The repairs cost over half the starting price for the Rivian EV. The owner said he'd expected it wouldn't be cheap, but it was a "shocking number."
A Rivian owner said his R1T electric pickup truck cost about $42,000 to fix after it was hit at a stoplight earlier this year, according to a report The New York Times.
It’s things like this that make me think the big automakers will eventually come out on top in the EV space.
Also, I wonder whether the extreme weight of electric vehicles has been factored into insurance premiums yet. I would think they would cause a lot more damage in collisions due to being so much heavier than other vehicles.
Can't until battery life gets better. Right now, and for the forseeable future, batteries are about a half ton for 300 miles of range, and that only goes up. And when youre always hauling a half ton, you're going to weigh like a half ton pick up.
Probably. But wear and tear on all road infrastructure will accelerate due to more weight, and funds to fix it will go down until additional tax structures are put into place to replace gas taxes.
Sounds like the shop owner is a crook and is just trying to take advantage of the extremely limited amount of rivian certified shops. Their stated reason for the absurd cost being the windshield needed to be removed and headliner dropped is insane, that's everyday shit for a body shop.
Looks more like it’s just pisspoor design/forethought on Rivian parts.
Here is their post on the rivian forum. If the entire back of the truck had to come off for a bumper, and maybe a rear fender something is wrong with the design.
Most of the comments are parroting what I've said above... just because that's what the shop chose to do does not mean it was the correct plan of action.
A key reason is that the accident damaged a sleek panel that extends from the truck’s rear to front roof pillars. Repairing and repainting it set off a cascade of pricey work, including removing the interior ceiling material, known as the headliner, and front windshield.