Volkswagen AG invested $5 billion in Rivianwhich solved the current financial problems of this young electric vehicle manufacturer, which everyone recognizes as a potential, but which faces growth difficulties. At the same time, VW and Rivian agreed to form a joint project develop platforms for future models from both the manufacturers and the software necessary for everything to work perfectly.
With difficulties in producing the desired quantities of the R1T pick-up and the new R1S SUV, as well as the need to launch its next models, the R2 and R3, which could also be sold in Europe, This capital injection will provide a increase to Rivian. The startup, highly respected in the United States, has a factory built and operational in Georgia, but has limited production experience, which explains the difficulties it has faced.
See how the Rivian R1T, the anti-Tesla pickup truck, was born
The Volkswagen Group, the largest European manufacturer and one of the two largest in the world, is still trying to evolve its electric vehicles. To achieve this, it signed an agreement with Rimac three years ago, to access the technology of 800V electrical systems (instead of the usual 400V), two-speed transmissions for electric vehicles and energy management systems for sports cars with more than 600 hp, solutions that Porsche benefited from (with the Taycan), but also the future electric models of Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini. And for this agreement to go ahead, the German group even went so far as to “offer” Bugatti to Rimac, even though the former had sold all its Chirons from the start and the latter had great difficulty in getting rid of a considerably smaller number of your fridge.
These are the R2s that Rivian is developing and that could soon arrive in Europe. The platform and software will be used by the VW Group
The new agreement with Rivian aims for the technology to be used in more functional and affordable vehicles (therefore built on a larger scale) that manufacturers such as Volkswagen will be able to sell in Europe, but also in the United States. The basis of these future models will be the SDV platform (software defined vehicle) from the Americans, on which Rivian will produce the R2 and R3, and VW eventually plans to design successors to the current ID. Software is also on the table, a difficulty that the VW Group has not yet managed to solve completely and which it now intends to overcome with the help of its new partners, who have integrated Google’s system, Android Automotive.
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Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe emphasized the fact that the start up“from the beginning”, they have focused on “the development of new highly differentiated technologies”, which makes them “delighted to be distinguished by one of the largest and most respected manufacturers in the world”. Scaringe highlights that this partnership with the VW Group will allow the brand’s software and platforms to be brought to a “much broader clientele”.
“The partnership with VW fits perfectly with our vehicle production plan and the range we have planned,” added the Rivian CEO. His counterpart at the head of the VW Group, Oliver Blume, highlights that this cooperation “will allow us to bring better, faster and more economical solutions to the market.”
Source: Observadora
