Photo: u/Thewildkin via Reddit
After a Rivian R1T was fried while charging at an Electrify America station in January, another Rivian burst into flames in similar circumstances. Rivian is conducting a full investigation but said the high-voltage battery was not to blame.
Not everyone realizes this, but electric vehicles differ a lot from their combustion-engine brethren. The most crucial difference is not the fuel but rather the relationship that a carmaker needs to establish with the fuel supplier. In the case of ICE vehicles, it's a set-and-forget experience. The only thing that matters is the fuel type, not the station. With EVs, having the right plug and power is not enough. You need the carmaker and the charging station companies to work together to ensure compatibility.
That's because the car and the charger must communicate before any energy is provided. Any mismatch between the two can lead to problems and, in some cases, catastrophic issues. It has happened more than once, and intriguingly, most cases involved Electrify America chargers. This could be because they have the largest DC fast-charging network in the US, or maybe there are problems with their charger design.
In January, a Rivian R1T owner complained that their truck was fried while charging at an Electrify America charger. According to the owner, they heard a loud boom about a minute after plugging the car. The plug remained stuck into the charge port, and the truck showed error codes. While reading their story on social media, other EV owners reported similar experiences, with at least one Ford F-150 Lightning and one Chevrolet Bolt affected.
Now, it appears that it happened again, and another Rivian R1T was involved. The situation got hotter this time, and the firefighters had to intervene. The fire didn't appear to have anything to do with the high-voltage battery. That type of fire is notoriously difficult to extinguish and often turns the car into a pile of ash and metal. Rivian, which said it is investigating the case, also ruled out the battery as the cause of the fire.
Based on the pictures shared on Reddit, the fire started in the charge port area and expanded gradually until the firefighters put it out. This can point to an imperfect contact in the charge port, which overheated and caused the fire to ignite. Besides that, the fire could've been caused by a short circuit in the charging system or the 12-volt system. It's too early to know whether the problem was with the car or the charger.
The incident offered new ammunition to those wanting Rivian to build more RAN charging stations or sign a partnership with Tesla to access the Supercharger network like Ford did. Everybody agrees the cars are great, but the charging experience at third-party stations is appalling. Even when they don't set your vehicle on fire, there's a good chance they are out of service when you want to use them or the charging speed is too slow.
That's because the car and the charger must communicate before any energy is provided. Any mismatch between the two can lead to problems and, in some cases, catastrophic issues. It has happened more than once, and intriguingly, most cases involved Electrify America chargers. This could be because they have the largest DC fast-charging network in the US, or maybe there are problems with their charger design.
In January, a Rivian R1T owner complained that their truck was fried while charging at an Electrify America charger. According to the owner, they heard a loud boom about a minute after plugging the car. The plug remained stuck into the charge port, and the truck showed error codes. While reading their story on social media, other EV owners reported similar experiences, with at least one Ford F-150 Lightning and one Chevrolet Bolt affected.
Now, it appears that it happened again, and another Rivian R1T was involved. The situation got hotter this time, and the firefighters had to intervene. The fire didn't appear to have anything to do with the high-voltage battery. That type of fire is notoriously difficult to extinguish and often turns the car into a pile of ash and metal. Rivian, which said it is investigating the case, also ruled out the battery as the cause of the fire.
Based on the pictures shared on Reddit, the fire started in the charge port area and expanded gradually until the firefighters put it out. This can point to an imperfect contact in the charge port, which overheated and caused the fire to ignite. Besides that, the fire could've been caused by a short circuit in the charging system or the 12-volt system. It's too early to know whether the problem was with the car or the charger.
The incident offered new ammunition to those wanting Rivian to build more RAN charging stations or sign a partnership with Tesla to access the Supercharger network like Ford did. Everybody agrees the cars are great, but the charging experience at third-party stations is appalling. Even when they don't set your vehicle on fire, there's a good chance they are out of service when you want to use them or the charging speed is too slow.
Video of that @Rivian fire the other day.
— Matthew Donegan-Ryan (@MatthewDR) June 8, 2023
It appears something exploded (maybe the 12v battery?). Rivian says the high voltage battery didn’t appear to be involved.
Fire possibly started at the charger port (using @ElectrifyAm). pic.twitter.com/lv5riLNZK6
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