TechCrunch Mobility: Rivian’s survival plan involves more than cars

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Senior newsman Sean O’Kane popped implicit to Palo Alto to cheque retired Rivian’s Autonomy & AI Day, which immoderate insiders told america would beryllium the company’s astir important event. I’m not definite I would categorize it arsenic such, but however astir I fto the writer connected the crushed springiness his assessment? 

Via Sean (and a fewer of my thoughts sprinkled in) aft the lawsuit …

It was casual to get mislaid successful the buzz words astatine times during Rivian’s “Autonomy & AI Day” this week. But determination was a wide underlying connection being shared: Rivian is trying to physique a institution that is astir much than conscionable selling cars. 

It’s not going arsenic acold arsenic Tesla. For instance, determination were nary humanoid robots wandering astir the company’s Palo Alto campus.

But it is intelligibly gathering retired different revenue-generating products — and precocious operator assistance is astatine the starting gates. 

Rivian’s hands-free mentation of its driver-assistance bundle — which contiguous tin beryllium utilized connected astir 135,000 miles of roadworthy — volition grow to 3.5 cardinal miles and see aboveground streets. This expanded capability, which volition motorboat successful aboriginal 2026 and yet see point-to-point hands-free (but eyes on) automated driving comes with a outgo of $2,500 oregon $49.99 per month.

Then determination is its aboriginal hands-off, eyes-off system. Rivian revealed it has developed its ain customized 5nm processor, which it says volition beryllium built successful collaboration with some Arm and TSMC. That spot volition powerfulness Rivian’s “autonomy computer” — the backbone of an upgraded automated-driving strategy —that volition debut successful the R2 SUV successful precocious 2026. 

That volition astir apt beryllium an upcharge, though Rivian didn’t accidental if it would beryllium much than the $2,500 fee. 

But there’s different script we should besides consider: licensing its tech to others. 

After all, Rivian already has a associated task with Volkswagen Group to stock its electrical architecture and base-level software. And Rivian spun retired 2 startups this twelvemonth with Also (mobility) and Mind Robotics (industrial AI and robotics). 

Barclays’ Dan Levy wrote Friday that “subsequent discussions reiterated hopes/potential” for Rivian to licence its full AV platform, oregon conscionable components similar the customs processor. And erstwhile I asked CEO RJ Scaringe if Rivian volition merchantability the processor to Mind Robotics, helium responded wryly: “It doesn’t instrumentality a batch of imagination.”  

At the astir abstracted level, bolting caller gross lines to the existing car concern (especially if those caller projects play bully with the cars) makes sense. Who doesn’t emotion much money?  

Here’s our sum of the event:

Rivian is gathering its ain AI assistant (deeper dive into the tech). And it is coming to its EVs successful aboriginal 2026.

Rivian goes large connected autonomy with customized silicon, lidar, and a hint astatine robotaxis

A small bird

Image Credits:Bryce Durbin

Nothing this week — oregon should I say, acknowledgment for the tips, everyone, but determination is thing I tin stock yet.

In the meantime, here’s a tiny tidbit to clasp you over. As you work above, elder newsman Sean O’Kane was astatine Rivian’s AI & Autonomy Day and 1 of the whispers helium heard was astir the company’s nationalist demo of its AI adjunct and concerns it mightiness not work. Apparently, the investigating the greeting of the lawsuit was a spot interaction and go.

Alas, the nationalist demo went conscionable good aft 1 tense infinitesimal astatine the start. The risks are precocious for nationalist demos, which is wherefore galore companies debar them. Kudos to Rivian for going for it.

Got a extremity for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or my Signal astatine kkorosec.07, oregon email Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com.

Deals!

Image Credits:Bryce Durbin

At the commencement of 2025, I didn’t deliberation TechCrunch would people an aviation-startup-meets-data-center story. But present we are. 

Aircraft startup Boom Supersonic kicked disconnected 2025 by breaking the dependable obstruction with its XB-1 demonstrator civilian aircraft. And it’s ending the twelvemonth with a program to merchantability a mentation of its turbine motor arsenic a stationary powerfulness plant. Its archetypal lawsuit volition beryllium information halfway startup Crusoe.

Under the deal, Crusoe volition bargain 29 of Boom’s 42-megawatt turbines for $1.25 cardinal to make 1.21 gigawatts for its information centers.

Boom has raised $300 cardinal to assistance commercialize this caller business. The circular was led by Darsana Capital Partners with information from Altimeter Capital, Ark Invest, Bessemer Venture Partners, Robinhood Ventures, and Y Combinator. 

The program is to usage wealth from its Superpower stationary turbine concern to money the improvement of its supersonic aircraft. 

Other deals that got my attraction …

Self-driving trucks institution Aurora Innovation made a commercial agreement with Detmar Logistics to autonomously transport frac soil successful the Permian Basin.

Some deals don’t ever enactment out, oregon they change. Take SK On and Ford, for instance.

Four years ago, Ford and South Korean artillery shaper SK On struck a woody to signifier a associated task and walk $11.4 cardinal to physique factories successful Tennessee and Kentucky that would nutrient batteries for the adjacent procreation of electrical F-Series trucks. Now the associated task is ending and the 2 companies volition disagreement the assets: Ford volition instrumentality ownership and cognition of the duplicate artillery plants successful Kentucky, portion SK On volition run the mill astatine the monolithic BlueOval SK field successful Tennessee.

Vatn Systems, a Rhode Island-based startup processing autonomous underwater vehicles, raised $60 million successful a Series A backing circular led by BVVC.

Notable reads and different tidbits

Image Credits:Bryce Durbin

700Credit, a institution that runs recognition checks and individuality verification services for car dealerships crossed the United States, said a data breach affected astatine slightest 5.6 cardinal radical who had their names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers stolen.

The erstwhile CEO of bankrupt EV startup Canoo had pledged to supply enactment to NASA and the United States Postal Service truthful it could proceed to usage the vans. Apparently, that wasn’t a convincing argument; NASA and USPS person stopped utilizing them.

Ford and Renault agreed to enactment unneurotic to bring two affordable Ford-branded vehicles to the European marketplace successful 2028. Ford volition pb the plan and Renault volition assemble the vehicles astatine its mill successful bluish France. 

Lucid is being sued by its erstwhile main technologist Eric Bach, who alleges wrongful termination, discrimination, and retaliation. Bach, who is of German heritage, besides claims 1 of the automaker’s apical HR executives referred to him arsenic a “German Nazi.”

Subaru unveiled its Uncharted EV and the specs mightiness pull buyers. The Uncharted Premium trim EV volition person a 300-mile scope and beryllium priced a skosh supra $36,000. Potential woody slayer among Subie diehards? The Premium mentation is front-wheel thrust only. 

A large pistillate successful San Francisco gave commencement wrong a Waymo robotaxi en way to UCSF Medical Center. And nope, this is not the archetypal babe calved successful a Waymo. Read connected to larn more. 

Meanwhile connected the Waymo quality front, a leaked missive from Tiger Global Management to its investors disclosed that Waymo is present providing 450,000 robotaxi rides per week — astir treble the magnitude it disclosed this spring. Waymo declined to comment. 

Zevo wants to adhd robotaxis to its car-share fleet, starting with newcomer Tensor. Senior newsman Sean O’Kane digs in.

One much happening …

I asked and you answered. Thanks to each the readers who participated successful the past poll. As a reminder, I asked: The gait of autonomous conveyance improvement has quickened, prompting much scrutiny and questions astir information and accountability. Should companies enactment the course, standard faster, oregon pat the brakes?

About 48% of you picked “stay the course.” Nearly 23% chose standard faster, portion 29.4% of readers privation companies to pat the brakes.