Electric cars in underground garages: what HaZZ says and what the legislation does not yet address
Electromobility is becoming a common part of transport in Slovakia. With the growing number of electric vehicles, the issue of their safe parking and charging in buildings, especially in underground garages of residential and administrative buildings or shopping centers, is also growing.
Electromobility and fire safety of buildings
The topic of electric vehicle fires also regularly resonates in the media. The Živé.sk portal brought an interview with the vice president of HaZZ, Peter Tánczsoš, who clearly points out the current state: fire legislation in Slovakia is lagging behind and specific rules for electric vehicles in underground garages still do not exist.
Fires in vehicles with lithium-ion batteries differ from fires in combustion vehicles. The typical process is thermal runaway, where one battery cell decomposes and gradually decomposes other cells, which leads to high thermal output, toxic smoke and the possibility of repeated ignition.
For PBS designers and developers, this means:
the need to design heat and combustion product removal,
coordination of fire equipment,
preparation of HaZZ intervention strategies,
division of the garage into fire sections.
Slovakia responded in 2021 – and we are still waiting
The expert discussion in Slovakia began several years ago. The first to respond was the Association of Passive Fire Protection of the Slovak Republic, which issued the technical specification ATN® 010 “Safety aspects of electromobility” for garages with infrastructure for electric vehicles. The document clearly pointed out the risks and the need for a methodological approach.
The state fire supervision also responded to this step. In 2021, the HaZZ issued methodological guidelines that provided only basic recommendations for designers and developers.
Years have passed since then, but the technological development of electromobility continues significantly faster than the legislation. We do not yet have clear rules, legislative solutions have only been prepared since 2021 – and we are still waiting for them to finally be implemented.
Electric scooters and bicycles – topic number one
While Slovakia is dealing with the rules for electric vehicles in garages, abroad is already intensively addressing the fire risks of small electric vehicles, such as electric scooters or bicycles. These devices are currently very risky, because battery fires often occur directly in apartments and commercial premises.
If the legislation is not adapted quickly, these risks will increase and Slovakia will again lag behind other countries in the field of safety.
Legislation is out of sight – despite promises
According to HaZZ, legislation is being prepared and is supposed to respond to new technologies, but an exact timeframe is still missing. Promises that specific adjustments will be made this year are a positive signal, but the professional public and developers need clear rules so that they can be followed equally in all projects.
HaZZ experts, such as Col. Ing. Zoltán Tánczos, PhD., director of the Trnava Fire and Rescue Service, who was awarded in 2025 for his contribution to the development of legislation. Nevertheless, the fact that electromobility has been with us for years and we still do not have full-fledged legislation signals the need for more significant pressure on state institutions.
What the legislation does not yet solve
Even though electromobility is growing, Slovak legislation still does not solve critical issues that arise in practice: such as pollution and contamination of water used for firefighting.
Contamination of water during firefighting is a problem that the whole world is solving - as the Secretary General of APPO SR František Gilian explained, the massive contamination of water used to extinguish a fire with lithium-ion batteries is a serious problem. This contamination is several times higher than the highest permitted limits in the industry.
What does this mean for PBS designers
PBS designers today have to work with the latest technological experience, because the legislation cannot yet clearly guide them. Solutions include:
proper design of heat and combustion products,
coordination of all fire equipment in the garage,
definition of fire-safe zones and strategic approaches for HaZZ,
location of charging stations with regard to risk and fire sections.
The discussion continues
The interview of the Vice President of HaZZ on Živé.sk clearly shows that electromobility has been with us for years, legislation is lagging behind and the pressure on state institutions must be more intense. If the situation does not change, the thread of technological development is escaping Slovakia, and the risks for residents and buildings will increase.
Author: Tomáš Krchnák, Vice President of the Association of Passive Fire Protection of the Slovak Republic (APPO SR).