Rep. Kelly introduces bill addressing Tesla, electric vehicle door releases
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) introduced a bill addressing safety concerns with electric vehicle doors, including Tesla’s doors that have trapped people in their own cars. At least 15 people have died in car crashes due to Tesla doors not opening.
The Securing Accessible Functional Emergency (SAFE) Exit Act will require the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue a final rule to establish performance and labeling requirements for electric doors. The SAFE Exit Act will also require electric vehicles, like Tesla, to have easy-to-find manual releases for each door. There is currently no federal standard for electric vehicle doors.
“Profits and, least of all, style, should not come before people’s lives. Elon Musk and his Tesla designs are not safe, nor efficient, and it has cost people their lives,” said Rep. Kelly. “When crashes or power loss leave drivers and passengers trapped inside their own cars, that is not innovation—it’s a safety failure. Just like requiring basic safety standards like seatbelts, my SAFE Exit Act will protect consumers. As the auto industry continues to innovate, we must ensure people’s safety.”
The SAFE Exit Act is also endorsed by Consumer Reports.
“It’s critical for people to be able to immediately get out of the car during a vehicle fire or similar emergency. Yet electronic door handles can fail and become unusable if a car loses electrical power, making it impossible to exit the vehicle when seconds matter most,” said Cooper Lohr, Senior Policy Analyst of Transportation and Safety at Consumer Reports. “Fortunately, this problem has a solution: every car should be required to have intuitive, accessible, and easy-to-find manual releases that work even when power fails. We thank Congresswoman Kelly for introducing the SAFE Exit Act, which is a smart, timely response to a very real and growing safety risk."
Over 35,000 consumers have signed a recent petition calling on automakers to change the design for electric-power doors.
The newly introduced legislation will require manufacturers to provide a means for first responders to access the car when electric power is lost. It will also require labeling to ensure drivers and passengers can easily locate a manual release in emergency situations.