A fire broke out late Saturday in a parking lot at Rivian Automotive’s manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, damaging many of its electric vehicles, the U.S. startup said on Sunday.
There were no reports of injuries and the cause of the fire was under investigation, a company spokesman told Reuters. The fire was in a parking lot on the north side of the four-million-square-foot plant, which is 130 miles (209 km) south of Chicago, and the assembly plant was not affected, the Normal Fire Department said in a statement to Reuters.
Rivian RIVN did not confirm the number and type of vehicles affected. Rivian, known for its R1S SUVs and R1T pickups, is expanding (link) the Normal plant to produce its smaller, less expensive R2 SUVs, which are expected to launch in 2026 and are seen as critical to the company’s success. The company closed the plant for three weeks this year to simplify production and cut costs. The electric car maker produces all of its vehicles at the Normal factory, with a second assembly plant planned in Georgia. Last week, the company stopped (link) production of its delivery vans, which are being used by retail giant Amazon.com 
AMZN has been temporarily suspended due to a parts shortage, but expects to restore all lost production.
