A Texas urologist carried out what he says was in all probability “the world’s first Rivian powered vasectomy” after shedding electrical energy throughout a affected person’s appointment.

Dr. Christopher Yang posted pictures on Twitter displaying an extension twine operating from his Rivian R1T pickup into the Austin, Texas, clinic the place he works. “Affected person did not need to reschedule trigger he already had day off,” Yang wrote. “Electrocautery was regular, process went nice!”

Yang informed Motor Development — which named the battery-powered R1T its 2022 Truck of the 12 months — that he deliberate to cancel the process till a member of his workers joked that he ought to use the pickup as an influence supply. The R1T has two 120-volt shops in its mattress, which Rivian undoubtedly figured homeowners could be extra doubtless to make use of for tenting or cooking than performing surgical procedure. Yang stated his cauterizer makes use of 400 watts, effectively beneath the shops’ 1,500-watt most.

The story is among the many quite a few examples of how individuals have used their electrical and hybrid pickups as backup energy sources throughout outages.

Ford Motor Co. garnered vital consideration in 2021 when tales emerged of Texans utilizing the F-150’s elective onboard generator to run their lights and fridges after an ice storm crippled the state’s electrical grid.

Ford supplied bonuses to dealerships that loaned out generator-equipped F-150s to households in want.