Techcrunch Mobility: Rivian’s Survival Plan Involves More Than Cars

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

Via Sean (and a fewer of my thoughts radiated in) aft nan arena …

It was easy to get mislaid successful nan buzz words astatine times during Rivian’s “Autonomy & AI Day” this week. But location was a clear underlying connection being shared: Rivian is trying to build a institution that is astir much than conscionable trading cars. 

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

But it is intelligibly building retired different revenue-generating products — and precocious driver assistance is astatine nan starting gates. 

Rivian’s hands-free type of its driver-assistance package — which coming tin beryllium utilized connected astir 135,000 miles of roadworthy — will grow to 3.5 cardinal miles and see aboveground streets. This expanded capability, which will motorboat successful early 2026 and yet see point-to-point hands-free (but eyes on) automated driving comes pinch a costs of $2,500 aliases $49.99 per month.

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

That will astir apt beryllium an upcharge, though Rivian didn’t opportunity if it would beryllium much than nan $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 pinch Volkswagen Group to stock its electrical architecture and base-level software. And Rivian spun retired 2 startups this twelvemonth pinch 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, aliases conscionable components for illustration nan customs processor. And erstwhile I asked CEO RJ Scaringe if Rivian will waste nan processor to Mind Robotics, he responded wryly: “It doesn’t return a batch of imagination.”  

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

Here’s our sum of nan event:

Rivian is building its ain AI assistant (deeper dive into nan tech). And it is coming to its EVs successful early 2026.

Rivian goes large connected autonomy pinch civilization silicon, lidar, and a hint astatine robotaxis

A small bird

Image Credits:Bryce Durbin

Nothing this week — aliases should I say, acknowledgment for nan tips, everyone, but location is thing I tin stock yet.

In nan meantime, here’s a mini tidbit to clasp you over. As you publication above, elder newsman Sean O’Kane was astatine Rivian’s AI & Autonomy Day and 1 of nan whispers he heard was astir nan company’s nationalist demo of its AI adjunct and concerns it mightiness not work. Apparently, nan testing nan greeting of nan arena was a spot touch and go.

Alas, nan nationalist demo went conscionable good aft 1 tense infinitesimal astatine nan start. The risks are precocious for nationalist demos, which is why 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, aliases email Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com.

Deals!

Image Credits:Bryce Durbin

At nan 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 nan sound obstruction pinch its XB-1 demonstrator civilian aircraft. And it’s ending nan twelvemonth pinch a scheme to waste a type of its turbine motor arsenic a stationary powerfulness plant. Its first customer will beryllium information halfway startup Crusoe.

Under nan deal, Crusoe will 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 thief commercialize this caller business. The information was led by Darsana Capital Partners pinch information from Altimeter Capital, Ark Invest, Bessemer Venture Partners, Robinhood Ventures, and Y Combinator. 

The scheme is to usage money from its Superpower stationary turbine business to money nan improvement of its supersonic aircraft. 

Other deals that sewage my attraction …

Self-driving trucks institution Aurora Innovation made a commercial agreement pinch Detmar Logistics to autonomously carrier frac soil successful nan Permian Basin.

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

Four years ago, Ford and South Korean artillery shaper SK On struck a woody to shape a associated task and walk $11.4 cardinal to build factories successful Tennessee and Kentucky that would nutrient batteries for nan adjacent procreation of electrical F-Series trucks. Now the associated task is ending and nan 2 companies will disagreement nan assets: Ford will return ownership and cognition of nan copy artillery plants successful Kentucky, while SK On will run nan mill astatine nan 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 information led by BVVC.

Notable sounds and different tidbits

Image Credits:Bryce Durbin

700Credit, a institution that runs in installments checks and personality verification services for car dealerships crossed nan United States, said a data breach affected astatine slightest 5.6 cardinal group 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 support to NASA and nan United States Postal Service truthful it could proceed to usage nan vans. Apparently, that wasn’t a convincing argument; NASA and USPS person stopped utilizing them.

Ford and Renault agreed to activity together to bring two affordable Ford-branded vehicles to nan European marketplace successful 2028. Ford will lead nan creation and Renault will combine nan 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 nan automaker’s apical HR executives referred to him arsenic a “German Nazi.”

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

A pregnant female successful San Francisco gave commencement wrong a Waymo robotaxi en way to UCSF Medical Center. And nope, this is not nan first babe calved successful a Waymo. Read connected to study more. 

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

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

One much point …

I asked and you answered. Thanks to each nan readers who participated successful nan 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 nan course, standard faster, aliases pat nan brakes?

About 48% of you picked “stay nan course.” Nearly 23% chose standard faster, while 29.4% of readers want companies to pat nan brakes.