or compromise under this section, the Secretary of Transportation shall consider the nature, circumstances, extent, and gravity of the violation. Such determination shall include, as appropriate— (1) the nature of the defect or noncompliance; (2) knowledge by the person charged of its obligations under this chapter; (3) the severity of the risk of injury; (4) the occurrence or absence of injury; (5) the number of motor vehicles or items of motor vehicle equipment distributed with the defect or noncompliance; (6) actions taken by the person charged to identify, investigate, or mitigate the condition; (7) the appropriateness of such penalty in relation to the size of the business of the person charged, including the potential for undue adverse economic impacts; (8) whether the person has been assessed civil penalties under this section during the most recent 5 years; and (9) other appropriate factors. (d) Subpenas for Witnesses.— In a civil action brought under this section, a subpena for a witness may be served in any judicial district.

    16 other bills also change this section · Follow it → Official text at uscode.house.gov ↗

How this bill changes current law

4 changes Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill establishes new safety standards for electric and hybrid vehicles related to battery fire risks and creates a study on health impacts for first responders.

  • 49 U.S.C. 30130

    ``Sec. 30130 Electric and hybrid vehicles ``(a) Battery Safety.-- ``(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall promulgate a final motor vehicle standard to mitigate unreasonable risk of fire, explosion, reignition, stranded energy, thermal runaway, fire breaching the passenger compartment, loss of electrical power, and any other safety risk related to the battery used in any new electric or new hybrid vehicle manufactured for sale, sold, offered for sale, or introduced or delivered for introduction in interstate commerce in the United States. ``(2) Consultation.--The Secretary shall promulgate such standard in consultation with a representative from each of the following: ``(A) Major electric vehicle and hybrid vehicle manufacturers. ``(B) An accredited standards development organization with expertise in fire protection. ``(C) An organization that represents professional firefighters. ``(D) An organization that represents volunteer firefighters. ``(E) An organization that represents fire chiefs. ``(3) Minimum standard.--The final motor vehicle standard described in paragraph (1) shall require any new electric or hybrid vehicle manufactured for sale, sold, offered for sale, or introduced or delivered for introduction in interstate commerce in the United States to be equipped, at a minimum, with-- ``(A) first responder access technology that allows immediate access to the battery for purposes of timely extinguishment of an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle battery fire; ``(B) technology that suppresses thermal runaway if an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle battery cell is damaged; ``(C) safeguards to delay breaching of the passenger compartment by an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle battery fire, sufficient to permit escape or rescue of the vehicle operator and all passengers within a reasonable period of time from a collision or battery malfunction; and ``(D) battery and first responder access placed in uniform, standardized locations within the vehicle, subject to industry standards, in order to assist firefighters in recognizing and responding to battery fires. ``(4) Guidance for firefighters.--Not later than 1 year after the promulgation of the final motor vehicle standard described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall publish guidance on responding to fire incidents involving batteries used in electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles to be used as the basis for training firefighters. ``(b) Mechanical Door Release.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall promulgate a final motor vehicle safety standard that requires any new electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle manufactured for sale, sold, offered for sale, or introduced or delivered for introduction in interstate commerce in the United States to have clearly marked interior and exterior mechanical door releases on each door and hatch that allows safe exit of such vehicle in case of failure of the electric system of such vehicle. ``(c) Definitions.--In this section: ``(1) Electric vehicle.--The term `electric vehicle' means a passenger motor vehicle that is propelled by an electric motor drawing current from a rechargeable storage battery, fuel cell, or other portable source of electrical current, which may include a nonelectrical source of power designed to charge any such battery and component thereof. ``(2) Hybrid vehicle.--The term `hybrid vehicle' means a passenger motor vehicle propelled by a combination of an electric motor and an internal combustion engine or other power source and component thereof. ``(3) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Transportation.''.

    This addition establishes new safety standards specifically for electric and hybrid vehicles regarding battery fire risks.

  • 49 U.S.C. 30165

    30127, → 30130,

    This change adds the new section on electric and hybrid vehicle standards to the list of violations subject to civil penalties.

  • 49 U.S.C. 301

    ``Sec. 30130. Electric and hybrid vehicles''.

    This clerical amendment adds a reference to the new section for electric and hybrid vehicle standards in the table of sections.

  • Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall conduct a study on the health effects of electric and hybrid vehicle battery fires on first responders.

    This provision requires a study to assess health impacts on first responders dealing with battery fires from electric and hybrid vehicles.

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 545 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (1)

Not signed on (545)

545 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

housing transportation technology energy
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HR 6948?
HR 6948 is sponsored by Fitzpatrick, Brian K. (Republican) and Latimer, George (Democratic).
What is the current status of HR 6948?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 06, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HR 6948?
Track HR 6948 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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