Rivian Up to date The R2’s Guide Door Launch, And Folks Are Mad

• The Rivian R2 options an up to date handbook launch mechanism for the rear doorways.
• The corporate confronted some backlash after R1S and R1T homeowners documented how they jerry-rigged their automobiles to make it simpler for youths to flee in an emergency.
• The R2’s system is just like that on the facelifted R1 fashions, the place a chunk of trim must be eliminated.

It’s 2026, and electrical automobiles are nonetheless being fitted with digital door handles. They give the impression of being cool, however they’ll shortly turn out to be a harmful characteristic when energy cuts out after an accident, and the individuals inside can now not exit the automobile.

In Rivian’s case, the corporate is seemingly making an attempt to enhance the way in which passengers can get out in an emergency state of affairs the place the automobile loses energy from the low-voltage battery, however a whole lot of followers and homeowners have made their opinions recognized on-line–and it’s not fairly.

The most recent Rivian R2 prototypes have a revised handbook launch system for the rear doorways, which ought to make it barely simpler to entry, no less than in comparison with the facelifted R1S and R1T.

On the dearer R1 autos, Rivian tucked a handbook launch cable behind a detachable plastic panel on the door card when it refreshed its flagship SUV and pickup. That was arguably a transfer within the mistaken course, seeing how the pre-facelift R1S and R1T’s common handles would function each the digital launch and handbook launch.

Now, on the R2 prototypes, the handbook launch for the rear doorways is but once more behind a plastic cowl, nevertheless it’s now just a little simpler to get to the cable. As YouTuber JerryRigEverything explains within the video, rear passengers must come out a small plastic panel to entry the discharge twine. In the meantime, the driving force and entrance passenger have a correct deal with to tug on when the battery dies.

Zack Nelson, who shot the video, doesn’t pull out the twine, so I don’t understand how straightforward it’s to search out and pull. Hopefully, it’s higher than on the Gen 2 R1S and R1T, as a result of on these autos, some homeowners have modded the discharge mechanisms to make it simpler for youths and adults to open the door after an accident.

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Supply: Rivian

It’s additionally price noting that the R2 remains to be within the prototype section, and this design might change when collection manufacturing kicks off, however one factor is certain: Rivian followers and homeowners are usually not thrilled concerning the R2’s rear door handbook launch. Tons of of individuals have flooded Reddit with feedback, saying it is a mistake and that the corporate ought to have adopted a greater system.

“If that is what goes into manufacturing, I’m out,” mentioned one commenter. “Rivian mentioned a number of months again that they had been rethinking the emergency launch. I hope this isn’t their precise answer.”

“Not thrilled with this both,” mentioned another person. “I do not perceive why they can not simply mirror the entrance seat launch system within the again.” One other individual commented, “Fishing for a hidden wire to unlock the door in an emergency state of affairs ought to by no means be a suitable design. If they’ll design a backup deal with within the entrance, they’ll do the identical within the again to be totally compliant and simpler to function.”

Rivian, the ball is in your court docket.