Rivian CEO: 'blows my mind' to see US auto makers shifting back to ICE vehicles • Hacker News Board

Re: Rivian CEO: 'blows my mind' to see US auto makers shifting back to ICE vehicles

#11

Post by JimDugan » Thu, Sep 04, 2025, 1:41 PM UTC

pengaru wrote: post #8

aurareturn wrote: post #4

It is hardly surprising given these facts: 1. US is the largest oil producer country in the world 2. US knows it has lost the EV race 3. ICE employees have an outsized impact on elections due to where they live

> 1. US is the largest oil producer country in the world [citation needed] Here's mine, Saudi Arabia is by far the largest exporter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_oil_expor... Perhaps you're confusing oil production with refined petroleum (e.g. gasoline) exports? Edit: Thanks for the correction, looks like for the last 8 or so years US has indeed occupied the top slot for production: https://en.w…

YOU are confusing crude oil production with exports. The US IS the largest oil producing country:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_oil_pro...

The parent commenter is right. You are wrong. Do a little Google search before commenting.

Re: Rivian CEO: 'blows my mind' to see US auto makers shifting back to ICE vehicles

#12

Post by jqpabc123 » Thu, Sep 04, 2025, 1:42 PM UTC

The US is effectively withdrawing from world markets.

This is profound and hard to believe --- because it is just plain dumb. China loves it. It is total capitulation to their economic agenda.

25% of US GDP is derived from global trade. Turning your back on this will lower the standard of living for Americans in general by raising prices.

Next up in this regression --- a default on US debt.

Re: Rivian CEO: 'blows my mind' to see US auto makers shifting back to ICE vehicles

#13

Post by strawhatguy » Thu, Sep 04, 2025, 1:43 PM UTC

aurareturn wrote: post #4

It is hardly surprising given these facts: 1. US is the largest oil producer country in the world 2. US knows it has lost the EV race 3. ICE employees have an outsized impact on elections due to where they live

1 is not true, 2 maybe, but people haven’t bought EVs beyond the upper middle class segment too. 3 I don’t think it’s employees, but there’s definitely government involvement which has made innovation difficult.

Plus, there’s a question if pure EVs are the best, perhaps EREVs might be better.

Re: Rivian CEO: 'blows my mind' to see US auto makers shifting back to ICE vehicles

#14

Post by Centigonal » Thu, Sep 04, 2025, 2:00 PM UTC

jqpabc123 wrote: post #12

The US is effectively withdrawing from world markets. This is profound and hard to believe --- because it is just plain dumb. China loves it. It is total capitulation to their economic agenda. 25% of US GDP is derived from global trade. Turning your back on this will lower the standard of living for Americans in general by raising prices. Next up in this regression --- a default on US debt.

nah, stephen miran doesn't want us to default on US debt. Instead, the goal is to devalue the US dollar to reduce the cost of debt service (with the convenient side effect of reducing real incomes while maintaining the wealth of asset holders).

see: https://www.hudsonbaycapital.com/documents/FG/hudsonbay/rese...

Re: Rivian CEO: 'blows my mind' to see US auto makers shifting back to ICE vehicles

#15

Post by RandomBacon » Thu, Sep 04, 2025, 2:09 PM UTC

I like the idea of vehicles with an electric drivetrain, but I mostly drive a pickup truck and do truck things with it (tow things long distances).

Something like the "new" Ramcharger (2026?) is perfect for me. It is a plug-in hybrid with an electric drivetrain, with a V6 generator for adding range.

Build more vehicles like that please. Ideally something with Toyota's reliability.

Re: Rivian CEO: 'blows my mind' to see US auto makers shifting back to ICE vehicles

#16

Post by rchaud » Thu, Sep 04, 2025, 2:16 PM UTC

jleyank wrote: post #6

Throw in: Unwilling or unable to build out the charger network. No power for EV’s as it’s going to crypto and ai. And to aluminum smelting. And to heating the northern states. And to cooling the southern ones. And losing the energy from wind, solar and geothermal. Maybe nuclear as I don’t know where the guy stands on that.

This is definitely what consumers think about when making a ourchasing decision. You can't go more than a couple of miles in a populated area without seeing a gas station. Charger stations on the other hand are few and far in between, and take much longer than a gas refill does.

Gas prices are also a major economic indicator in people's minds. They have an idea of what the per gallon cost "should" be, and how much it costs to fill up the tank. They have no such equivalent estimate for electric vehicles.

Re: Rivian CEO: 'blows my mind' to see US auto makers shifting back to ICE vehicles

#17

Post by legitster » Thu, Sep 04, 2025, 2:29 PM UTC

EVs are having their own little dotcom bust right now. You can't say the companies didn't try. Every automaker came out with a near identical EV that was too expensive. And some even made some pretty bold steps to stop ICE production on some models.

EVs are still inevitable in the not too distant future so long as batteries keep improving, but the jump is not going to happen overnight.

Re: Rivian CEO: 'blows my mind' to see US auto makers shifting back to ICE vehicles

#18

Post by garciasn » Thu, Sep 04, 2025, 2:35 PM UTC

legitster wrote: post #17

EVs are having their own little dotcom bust right now. You can't say the companies didn't try. Every automaker came out with a near identical EV that was too expensive. And some even made some pretty bold steps to stop ICE production on some models. EVs are still inevitable in the not too distant future so long as batteries keep improving, but the jump is not going to happen overnight.

They need to have a true 500 mile range, even at low ambient temperatures. I live in MN; winters are fucking brutal on EVs and their already inflated estimated ranges.

Re: Rivian CEO: 'blows my mind' to see US auto makers shifting back to ICE vehicles

#19

Post by jqpabc123 » Thu, Sep 04, 2025, 2:36 PM UTC

Centigonal wrote: post #14

jqpabc123 wrote: post #12

The US is effectively withdrawing from world markets. This is profound and hard to believe --- because it is just plain dumb. China loves it. It is total capitulation to their economic agenda. 25% of US GDP is derived from global trade. Turning your back on this will lower the standard of living for Americans in general by raising prices. Next up in this regression --- a default on US debt.

nah, stephen miran doesn't want us to default on US debt. Instead, the goal is to devalue the US dollar to reduce the cost of debt service (with the convenient side effect of reducing real incomes while maintaining the wealth of asset holders). see: https://www.hudsonbaycapital.com/documents/FG/hudsonbay/rese...

devalue the US dollar to reduce the cost of debt service

The only way to service the debt --- is by selling more debt.

Which will become increasingly difficult to do --- which leads to default.

Re: Rivian CEO: 'blows my mind' to see US auto makers shifting back to ICE vehicles

#20

Post by fibers » Thu, Sep 04, 2025, 2:41 PM UTC

Looking at the CEO's source he is talking about the PR release from GM about adding capacity for straight up ICE vehicles. Why the hell aren't they investing in hybrids?