Rivian is planning EV -by redesign to address safety issues

(Bloomberg) – Rivian Automotive Inc. is reworking a key element of its vehicle doors after employees and clients have expressed concern about possible safety issues with the current design, according to people familiar with the matter. Rivian plans to include a manual that is clearer visible and near the electrically powered domestic handles to the back doors of the next generation SUV, said the people who asked not to be identified to discuss private information. The new lower cost model line, known as R2, intends to start deliveries in the first half of 2026. Electric handle designs are in the spotlight in the automotive industry, after incidents in which people could not open the doors of vehicles due to a loss of power, which caught children and other residents. In some cases, passengers died after they could not escape, but vehicles that were on fire did not set fire to. After Bloomberg News reported last month on issues with Tesla Inc. doors, US car safety regulators opened a defect investigation. The change on the R2 is aimed at discussing problems arising from a redesign last year of Rivian’s existing R1 models that are the rear-handed releases to an environment that is difficult to utilize, which may delay the efforts of the residents to go out when the electrical system loses power, people said. To open the R1 rear doors from the inside by hand, residents must remove an unmarked panel and draw an release cord, according to the manual. In the R2, the mechanism for the back doors and the positioning will be similar to the front doors, one person said. “Safety is in the middle of everything we do at Rivian, and R2 is no different,” Rivian told Bloomberg in a statement. “Similar to R1, R2 will meet or exceed all federal safety standards for motor vehicles, including passenger outgress of all doors in the event of an accident or emergency.” It was not immediately clear whether the new design would be limited to the R2 line, or that available vehicles would be re -worked. Rivian did not specify in his statement, but the company noted that it did not have a claim to an injury due to an electrical failure in the back door in the latest R1 models. Rivian shares are few changed from 12:15 am Friday in New York. The share rose by about 2% this year. Consumer’s R1 handles submitted to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in June wrote in an anonymous complaint about Rivian’s R1 handles that the emergency cable for the back doors “is not intuitive, and that it is reasonable to believe that a small child or a parent can use it. Identified. Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, said NHTSA should immediately set up electrical handles standards to “ease of exit for residents of vehicles.” “The lack of federal safety regulations in this area means that manufacturers should not standardize some of the emergency equipment functions, leaving the burden on consumers to study the various emergency escape configurations for every car in which they travel,” Brooks said. Bloomberg said the car manufacturer worked to integrate the manual and electrical door emissions to make them more intuitive for emergency residents. Denholm, refused to comment on Bloomberg’s investigation into the door handles of the company, except to say that the board is taking any safety incidents seriously. Rivian appears as a producer of high-end-powered bakkies and SUVs, a robust, yet polished answer to Tesla’s slender city cars. went over. Washing process, parts and stairs from the vehicle. ‘ He cited the back doors specifically as an area where Rivian tried to reduce the number of components while he was willing to roll out the R2 line. The case, the rear hand declarations were moved in the 2024 renovation due to cost savings and design considerations. © 2025 Bloomberg LP