Rivian's electric trucks are equipped with safety features, both active and passive. Included in these features are several airbags to secure the safety of both the driver and the passengers. While airbags have long been proven as an effective safety feature, Rivian filed for a patent for an airbag that can be placed in-between seats.
Rivian's patent, titled "Airbag Arrangement for Protection in a Far-Side Vehicular Crash," describes an airbag design with an improved placement, which can be applied in cars that come with captain seats.
Due to the fact that captain seats are placed in way wherein there is a gap between the seats, Rivian pointed out that there is a chance for excessive movement of the passenger in case a crash happens, particularly in far-side collisions.
Rivian's airbags will be placed in a position in which the gap between the seats will be filled in. The said airbags can be deployed in several arrangements and shapes to fit in with the car's interior.
"A pair of airbags may be deployed to fill an interior space in a vehicle to support persons in a vehicle that is involved in a side crash, particularly, a person facing a far-side crash," Rivian's description of the patent stated.
You can read Rivian's full description of the patent here.
Rivian launched the R1T electric truck and R1S SUV last year, which had been met incredibly well, thanks to its impressive off-road qualities and all-electric design. Production for the R1T will reportedly start in 2020.
The startup is starting to become a favorite of investors, including Ford and recently, Amazon. CEO Jeff Bezos recently revealed that the online retail giant will be ordering 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian to help realize its plans of to be completely carbon neutral by 2040.
The order, which was confirmed via tweet by David Clark, Amazon's senior vice president of operations, is the largest order for electric delivery vehicles to date.
Our fleet is Electrifying! Thrilled to announce the order of 100,000 electric delivery vehicles - the largest order of electric delivery vehicles ever. Look out for the new vans starting in 2021. pic.twitter.com/y5qYpuy2WP — Dave Clark (@davehclark) September 19, 2019
″[We] will have prototypes on the road next year, but 100,000 deployed by 2024," Bezos said during comments at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. "So a lot of these things, we don't have magic crystal balls to look into the future, but those are a pretty good timeline."
