Glossary / General

kill switch

17 Episode Mentions

Too Afraid to Ask

A kill switch is a button or lever that lets you shut off the car’s power right away, so it won’t move if you don’t want it to.

Technical Definition

A kill switch is a safety device that allows the driver to instantly cut power to an electric or hybrid vehicle’s motor, preventing accidental movement.

Hear It Discussed

"That's a battery tap, a battery cutoff. Oh, it's like a kill switch. It's a fancy, fancy battery tap, but it's the remote."
Driven: Kimera 037, GRP P39; Best Dad Wagons; Project Updates The Smoking Tire 36:40

"put safety monitors in the passenger seat with their finger on a kill switch."
DAILY: Ford’s UEV Platform, France BEV Sales Jump and Ferrari Luce Gets Closer | 17 Feb 2026 EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs 25:18

"like the kill switch subject, which is a law that got passed in 2021 under the infrastructure bill. And people were very upset about it because it meant that they could make your car undriveable"
407: The Car Coach Unfiltered with Lauren Fix The Collector Car Podcast 18:09