Here’s how Rivian changed the rear door manual release on the R2

Source: TechCrunch

Background on Electronic Door Handles

There’s been a lot of pushback on electronic door handles lately, as multiple carmakers — especially Tesla — have been accused of making manual door releases hard to find and access during an emergency. Rivian is one of the companies that reportedly decided to change this on its upcoming R2 SUV, and a spate of first‑look videos released Tuesday finally give us a look at what the company has changed.

Rivian R2 Rear Door Manual Release

• Front doors: Operate the same way as in the existing R1 vehicles. An electronic button opens the door, and a manual door‑release latch is tucked into the front part of the interior handle.
• Rear doors: Also have an electronic button, but the manual release has been relocated.

On R1 vehicles, passengers had to pull a panel off the door to access a “release cord” that operates the manual latch. In the new R2 SUV, Rivian moved this release cord to the same front‑of‑the‑handle position used for the front‑seat manual releases. It is still tucked behind a piece of plastic that must be popped out, making it slightly harder to access than the front‑door manual releases.

The R2 SUV isn’t set to go into production for another few months, so Rivian has not yet published official instructions on how to access this release. However, a screenshot from a recent video by JerryRigEverything’s Zack Nelson illustrates the process:

Image credit: JerryRigEverything (screenshot)

The manual release remains behind a piece of plastic and is not the most obvious or accessible way to open a door from the inside, but it is in a more logical spot than being hidden behind a panel.

Safety Implications and Industry Response

These kinds of situations are rare, but when they occur—typically during a major crash—every second can mean the difference between life and death.

Rivian is not alone in reworking manual releases. Bloomberg News identified at least 15 deaths in crashes where occupants or rescuers were unable to open the doors on Tesla vehicles. Tesla has said it will change how it designs its handles to address the problem.

Electronic door latches can present other issues as well. Last year, Ford issued a recall to fix a power‑delivery problem affecting the electronic door latches on the Mustang Mach‑E (Road & Track report).