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Several weeks ago, a fire broke out in a parking lot adjacent to the Rivian factory in Normal, Illinois, damaging approximately 50 new trucks. Fortunately, there were no injuries, and the blaze did not reach the actual facility. At that time, Rivian stated that it was investigating the cause of the fire. However, a source, who claims to be a Rivian employee, informed The Drive that the fire originated from a vehicle with a “critical battery issue” that had been improperly parked near ready-to-ship EVs.
The anonymous source revealed that the Rivian plant was short-staffed on the day of the fire, leading employees to take on unfamiliar tasks. When an R1 vehicle (it remains unclear whether it was an R1T or R1S) was identified as having a potentially hazardous battery problem, the staff member who relocated it was not in their usual role. Instead of placing the defective truck in the designated containment area, they parked it alongside other vehicles that were reportedly awaiting final approval for delivery to customers.
According to the source, the ignition of the Rivian battery led to a fire that affected several nearby vehicles ready for delivery. Employees then had to work quickly to find alternative vehicles for customers whose orders were impacted. This task was challenging, as matching customers’ orders with available inventory proved difficult. As reported, those who received a delivery from the factory in the weeks following the incident were given “Frankenstein replacements”—vehicles modified with parts to resemble their original orders as closely as possible. Such practices are not uncommon in the industry when parts are unavailable; customers may be given a choice to wait or accept a vehicle that does not precisely match their original specifications. It is possible that Rivian also offered customers a similar option.
The Drive reached out to Rivian for a comment regarding this situation, but received only the statement, “The investigation is ongoing.”
As of now, there is no indication that the August incident signifies a broader issue with Rivian’s batteries; the company has not previously issued any recalls, and this appears to be an isolated case identified outside the production line. Moreover, this incident should not be viewed as a reflection on electric vehicles as data indicates that EVs are not more prone to fires than traditional combustion engine vehicles. While plant fires do occur in the automotive industry, it is fortunate that no injuries were reported in this instance.
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