Dozens of electric vehicles (EVs) ready to be shipped out to customers went up in flames at a Rivian manufacturing facility in Illinois this weekend.
The fire broke out at a parking lot late on Saturday evening. Thankfully, nobody was injured in the incident.
Reuters has more details:
A fire broke out at a parking lot at Rivian Automotive’s manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois late on Saturday damaging many of its electric vehicles, the U.S. startup said on Sunday.There were no reports of injuries and the cause of the fire was being investigated, a company spokesperson told Reuters.
The fire was at a parking lot on the north side of the four-million-square-foot factory, located 130 miles (209 km) south of Chicago, and the assembly plant was unaffected, the Normal Fire Department said in a statement to Reuters. Rivian did not confirm the number and type of vehicles affected.
While Rivian attempted to play down the severity of the incident, footage of the fire found its way onto YouTube and looked incredibly serious.
Major fire at the @Rivian plant in Normal, Illinois.
No word on any injuries, hopefully everyone is ok. pic.twitter.com/sZ6cdLvD5w
— Drive Tesla (@DriveTeslaca) August 25, 2024
EVs are more susceptible to fires than traditional gas-powered cars because of their lithium batteries., with countless cases reported over the past decade.
These batteries, which store large amounts of energy, can overheat if damaged, improperly manufactured, or exposed to extreme conditions, leading to a phenomenon known as thermal runaway. This process can cause the battery to ignite and spread rapidly.
Once EV batteries catch fire, they can also be more difficult to extinguish compared to gasoline fires, requiring more time and resources from emergency responders.
Earlier this month, an exploding EV in a packed parking garage left 21 people hospitalized in Incheon, South Korea. A staggering 177 first responders were ultimately required to extinguish the blaze.
Explosive EV Failure in Packed Parking Garage Leaves 21 Hospitalized
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