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Fire at Rivian Factory: Electric Vehicles Damaged
The fire at the Rivian factory negatively impacted electric vehicle production. Read our news for details on the damaged vehicles and the causes of the fire. Don’t miss these developments in the electric vehicle industry.
Fire at Rivian Factory: Electric Vehicles Damaged
According to local media sources, several electric vehicles were damaged in a fire that occurred in the parking lot of Rivian’s Normal factory in Illinois over the past weekend. Currently, no injuries have been reported.
Normal Fire Department spokesperson Matt Swaney stated in an interview with The Verge that they received a fire alert at the Rivian factory at 21:43 local time on Saturday. He noted that a joint investigation has been launched by Rivian and the insurance company regarding the cause of the fire, and that fire officials are providing support during this process. The spokesperson indicated that the fire did not cause any damage to the production facility and that there were no injuries among the fire crews or Rivian staff.
According to eyewitness statements to local media, the fire was contained to the factory’s parking lot. A Rivian spokesperson stated in a press release: “We are investigating the cause of a fire late Saturday night that damaged several vehicles in the parking lot of our Normal facility. The facility itself was not affected. There were no injuries. We are not providing further details at this time.”
The ability of lithium-ion battery cells to ignite at elevated temperatures and their high resistance to traditional fire prevention methods is becoming an increasing risk factor for electric vehicle manufacturers. For instance, more than a dozen people have lost their lives in New York City due to fires associated with faulty e-bike batteries. Last week, a Tesla Semi caught fire in California, leading to major traffic congestion.
Of course, gasoline vehicles can also catch fire, and it is known that such incidents occur much more frequently than with electric vehicles. However, controlling and extinguishing fires involving electric vehicle batteries has become a significantly more challenging process for fire crews. This situation has led to greater difficulties for fire crews when dealing with such fires. Due to the challenges posed by these fires, fire crews are now undergoing specialized training programs to handle electric vehicle battery fires.