- A Rivian R1S was badly burned alongside a home.
- A witness says the fire began at an extension cord used for charging.
- Rivian specifically warns owners not to use extension cords with its Portable Charger.
Charging an EV at home is generally about as exciting as plugging in your phone. Frankly, that’s the optimal experience in most cases. However, you’re dealing with a whole lot more electricity, often for hours at a time, and cutting corners can have some spectacularly expensive consequences. One Rivian owner appears to have learned that lesson in about the worst possible way.
Photos shared to the Rivian subreddit show an R1S with its entire front end absolutely cooked. Seriously, a lightning bolt might have done less damage. On top of that, there’s substantial fire damage to the garage nearby. According to the Reddit user who posted the images, they stumbled across the aftermath while walking their dog and were told by a neighbor that the fire began while the Rivian was charging through an extension cord.
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That said, it’s a secondhand account. We haven’t found a fire department report confirming the exact cause, so we can’t say definitively that the extension cord started the blaze, nor do we know for sure precisely what type of cord, outlet, or charging equipment was being used. What we can say is that Rivian really doesn’t want owners doing this.
The automaker’s owner’s guide specifically warns drivers not to plug its Portable Charger into “an extension cord, power converter, power strip, or any type of power adapter.” It also warns against using damaged, loose, or worn outlets. That’s key because Rivian’s J1772 portable charger can pull up to 32 amps and deliver 7.6 kW when plugged into a 240v outlet. While it won’t necessarily draw those maximums constantly, it’s still trying to draw significant electricity through the cordage for lengthy periods of time.
The Reddit post itself sparked an interesting debate over whether extension cords themselves are really the problem. Several commenters argued that a properly rated heavy-duty cord can safely carry substantial current, while others pointed to possible problems involving undersized wiring, damaged connections, coiled cords, or overheated plugs. One commenter even suggested the photos appear to show a NEMA 14-50 RV-style extension cord rather than some bargain-bin household cable.
No doubt, extension cords come in all sorts of sizes and qualities. That said, Rivian’s instructions don’t leave room for interpretation. It simply says not to use one. In this case, it appears that advice could’ve kept at least this R1S on the road. Most importantly, the Reddit poster says neighbors confirmed that the owners of the SUV were okay. Hopefully we can all appreciate the reminder that comes from their material loss.
