The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a preliminary evaluation of reports that Rivian’s Electric Delivery Van (EDV) seatbelts can malfunction and threaten the driver’s safety.
The Electric Delivery Van has long been a part of Rivian’s plans and was key in the American automaker’s early success as a BEV startup. The EDV was teased as far back as 2019, when Amazon committed to purchasing 100,000 vehicles from Rivian as part of a $700 million investment.
Those initial EDV-700 builds made their way to Amazon in late 2021 and can now be seen making zero-emissions deliveries in cities around the US. Early on, Amazon had exclusivity in the EV technology and driver safety that the Rivian vans provided. In 2023, however, Rivian opened up the availability of its commercial EVs to other customers, who followed suit.
Since then, tens of thousands of Rivian commercial vans have been delivered. However, a recent filing from the NHSTA states that the durability and safety of the seatbelt in certain Rivian EDVs may be an issue, and the administration is investigating accordingly.
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Source: Rivian
Rivian is cooperating with NHTSA to ensure driver safety
According to a September 22, 2025, filing from the NHTSA, the administration’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has opened a preliminary evaluation of accusations of safety concerns surrounding driver seatbelts. Here’s the safety issue description:
Potential failures of the driver’s front outboard seat belt anchorage system. The seat belt anchorage system comprising steel braided cable that frays, breaks and/or unravels, leaving the occupants unrestrained in the event of a collision.
Per the report, the ODI has received Vehicle Owner Questionnaires reporting potential failures of the driver’s seatbelt anchorage system in the front outboard of a Rivian van. There have been zero accidents or injuries reported in relation to this potential issue.
The NHTSA stated that the ODI’s investigation concerns the seatbelt safety of about 17,198 Rivian EDVs produced between 2022 and 2023. In an email statement to Bloomberg, Rivian reiterated that its vehicles meet or exceed all applicable safety requirements, adding that it will “look forward to cooperating with NHTSA on its investigation.”
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Ford is testing a new electrified Mustang that may not be as electric as it seems. The next-gen Mustang is apparently already in development. Here’s what we know about it so far.
Is Ford launching an electrified Mustang Hybrid?
After postponing around $12 billion in planned spending on electric vehicles in 2023, Ford’s CEO Jim Farley said the company would lean more into hybrids.
Farley told investors and analysts on the company’s Q3 2023 earnings call that he’s “so thankful we have kept our foot on the gas to freshen our ICE and HEV products as we enter a changing market.”
Ford’s CFO, John Lawler, reaffirmed the company’s plans later that year, saying the company would use hybrids as a bridge to fully electric vehicles.
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“With EV adoption slower, hybrids are going to be a bigger part,” Lawler said, adding that Ford “became a little bit complacent” on hybrid tech. Last year, Ford said it would introduce a hybrid version for every gas-powered vehicle in its lineup by 2030.
2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E (Source: Ford)
Ford is apparently making good on its promise with a new Mustang hybrid in development. According to a new report from Ford Authority, the Mustang hybrid, internally code-named S650E, is in development, and prototypes are already being tested.
The report claims the new Mustang has entered the Technology Prove-Out stage, suggesting it will be electrified to some degree.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally (Source: Ford)
Whether it will be a traditional hybrid or a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) remains unclear. Although the company has yet to confirm it, Farley said that a “partially electrified Mustang coupe” was a strong possibility, and Ford’s Performance unit is already testing hybrid powertrains.
Electrek’s Take
Will the new Mustang hybrid sit alongside the Mach-E in Ford’s lineup? Ford’s electric crossover SUV remains one of the top-selling EVs in the US, so it’s unlikely to go anywhere, but it is due for a refresh with so many new rivals entering the market.
Through August, Ford sold 34,319 Mustang Mach-Es (+6.7% YOY) in the US. The gas-powered Mustang continues to fall out of favor, with 31,015 units sold in the first eight months of 2025, 8.3% fewer than during the same period in 2024.
With Hyundai, Stellantis, Honda, and several other global OEMs planning to launch new hybrid models in the US, the Ford Mustang hybrid doesn’t come as a total surprise. We will still have to wait for the official word from Ford, but a new electrified Stang seems more than likely.
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Transocean Barents, an oil platform passes through Canakkale Strait as vessel traffic suspended in both directions in Canakkale, Turkiye on November 12, 2024.
Enishan Keskin | Anadolu | Getty Images
Shares of Transocean plunged Thursday after the offshore driller announced the sale of a large number of shares at a discount.
Transocean is planning to sell 125 million shares at a price of $3.05, significantly lower than Wednesday’s close of $3.64. It is offering 25 million shares more than it originally planned.
The Swiss company’s stock was last down 14.8% premarket. The offering is expected to close on Friday.
Transocean expects to book about $381 million from the sale. It will use the proceeds to pay off debt.
(Correction: Updates with correct share offering price.)
New York City’s new 15 mph speed limit for electric bikes is officially set to take effect next month, in what city officials claim is a move to improve street safety. But not everyone is convinced the crackdown is targeting the real threat on the roads.
The new limit, approved earlier this year, applies to e-bikes, mopeds, and other micromobility vehicles operating in city bike lanes. Riders caught exceeding 15 mph could face warnings or citations, though the exact enforcement strategy remains murky. The NYPD says it will focus on “education first,” but given the city’s track record, that could just be the calm before the ticket storm.
The rule comes amid growing concerns from some residents and officials about rising speeds among e-bike riders, especially delivery workers who often rely on throttle-equipped bikes to meet tight deadlines. But while the new speed cap is aimed at micromobility vehicles, there’s a noticeable omission: cars, trucks, and SUVs, which continue to be allowed to travel at 25 mph – and in practice, often much faster – even though they pose exponentially more risk to vulnerable road users and are responsible for orders of magnitude more deaths each year.
It’s a move that raises eyebrows and has resulted in thousands of publicly-submitted comments that the New York Department of Transportation has seemingly ignored.
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After all, the majority of traffic fatalities in New York City don’t involve e-bikes. They involve cars. And while some e-bike riders certainly ride irresponsibly, the blanket limit nearly cuts in half the more widely accepted e-bike speed limits used around the US, and doesn’t even apply to pedal bikes, which can easily exceed such speeds despite nearly identical average weights when factoring in the vehicle and rider. Not to mention, it ignores the critical role that e-bikes play in reducing traffic congestion and emissions, especially in the delivery and commuting sectors.
So while New York is slowing down its most efficient and sustainable form of urban transport, it’s letting the real heavyweights keep their speed. If the goal is safety, then it’s fair to ask: why aren’t cars being asked to go 15 mph too?
Because once again, it seems the rules are written for the powerful – not the vulnerable.
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