Rivian is changing the door handle design on its upcoming R2 SUV after employees and customers raised safety concerns, according to Bloomberg News.
The automaker is one of many that has leaned into electronically-latched door handles over the last few years. While this allows for sleeker presentation and more aerodynamic design, it often results in the automaker tucking the manual emergency door releases away in hard-to-find places.
On the R2, which comes out next year, Rivian will now put the interior manual releases in a “more clearly visible” location closer to the electrically-powered door handles, Bloomberg reports.
The design change comes amid a wave of scrutiny around electronic door handles. Bloomberg recently published a report about Tesla owners and passengers getting stuck in their vehicles because of the company’s hard-to-find manual releases. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation, and Tesla has since said it is redesigning how those work.
Earlier this year, Ford issued a recall and stopped the sale of its Mustang Mach-E because its electronic latches could get stuck in a locked position if the car’s 12-volt battery died.
You Might Also Like
Alternative app store AltStore PAL joins the fediverse
AltStore PAL, an alternative app store for iOS, made possible by new regulations in markets like the EU and Japan,...
Will the Pentagon’s Anthropic controversy scare startups away from defense work?
In just over a week, negotiations over the Pentagon’s use of Anthropic’s Claude technology fell through, the Trump administration designated...
It’s official: The Pentagon has labeled Anthropic a supply chain risk
The Department of Defense has officially notified Anthropic leadership that the company and its products have been designated a supply...
Users are ditching ChatGPT for Claude. Here’s how to make the switch
Many users are switching to Claude following a string of controversies surrounding ChatGPT and its parent company, OpenAI. The tipping...








