Orlando Speedworld Dragway has now joined several other drag strips in banning electric vehicles from competition due to safety concerns. Given the dangers posed by gas-powered vehicles and the lengthy measures major drag strips like this take to ensure safety, this move could certainly be seen as an indictment of EVs.

The unique issues safety crews face when dealing with electric vehicles have apparently proven too much to handle. If they weren’t, drag strips like Orlando Speedworld Dragway wouldn’t go so far as to ban them completely.

In a public statement, the drag strip expressed that “after careful consideration and research,” the track can no longer allow EVs to race. Reasons cited for the outlawing of EVs included the view that “the risks associated with racing and testing electric vehicles are too high.”

Listed among those risks by Orlando Speedworld Dragway are:

• The battery may release toxic and flammable gas after a collision
• First responders may not be able to confirm that a car is “off”
• Doors may not unlock from the outside after a collision
• If the driver is unconscious after the incident (including a medical incident), there is a chance that the chassis is live, and removing the driver would put the responder at risk
• The car may not roll with the power disconnected, and towing the car with our current equipment would be impossible
• Electric vehicles require specific fire suppression systems, such as water baths

The drag strip noted that the ban is effective immediately; however, hybrid vehicles will still be allowed.

Multiple drag strips around the world have already banned electric vehicles from competing

In 2024, Willowbank Raceway in Australia issued a ban on all-electric vehicles, citing fire-related safety concerns.

“After careful consideration and investigation, Willowbank Raceway has decided that we can no longer allow road-registered Fully Electric Vehicles to race or test at Willowbank Raceway,” the venue explained in a release.

“We have been reviewing the regulations from Motorsport Australia, NEDRA, as well as the emergency response procedures for specific vehicles, and after information provided by these departments, we have determined that the risks associated with racing and testing Electric Vehicles are too high … This will take effect immediately and will only apply to Full Electric Vehicles at all events at Willowbank Raceway. We will continue to allow Hybrid Vehicles to run.”

All the way back in 2019, Texas Motor Speedway banned EVs from drag racing because the track didn’t have the equipment needed to extinguish an EV fire.

“The reason for the exclusion is, in the event of a crash and possible resulting fire, our emergency vehicles currently do not carry the specific equipment required to suppress EV fires. As I’m sure you’re aware, conventional extinguishers are of no use in fighting a lithium-ion battery fire,” Texas Motor Speedway spokesman David Hart wrote in an email.

Summit Point Park in West Virginia and the Trac Mon Anglesey Circuit in the United Kingdom have also issued bans on electric vehicles competing in the past.