Rivian R2 Is Up Next As Auto Industry Rethinks Door Handles

• Rivian is redesigning the interior door handles for the upcoming R2.
• Electronic door handles and hard-to-locate manual releases have been linked to fatal crashes and are subject of ongoing federal investigations.
• The automaker claims its current door handle design hasn’t caused any injuries.

Door handles are arguably the most overly complicated design elements on electric cars as automakers root for futuristic designs, aerodynamic advantages and heavy cost-cutting. But a growing number of automakers are now redesigning them amid safety concerns and ongoing federal investigations.

The upcoming Rivian R2, a direct competitor to the Tesla Model Y, will have an interior door handle design that’s different from the current R1 models, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Rivian plans to install a manual door release that’s clearly visible and located in close proximity to the electronic door handles, the outlet reported. It’s unclear whether the redesign will extend to the current R1 models as well.

Rivian R2 door

Rivians are expensive. The R1S starts at $77,000 before destination, and the R1T carries a $71,000 sticker. Owners have complained on online forums about door handles failing to unlock, requiring workarounds like lowering the window and sticking the hand out to unlock them externally. Some owners had the opposite issue, where the electronic doors failed to lock.

Photo by: Rivian

Like Tesla, Rivian uses flush-fitting exterior door handles that cut drag and look stylish. To get in, passengers tap the key on the handle, which makes one end pop out so they can pull it open. Inside, things get trickier. The electronic release is a simple button near the armrest, but the manual backup isn’t as intuitive.

For front passengers, it sits just below the window switches, a few inches from the electronic release. It blends into the door trim so well that first-time riders might not even notice it. For rear passengers, it gets worse. They have to pull open a flat door panel first, and then pull down a release cord to open the door manually.

Rivian isn’t the only automaker with such complicated or hidden manual interior door releases. Another recent Bloomberg report outlined a string of Tesla crashes where passengers were trapped inside as they couldn’t locate the manual door release, accompanied by instances of first responders struggling to open Tesla doors during emergencies.

Photo by: Rivian

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating crashes with links to Tesla’s door handle failures. The company has confirmed that it is working on a redesign that would make it easier for occupants to operate door handles in a “panic situation.” The issue isn’t U.S.-specific. Even regulators in China are looking to ban self-retracting electronic door handles following a fatal crash.

The R2 will be Rivian’s make-or-break vehicle when it goes on sale in the first half of next year. Fixing its door handles would be a welcome step, and extending the simpler design across its line-up would be even better.

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