Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says too many carmakers are copying Tesla
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says too many carmakers are copying Tesla

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe thinks the EV industry needs to stop copying the Tesla Model Y

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says too many carmakers are copying Tesla
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe thinks the EV industry needs to stop copying the Tesla Model Y
This is modestly interesting. My brother worked here before they had layoffs about two years ago, and had a generally favorable opinion of the company and leadership.
Fundamentally, while I think RJ seems like a sound businessman and technologist, and I like the company's taste a bit, I will never be able to reconcile his views with mine. He very openly views cars as computers and software and services that happen to move you around, and I would like it to be a machine over which I have as minimal a relationship as possible with the manufacturer after I acquire the product.
Still, I wish them luck.
Yeah no my relationship with my vehicles manufacturer should pretty much be "PART BAD SEND NEW ONE."
Sadly that era of the vehicle industry is gone. Even if we completely forget electric vehicles, getting parts for any car is becoming harder, because the manufacturer is trying to sell you assembled bundles of things, rather than individual items.
But then we have electric cars. Swapping the battery in these is insanely costly, and if you need other repairs, brands like Tesla would purposefully go out of their way to ensure you only replace things at Tesla certified shops
Yeah, people want inexpensive EVs. Especially with all we now know about how much of our data all manufacturers are selling. Even if the Chinese companies are blocked from selling here, someone will eventually make affordable EVs. Hope companies like Rivian are ready...
Rivian is also firmly planted in the luxury segment, with prices to match their clientele. We need manufacturer(s) to make EVs for us common folk in a price range we can actually afford.
That's a take I haven't seen before, but I have to agree with it. I was looking forward to my next vehicle being an EV, hoping that would simplify the multitude of problems that I've been having with ICE cars (most notably, transmissions).
What are the options now, when both gas and electric cars are more computer than automobile?
Ev conversion. You just get a new motor and batteries, everything else stays the same
Haha a bike.
I hold out hope, actually, that as the right-to-repair movement continues to grow, eventually repairability and control will become more common consumer interests, in the same way that vehicle safety wasn't something people thought about when buying a car before the 70s, and now it's one of the main influences when buying a car.
Once people start caring -- and again, I believe this is the direction we're heading -- it will become something manufacturers have to design for.
Saw a post on YT yesterday by a guy who had put 150k on his rivian truck doing real truck shit - towing, hauling stuff. Two years in and he still loves it. It comes with a great warranty.
JerryrigEverything?
Whew. I'm glad he's happy with his purchase. I can't ever imagine having enough money that I could drop that kind of cash on a toy, no matter how neat I think it looks.