Stellantis Patents System for EVs to Eject Their Own Battery Packs in Case of DangerRoad & TrackJoe KucinskiFri, September 25, 2026 at 4:54 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleDodge's Answer to Overheating EV Battery: Eject ItFCA US LLC / United States Patent and Trademark OfficeJames Bond, Batman, and Roman Pearce all have one thing in common: they've all used ejection seats to avoid danger. Now, Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler, among others, might be interested in giving electric batteries a similar escape plan. As first brought to our attention by CarBuzz, Stellantis has filed a patent for a system that could physically eject an overheating battery from a car. Unlike in the movies, however, the driver and passengers stay put; it's the battery getting kicked out of the car.As ridiculous as that sounds, there is a serious rationale here. (It's also a concept the Chinese have been exploring for over a year.) Lithium-ion batteries can experience thermal runaway, a process in which rapidly increasing temperatures can spread from one cell to another. Once that process gets going, controlling the resulting fire can be extremely difficult. Stellantis's proposed solution is pretty straightforward: separate the hot battery from everything else.Reading a patent filing can give you a headache, but in plain English, the system works a bit like an actual ejection system. The driver activates a quick-release switch, which could be a lever, physical button, touchscreen control, or toggle switch; a controller then electrically disconnects the high-voltage battery and mechanically releases it from the vehicle. The patent describes several ways to accomplish that release, including a sliding frame mechanism or pyrotechnic fasteners that literally break apart to free the battery. [Yes, Trekkers, this is basically "eject the warp core" for cars. —Ed.]FCA US LLC / United States Patent and Trademark OfficeYou might be thinking, Well that's great, but now I'm just sitting in a dead EV parked above an overheating battery. Stellantis thought of that too. Once the high-voltage pack is disconnected, the vehicle switches to a separate low-voltage battery for motivation, which can power the electric motor long enough to move the car a short distance away from the discarded high-voltage pack.AdvertisementAdvertisementStill, there are plenty of practical concerns to be worked out before EVs are allowed to eject their overheating batteries in public. You obviously wouldn't want a dangerously hot battery suddenly being deposited onto the highway into the path of another vehicle, or anywhere else it could create an entirely new problem.And like every automotive patent, this one come with a disclaimer: patent doesn't mean production. Automakers routinely legally lock down ideas that never make it anywhere near a dealership. But that doesn't mean the concept isn't worth exploring. EV fires may be rare, but when they do happen, they can be extremely difficult to contain; if physically separating a compromised battery from the vehicle can reduce the potential danger to people and property, it's an idea worth investigating at the very least.You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State