The Rivian electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing plan has been infested with bed bugs in an isolated area.
The latest problem comes as the all-electric car maker is working to ramp up the production of its R1S SUV and R1T pickup.
(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 09: A Rivian electric pickup truck sits in a parking lot at a Rivian service center on May 09, 2022 in South San Francisco, California.
Rivian EV Plant Addresses Bed Bug Infestation
According to a recent report by Business Insider, Rivian is facing another issue in its electric vehicle plant. This time, the automaker received reports that bed bugs started appearing in its EV plant.
To be more precise, the bed bugs seem to have infested an "isolated area" in the manufacturing plant of the EV maker.
The spokesperson of Rivian, Zach Dietmeier, disclosed that they are now addressing and investigating the bed bug infestation mess in its EV plant.
The Rivian spokesperson assures that they "investigate every report and take appropriate actions per our pest control contractor."
(Photo : Mario Tama/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 08: A Rivian R1S electric SUV (L) is parked at a Rivian Service Center on October 8, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Dietmeier revealed in an emailed statement to Business Insider the actions that the EV startup has made to tackle the infestation.
First off, the automaker has already reached out to a pest control firm to take care of it.
On top of that, Rivian decided to place all of its forklifts in the infested area under quarantine. The EV maker has treated this equipment. And it plans to do the same to the rest of its plant over the weekend.
Lastly, the American carmaker included all of its transportation shuttles in the bug treatment.
Rivian clarifies that it is only a preventive measure. So this does not necessarily mean that the shuttles have been invaded by these pesky bugs as well. The EV maker is merely trying to be extra safe here.
Read Also: Amazon's 1,000 Rivian Electric Delivery Vans Will Make Its First Holiday-Season Appearance
Is the R1S, R1T Production Affected by the Infestation?
According to a recent report by Car Buzz, Rivian faced a couple of setbacks in the past months.
One of the latest problems is the alleged safety violations that its workers called out last month.
And now, the EV maker had to address a bug infestation in an area of its factory. It comes while the automaker struggles to keep up with massive demand for its electric offerings.
(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 09: Rivian electric pickup trucks sit in a parking lot at a Rivian service center on May 09, 2022 in South San Francisco, California.
It is worth noting, though, that the latest problem of Rivian only affects a small part of its manufacturing plant.
Despite that, Car Buzz notes in its story that it would still affect the production rates.
But given that Rivian has already addressed the infestation issue, it might not take long before it goes back to normal production output. After all, the automaker claims that the bed bugs only affected an "isolated" part of the plant.
Related Article: Rivian Workers in Illinois Plant File Complaints, Citing Lack of Safety Measures
