It is no secret that EV makers have been struggling. The vehicles are expensive and unreliable—did we mention that they are expensive? Tesla has managed to maintain its edge and market share, but given all the space required for solar, there is only so much room in the world for these lawn ornaments. Saturation was inevitable. They are also dangerous, not just to people but also to other vehicles, the ferry (and everything else on it), parking structures, each other, and the environment.
EV Truck maker Rivian offers another cautionary tale. A bunch of units sitting on the lot outside their manufacturing facility demonstrate the thermal runaway potential of Lithium vehicle packs. Rivian was already struggling, so feel free to wonder whether this is an itty-bitty insurance fire.
Major fire at the @Rivian plant in Normal, Illinois.
— Drive Tesla 🇨🇦 (@DriveTeslaca) August 25, 2024
No word on any injuries, hopefully everyone is ok. pic.twitter.com/sZ6cdLvD5w
Reuter’s care of GP –
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.
I have yet to see how much “greening” is required to make up for the “emissions” of one Electric Vehicle Car fire—just the vehicle. Secondary side effect emissions are not included (anything nearby that burns plus the energy required for public safety or other personnel to contain the fire until it burns out). This video suggests a row of Rivian’s went up, offsetting, I would guess, a substantial amount of green virtue signaling. All those compounds and rare earth metals, plastic, upholstery, rubber, electronics, and lubricant floating around for miles and miles before settling back to earth…somewhere downwind.
