Over 50 Rivian EVs Damaged In Factory Parking Lot Fire. Here’s What Happened (Updated)

The damaged R1S and R1T vehicles were reportedly waiting to be shipped to customers.

A fire broke out in the parking lot of Rivian's factory, damaging several EVs

Photo by: InsideEVs

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Aug 26, 2024 at 2:52am ET

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A fire broke out this past weekend in the parking lot of Rivian’s Normal, Illinois factory.
Multiple electric vehicles were damaged in the fire.
The cause remains unknown.

A fire that broke out in the parking lot of Rivian’s electric vehicle factory in Normal, Illinois damaged over 50 R1S and R1T models that were reportedly waiting to be shipped out to customers.

The Normal Fire Department got the call on Saturday night, just before 9.45 pm, according to NFD spokesperson Matt Swaney quoted by 25NewsNow. The plant, which assembles all of Rivian’s current models and is on track to begin manufacturing the upcoming R2 SUV, was not affected by the fire, Swaney said.

As of midnight Sunday, the fire was put out but fire crews remained on scene to monitor the area. No injuries were reported.

"We are investigating the cause of a fire that damaged a number of vehicles in a parking lot at our Normal plant late Saturday night," a Rivian spokesperson told InsideEVs. "The plant itself is unaffected. There were no injuries."

An aerial photo and video were posted on a Facebook group after the fire showing 57 vehicles that were contained in a corner of the factory parking lot, next to the industrial train rails. Only R1S and R1T vehicles seem to have been involved in the fire.

The fire-damaged Rivian vehicles were contained in the factory parking lot. Source: Jack Hanson / RIVIAN Electric Vehicles Discussion (Facebook)

The cause is still unknown. NFD spokesperson Swaney said an investigation has been started to find out what started the blaze.

Last month, three Rivian Amazon Electric Delivery Vans (EDVs) ignited at the e-commerce company’s fulfillment center in Houston, Texas. That fire was unrelated to the high-voltage battery, according to Rivian.

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Studies have shown that–contrary to popular belief–electric vehicle fires are much less likely to happen than combustion vehicle fires. However, when an EV ignites, it can be a lot more dangerous and dramatically harder for fire departments to put them out, especially if they’re not equipped with the necessary tools. There is also a risk that an EV fire could reignite after it has been put out, which is why you often hear about fire crews remaining on the scene of an EV fire after the blaze was put out.

Update: Rivian sent a statement about the fire. The article has been updated to reflect the changes.