Rivian And VW Purpose To Promote EV Tech To The ‘Whole Auto Business’

Rivian’s three way partnership with the Volkswagen Group is not simply creating the underlying tech for upcoming Rivians, Audis and Porsches. The agency sees a future in promoting its electrical architectures to different automotive firms.

“We’re fixing an issue not just for Rivian and VW, however we’re fixing an issue for the bigger automotive trade,” Wassym Bensaid, Rivian’s chief software program officer and a co-head of the three way partnership, advised reporters on Wednesday. “And that would grow to be principally a chance for the standard expertise stack that others can use as properly.”

RV Tech’s leaders are specializing in the R2 and their first VW fashions earlier than turning their consideration outward.

Photograph by: Rivian

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Applied sciences—RV Tech for brief—is engaged on superior computing and software program platforms that can be shared throughout each firms. The California-based EV startup will get $5.8 billion in much-needed funding from VW and cheaper electronics because of the German large’s large scale. In change, Volkswagen will get fancy new “zonal architectures” for all of its upcoming electrical automobiles throughout manufacturers from Skôda to Lamborghini.

These programs of high-powered computer systems and the software program that ties every part collectively ought to permit for richer software program options and higher software program updates. However every part in addition to the foundational programs—like autonomous driving options or person interfaces—will should be added on by every model.

The 2 firms’ $5.8 billion deal provides Rivian a monetary runway and VW entry to cutting-edge underlying car expertise.

Photograph by: Rivian

The JV’s leaders suppose different producers will line up for entry, too, now that autos have gotten more and more technology-defined. “On the one hand, software program is important. However software program is difficult,” Bensaid mentioned.

Certainly, whereas all the auto trade has set its sights on seamless and extremely related “smartphones on wheels” for years, a lot of these efforts have been fraught and slow-going. (Even Rivian and Tesla have had their struggles with software program bugs.)

Bensaid mentioned that RV Tech may sometime present the “reference working system for all the auto trade,” which automotive firms may construct their autos and digital experiences round. Similar to how Google distributes Android to a lot of smartphone producers, he mentioned, RV Tech may license out the computing and software program spine of electrical autos.

He mentioned licensing out expertise is “a really totally different ball sport and a really totally different margin profile, from enterprise standpoint, than making automobiles.” Rivian has but to show a revenue, and constructing automobiles is a low-margin enterprise even for essentially the most established firms. Fellow EV startup Lucid Motors can be eyeing the provider enterprise, aiming to license out its extremely environment friendly drivetrains to different firms, beginning with Aston Martin.

For now, RV Tech is concentrated on executing on the R2Rivian’s $45,000 mass-market crossover coming subsequent yr, together with the primary few VW Group variations. These embody a small VW hatchback, an Audi and autos from Scout Motors. Nevertheless it’s maintaining one eye on the long run too, sustaining a “connection” with different producers and ensuring that what it is creating now will be tailored to automobiles from different firms.

“So actually constructing the foundations from an structure standpoint for an answer that may be simply customizable, that may be simply expandable, in order that it is prepared as soon as we’ve got bandwidth to go and really work on these third-party OEM alternatives,” Bensaid mentioned, referring to unique tools producers, which is trade lingo for carmakers.

Rivals aren’t sitting nonetheless, and lots of are making headway on their very own extra superior computing platforms. They could very properly favor to maintain issues in-house, if they will swing it. In any case, that vertical integration is what gave Rivian this head begin within the first place.

However seeing Rivian-powered VWs on the highway may change their minds. The primary VW Group car to showcase the fruits of the JV would be the manufacturing automotive primarily based on the ID.Every1 ideawhich launches in 2027 for 20,000 euros.

Contact the creator: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com