On September 12, 2026, a fire involving an electric Cupra car occurred in a tunnel on the A13 highway near Mantes-la-Ville in the Yvelines department of France. The incident resulted in the deaths of a pregnant woman and her two-year-old son. While fires in electric vehicles (EVs) are less common than in traditional gasoline-powered cars, they can be more difficult to extinguish due to the nature of the battery systems. This has led to increased efforts by manufacturers to develop better safety systems for emergency situations. Renault has introduced a system called Fireman Access, which includes specially designed holes that allow firefighters direct access to the vehicle's battery for submersion in water, a common method for extinguishing EV fires. In the United States, Stellantis has filed a patent application on September 17, 2026, for a system that would enable the ejection of the high-voltage battery from its vehicles. The proposed system aims to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the vehicle, potentially saving both the occupants and the car itself. According to the patent, the system uses a rapid disconnection switch that sends an activation signal to a controller, which then signals a mechanical decoupling device to separate the battery from the vehicle. The battery can be ejected using sliding frames or pyrotechnic fastenings that use a small explosive charge to break bolts. Once the battery is released, a conversion module allows the vehicle to switch from high to low voltage power, enabling it to continue moving using an auxiliary 12 V battery. The idea of ejecting a vehicle's battery is not entirely new. In September 2025, a modified Chery iCar 03 was shown in a video expelling its batteries 3 to 6 meters away after detecting a thermal runaway, a dangerous condition where the battery overheats and can catch fire. However, the Stellantis patent does not address the safety of other road users, as the ejected battery would simply fall under the vehicle onto the road. The patent application also does not include any requirements for the vehicle to be stopped before releasing the battery, raising concerns about the risk of a burning battery ending up in the middle of the road. The patent application uses a Dodge Charger equipped with a 16 kWh battery as an example, but there is currently no indication that the system will be integrated into Stellantis vehicles anytime soon.