Evaluation of Electric Vehicle Failures Impact on Hazardous Transportation Safety

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is issuing a Request for Information to gather market research input on electric vehicle battery failure impacts to hazardous transportation safety, with responses due by August 24, 2026. This RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation and will not result in contract awards; it serves to inform future Research and Development strategies.

PHMSA seeks information from organizations demonstrating capabilities across four technical areas: (a) Advanced Computational & Thermal Modeling—expertise in high-fidelity computational fire models (CFD, FDS) simulating battery failure mechanics, thermal runaway propagation, pool fire behaviors, and heat transfer; (b) Fire Dynamics & Emissions Data Collection—accredited laboratory instrumentation for real-time, high-precision metrics including Total Heat Release Rate, radiant and convective heat flux profiles, temperature gradients, and chemical off-gassing during active burns; (c) Hazmat Packaging Failure Analysis—specialized experience evaluating physical and chemical degradation of 49 CFR-compliant hazardous materials packaging materials under extreme thermal and chemical fire environments; and (d) Full-Scale EV Battery Burn Testing—operational access to permitted, environmentally compliant facilities capable of conducting full-scale destructive thermal runaway and total burn tests on commercial heavy-duty electric vehicle high-voltage battery packs.

Respondents must provide company contact information, relevant capabilities description, one past performance example, detailed information addressing all four topic areas, and applicable certifications or classifications (Small Business, Woman-Owned, GSA, 8(a)). Responses are limited to ten pages excluding the cover page.