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Rivian's platform approach to electric vehicles helped it raise $3B this year

technologyreview.com

11–20 of 171 posts

Re: Rivian's platform approach to electric vehicles helped it raise $3B this year

#11
post #5

I think most hype over EVs is a direct result of the Tesla stock price and people upset they missed their chance to buy it when it was $20. Probably nothing to do with Rivian or their tech - they just want "the next Tesla".

By "over EVs", did you mean "over EV companies other than Tesla"? Because I'd strongly disagree that EVs are over-hyped.

Re: Rivian's platform approach to electric vehicles helped it raise $3B this year

#12
post #8

... Aren't all the Teslas skateboard design? Isn't the skateboard design the basic EV design since the EV prototypes from the 90s? This seems basically like a Rivian press release reprinted.

Yeah I think the innovation here is in the business model, not the engineering. I really do like the four motor design on the Rivian platform though. It opens up a lot of possibilities for improved performance/handling/safety and off-road capability. The 'tank turn' demo is kind of a gimmick but also not - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzwM8KE2L3I Edit: Add mecanum wheels and you could strafe (at least until they f…

Could you not do that with the three-motor cybertruck?

Re: Rivian's platform approach to electric vehicles helped it raise $3B this year

#13
post #5

I think most hype over EVs is a direct result of the Tesla stock price and people upset they missed their chance to buy it when it was $20. Probably nothing to do with Rivian or their tech - they just want "the next Tesla".

(Mild conflict of interest: I'm originally from Central Illinois, Rivian took over the old Mitsubishi plant where my dad worked, so I'm keen to see manufacturing stay around there.)

I think the future earnings potential is the "platform". Which sounds like marketing hype, but I'm not so sure.

The US is, at least under the current administration, not going to push for EVs, but the rest of the world is trending in that direction, especially after it was revealed that basically everyone was cheating on diesel emissions. Rivian's pitch is that they have a modular flexible platform that's tuned for boring-but-essential utility vehicles. Tesla sells consumer sex, Rivian is selling white van man utility ahead of big, big pressures to lower fleet CO2 emissions. Seems like a reasonable business model to me.

Re: Rivian's platform approach to electric vehicles helped it raise $3B this year

#14

> On Monday, Rivian announced it had raised $1.3 billion in its fourth funding round of the year, led by T. Rowe Price, bringing its total for 2019 to nearly $2.9 billion. > Rivian has been quietly developing vehicles for a decade, but it seized the industry’s attention in late 2018, when it unveiled a pair of eye-catching, high-end electric trucks. Rivian raised $2.9 billion over four funding rounds in the span of o…

What's strange about this? When it doesn't have anything to show investors shy away. Prove its chops with some impressive prototypes and investors rush in.

Re: Rivian's platform approach to electric vehicles helped it raise $3B this year

#15

> On Monday, Rivian announced it had raised $1.3 billion in its fourth funding round of the year, led by T. Rowe Price, bringing its total for 2019 to nearly $2.9 billion. > Rivian has been quietly developing vehicles for a decade, but it seized the industry’s attention in late 2018, when it unveiled a pair of eye-catching, high-end electric trucks. Rivian raised $2.9 billion over four funding rounds in the span of o…

Amazon’s large investment and order for delivery vehicles seem to be a strong signal to other investors that there is a lot of upside.

Re: Rivian's platform approach to electric vehicles helped it raise $3B this year

#16
post #5

I think most hype over EVs is a direct result of the Tesla stock price and people upset they missed their chance to buy it when it was $20. Probably nothing to do with Rivian or their tech - they just want "the next Tesla".

No, the hype is over the vehicles themselves. EVs are the future. And, as William Gibson famously said, "The future is already here, it's just unevenly distributed." Once you experience the quiet, convenience and power of an EV, it's hard to go back to an ICE car. We're already past the early-adopter phase. Improvements in price, range and charging infrastructure (already happening) will capture everyone else.

Re: Rivian's platform approach to electric vehicles helped it raise $3B this year

#17
post #10
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I think the innovation here is in the business model, not the engineering. I really do like the four motor design on the Rivian platform though. It opens up a lot of possibilities for improved performance/handling/safety and off-road capability. The 'tank turn' demo is kind of a gimmick but also not - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzwM8KE2L3I Edit: Add mecanum wheels and you could strafe (at least until they f…

Would the "tank turn" work on asphalt? Or would that be too much friction for the tires?

I would guess each motor has more than enough torque to spin the wheel so probably, but it would be way faster and a rough ride unless they were exquisitely balanced.

Re: Rivian's platform approach to electric vehicles helped it raise $3B this year

#18
post #10
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I think the innovation here is in the business model, not the engineering. I really do like the four motor design on the Rivian platform though. It opens up a lot of possibilities for improved performance/handling/safety and off-road capability. The 'tank turn' demo is kind of a gimmick but also not - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzwM8KE2L3I Edit: Add mecanum wheels and you could strafe (at least until they f…

Would the "tank turn" work on asphalt? Or would that be too much friction for the tires?

Skid steers turn just fine on asphalt.

As long as the rest of the components can take it it will work fine (or as fine as it can given the wheelbase and track width of the vehicle doing it). I wouldn't bet on a typical consumer vehicle that makes it to production being able to take it long term. Adding enough extra beef to the drive-line to do that almost certainly fails the cost/benefit analysis.

Re: Rivian's platform approach to electric vehicles helped it raise $3B this year

#19
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I think the innovation here is in the business model, not the engineering. I really do like the four motor design on the Rivian platform though. It opens up a lot of possibilities for improved performance/handling/safety and off-road capability. The 'tank turn' demo is kind of a gimmick but also not - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzwM8KE2L3I Edit: Add mecanum wheels and you could strafe (at least until they f…

Could you not do that with the three-motor cybertruck?

Possibly but it largely depends on how the torque is routed to the wheels that share a motor. It also wouldn’t likely be as repeatable and precise as this.

Re: Rivian's platform approach to electric vehicles helped it raise $3B this year

#20
post #6

The Rivian is a truck you need, the Tesla is a truck you want. And the Revian will be road legal in Europe.

I think it's actually quite the opposite. If you need a truck for its utility which one makes more sense? The Cybertruck is less expensive, has more range, bigger payload, higher towing capacity, access to the best charging network in the world. Why would you buy a Rivian instead? The only reason I can think of is that it looks more conventional. If you need a truck, you buy the Tesla. If you want a lifestyle truck that looks pretty, you buy the Rivian.
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