Move fast and make things

Rivian is a radical EV start-up with a different approach – and it works. JAMES ATTWOOD drives its pick-up and hears about its VW Group deal

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As an American EV startup, Rivian is routinely - and predictably - compared to Tesla. But even a cursory glance at their respective pick-up trucks indicates the vastly differing approaches of the two firms. While the Tesla Cybertruck is unapologetically brash and wilfully confrontational, the Rivian R1T is infused with genuine warmth and charm. And while Elon Musk's firm has delighted in disrupting the car industry, Rivian's seemingly more conventional approach has attracted investment from the likes of Ford and Volkswagen.

But look closer, at either the R1T or Rivian itself, and both are more radical than they first appear. That's why the Volkswagen Group signed a deal worth up to £4.6 billion to invest in Rivian, including creating a new joint-venture company.

You see, Rivian isn't really a car firm at all: it's a software company. A software company that makes some seriously impressive cars.

"We see ourselves as a tech company that builds sustainable cars," says Wassym Bensaid, Rivian's software chief and co-CEO of the Rivian-Volkswagen joint venture. "We have a lot of respect for Tesla, who disrupted the industry, but we also have respect for traditional auto makers."

Bensaid is clear about what makes Rivian different: "Software is not an afterthought for us. The way we design the car is around software. Everything in the vehicle - from the way it drives to navigation, battery management, thermal management - it's all run by software."

A NEW TYPE OF PICK-UP