Coast Guard Looking For Ion-Lithium Battery Testers
The United States Coast Guard Research and Development Center is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to identify organizations with technical capabilities to conduct fire testing on lithium-ion batteries, with responses due May 26, 2026. This is market research only and will not result in a contract award.
The Coast Guard seeks detailed information on fire testing capabilities across three scale levels: small-scale (less than 100 kilowatts), medium-scale (100 kilowatts to 2 megawatts) and large-scale (greater than 2 megawatts).
Testing will support maritime safety initiatives, including personnel protection, vessel design improvements and fire suppression system performance evaluation, with focus on thermal runaway events, heat release rates and flammable vapor production in the context of electric vehicles, battery energy storage systems and bulk battery shipments.
Respondents must address 14 specific technical areas: facility capabilities and environmental controls; data collection and instrumentation for battery voltage, temperature, thermal runaway initiation, heat release rates, heat flux, vapor production and composition and suppression system performance; audiovisual recording capabilities; test procedures and scalability; safety and environmental protocols; past performance on similar projects; experience with government-furnished equipment and contractor-acquired battery options; project management approach; and rough order of magnitude cost estimates for representative medium and large-scale projects.
Responses must include a one-page cover letter with company and point-of-contact information, a detailed response limited to five pages and supporting documentation such as facility photographs, diagrams and sample data reports.
Email submissions to smb-comdt-coco31acquisitions@uscg.mil and smb-rdc-dss+1046@uscg.mil with subject line “RFI Response – 70Z02326RFI0002 – Battery Fire Testing – Sweetney.” NAICS 541380 (Testing Laboratories and Services); PSC AC12 (General Science and Technology R&D Services).
