If the Rivian R1T wasn’t already appealing enough, one vasectomy patient found a brand new use for it that few were expecting. Admittedly, vasectomies will not likely be the best sales pitch, but I guess you’d rather have a truck that can get the job done, no matter what the job is. After doctors lost power right before a Vasectomy appointment, they acted quickly, and Dr. Yang called his electric pickup truck off the sidelines and into the game. 

Rivian: We’ll get the job done

While this is a pretty unique marketing opportunity, I doubt Rivian will adopt a new slogan centered on dudes getting clipped. That said, the Rivian came through in a big way and showed a seriously valuable added benefit to owning the next generation of electric trucks. 

When Christopher Yang, a Urologist working in Austin, Texas, realized his practice had lost power, he started working on a solution. According to The Drive, the patient had already arranged time off work to get and heal from the procedure. So Dr. Yang got creative. 

Can you power external devices with a Rivian?

I performed what is likely the world's first @Rivian powered vasectomy today. Power in clinic went out, patient didn't want to reschedule cause he already had time off. Electrocautery was normal, procedure went great! #rivianstories #rivian pic.twitter.com/VLDg91r37d

— Christopher Yang (@ChrisYangMD) September 1, 2022

As many know, the Rivian R1T has three external power outlets and one internal power outlet. The Drive explains that there is one in the cabin, one in the very cleaver “gear tunnel,” and two in the truck’s bed. 

“There was no lightbulb moment, but my staff and I were discussing whether to cancel the vasectomy due to the power outage. One of them jokingly mentioned that we should run it off of the Rivian,” said Yang, adding, “After more thought, it seemed that it would work. I discussed the risks [and] benefits with the patient, and he agreed to proceed.”

With the patient’s approval, Yang powered his electrocautery machine and other necessary equipment from the Rivian’s battery. Yang said the procedure went off without a hitch. No complications were reported outside of the alternate power source. Yang fired off a little zinger saying, “We were fortunate that my normal parking spot is close enough to a patient room to run an extension cord.” 

Was there a backup plan outside of the electric pickup truck?

Yang says that he had a backup plan for the electrocautery machine, which is responsible for using electronically-generated heat to melt tissue to stop bleeding. There are other ways to cauterize tissue, which Yang had waiting in the wings. However, the Drive reports that no such backup plans were necessary because the Rivian didn’t skip a beat. 

“It ended up working very well. I had a backup (nonpowered) source of cautery in case the electrocautery failed but did not have to use it,” said Yang.

Although it would be fair to say that this procedure, under the circumstances, seems pretty perilous, the Rivian makes plenty of electricity to power the Vasectomy; the real fear was someone accidentally unplugging the inconspicuous extension chord running from the truck into the office. 

Electric pickup trucks might be better tools than cars

The world could benefit greatly by keeping more gas- and diesel-burning trucks from sucking up all the dino juice, but the EV nut has been tough to crack. Range, charging stations, and price are still major hurdles that keep most Americans from accessing electric pickup trucks. This is a shame for reasons like this. The car aspect is one thing. Sure, it has value for the Earth and a more sustainable future, but how often would this kind of mobile power source be for more rural places? Austin has no shortage of resources. Imagine how valuable something like this would be in rural Alabama, Montana, Mexico, Uganda, Yemen, China, etc. 

This is the most useful feature to make it to a vehicle since… I don’t know when. I guess, for the time being, all we can do is be thankful when these trucks are in the right place when their superpower is needed.