4 Rivian Delivery Vehicles catch fire in OHSU parking lot

[Epzey]

KGW YT video

Looks like this might be in the parking lot of the office building across from the service center downtown. Oddly the KGW reporter never says Rivian. Also weird is he first says the batteries caught fire then says the fire department is investigating how it happened.

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[forestwalker]

Although it'd be an odd coincidence, I wouldn't be shocked if the fire was started in the landscaping by someone and spread to the vehicles. Anyone familiar with the Portland SC, and know if this is their lot? Nothing but Rivians in the background...

 

[Epzey]

Although it'd be an odd coincidence, I wouldn't be shocked if the fire was started in the landscaping by someone and spread to the vehicles. Anyone familiar with the Portland SC, and know if this is their lot? Nothing but Rivians in the background...

They probably lease it from OHSU the office buildings are across from the SC. Not 100% sure but I think it’s this lot. The service center is where the charger icon is.

 

[forestwalker]

They probably lease it from OHSU the office buildings are across from the SC. Not 100% sure but I think it’s this lot. The service center is where the charger icon is.

That makes sense... My vote is hobo campfire gone awry. I'm gonna make sure I don't leave my baby there overnight when my appt next month comes up

 

[Smitty]

The Portland Rivian service center seems to park their overflow in the lot to the west of them. Sometimes they park their mobile service vans there also. On my way home from work I can see them just off 3rd. Last time I took my vehicle in for service they had to go retrieve it and pretty sure it was parked over there.

 

[oregonridet]

Update

 

[CharonPDX]

And this could be one of a number of possible perpetrators.

Anti-EV in general.

Anti-Elon-Musk confused about what brands.

Anti-Amazon.

Just plain metal illness arsonist.

 

[CharonPDX]

Also, need a thread title update - while the parking lot is owned by OHSU, it is certainly leased to Rivian at least in part. You can even see a Rivian-branded van in the current Apple Maps 3D view:

Note: there is no charging at that location. This absolutely is not "EV caught fire while charging."

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

A few years ago there was a study done on which type of vehicles catches fire the most. According to this study it’s hybrid vehicles, then ICE vehicles, and finally BEVs. Of course back in 2022 there weren’t as many BEVs, so I would like to see an updated study that uses percentages and numbers. Of course if it’s arson that doesn’t count.

I bet EVs would still be the lowest to catch fire, but the hardest to put out. Automakers need to come up with a way to eject the battery from the chassis or flood the cells with a coolant gel or foam or something. I’m surprised to the Chinese haven’t figured this out yet.

https://insideevs.com/news/561549/study-evs-smallest-fire-risk/

 

[Yamazaki]

I bet EVs would still be the lowest to catch fire, but the hardest to put out. Automakers need to come up with a way to eject the battery from the chassis or flood the cells with a coolant gel or foam or something. I’m surprised to the Chinese haven’t figured this out yet.

I don't think this counts as ejecting the battery.... but it's close:

 

[Owner]

I don't think this counts as ejecting the battery.... but it's close:

Tesla tried battery swapping many years ago... I did a swap over 10 years ago.

https://teslaowner.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/battery-swap/

 

[CharonPDX]

A few years ago there was a study done on which type of vehicles catches fire the most. According to this study it’s hybrid vehicles, then ICE vehicles, and finally BEVs. Of course back in 2022 there weren’t as many BEVs, so I would like to see an updated study that uses percentages and numbers. Of course if it’s arson that doesn’t count.

I bet EVs would still be the lowest to catch fire, but the hardest to put out. Automakers need to come up with a way to eject the battery from the chassis or flood the cells with a coolant gel or foam or something. I’m surprised to the Chinese haven’t figured this out yet.

https://insideevs.com/news/561549/study-evs-smallest-fire-risk/

The fire risk was "per vehicles sold", not just raw numbers, so EVs were lowest total, but also lowest ratio of fires per vehicles sold.

EV: 25.1 fires per 100,000 sales. That’s compared to 3,474 hybrid fires and 1,529 ICE fires per 100,000 sales respectively.

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

Tesla tried battery swapping many years ago... I did a swap over 10 years ago.

https://teslaowner.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/battery-swap/

Nio has done over 100 million battery swaps so far. It’s working well for them. But yeah, couldn’t this same tech allow the battery to drop out during an accident and let the vehicle be pushed out of the way?

Like an accident happens that pierces the battery pack, a safety sensor and/or the software detects the thermal runaway and dumps coolant on the battery or wraps it in one of those thermal blankets (like shrink wrap), and then it ejects it out of the bottom. Then the vehicle can be manually put into neutral and moved and the battery can be disposed of or uncovered in a safe location to let it burn out?

 

[Owner]

Nio has done over 100 million battery swaps so far. It’s working well for them.

wow, now that is a lot! I had no idea as Tesla didn't take it very seriously at all.

 

[NY_Rob]

In Germany, they have a reinforced shipping container with no top, they fill it on location with water from a fire truck then simply forklift and dump burning EV's into it. Fire out within minutes not hours, and no chance of it starting back up again.

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