VW is investing in Rivian

[Jamie@ScoutMotors]

I appreciate the well constructed thoughts and feedback.

Scout Motors intention is to always be a good neighbor and a meaningful part of the community. I'll take feedback to our teams.

 

[Mousehunter]

I guess it all depends on where you are how you view land. If it is the land next door you view it one way - If you are 10 miles away, you probably view it very differently.

Plus I am in S. Texas. 3k acres is not all that much. The real change is the people who move in to work at the plant. But change - that is what people really fear.

 

[Kris K]

Well, I admit this is a surprise from a product overlap standpoint. However, the r1t/s, just doesn't fall into a category defined by initial branding. Scout does, plus an established branding profile.
So Rivian can now focus on programs geared for their target market more.

Scout now have Rivian's architecture concepts, non-supplier ( for the most part,) ECUs and knowledge of horrible features (camp kitchen anyone; I'll avoid my design knowledge of that one) will help.

For the most part, I had fun learning about their systems and who was responsible for it. my interfacing was directly with the Bay Area for most of the system level Work.
Since Rivian kept hiring people, I would always have my go-to people that helped me out with my side of things.

Also, I'm not 100% O. this, but Rivian has their own battery technology now. Even if Scout doesn't want to use it, ONE is right next door. I've worked with these guys and never had any problems, but they are still not fully proven extensively.
American Battery Solutions (Lake Orion) is another besides the one's already mentioned.

Lastly, imo, a Rivian (ex) engineer who has knowledge of this detail, seems like a person who would be a great asset.

 

[GotScout]

It will be interesting to see how it plays out but it could be concerning for a few different reasons. The worst case scenario would be that VW now has an established (relatively) EV partner in the US and they may back out of their agreement with Scout. Another scenario is this becomes a joint venture between VW, Rivian, and Scout. In which case Scout would lose some of its autonomy. On the positive side, it would benefit Scout to be able to tap into the tech, knowledge, and experience of Rivian.

"to be able to tap into the tech, knowledge, and experience of Rivian." Lol… because VW does not already have the tech in spades with Audi?!!! That’s a bit short sighted. There are other sketch factors in play here… namely I’m guessing subsidized US gov ev dole-outs, esp with a (saving) mating to Rivian.

 

[GotScout]

Interesting development. As with all 'joint ventures' there can be an alpha.

 

[RebelliousPeasant]

"to be able to tap into the tech, knowledge, and experience of Rivian." Lol… because VW does not already have the tech in spades with Audi?!!! That’s a bit short sighted. There are other sketch factors in play here… namely I’m guessing subsidized US gov ev dole-outs, esp with a (saving) mating to Rivian.

Actually VW has been having a lot of issues with their EV platfrom tech, specifically around the software and architecture which is where Rivian has a clear advantage. Scout was already going to make its vehicles in the US so there wouldn't be any advantage from a subsidy standpoint in partnering with Rivian. VW as a whole already has a factory in the US and is building EVs there so again, the subsidy angle isn't really relevant to the conversation.

 

[Harris005]

I had to work really hard to get this out of our design team....

View attachment 2620

Ha! Close up shot of the black soft top?

 

[GotScout]

Ha! Close up shot of the black soft top?

black hole on moonless night.

 

[JohnnyScout]

I will just say this in support of what appears to be an opposing view and that is there are several empty and unused manufacturing plants scattered across the country that could possibly have been a less expensive proposal. Why new when it is obvious that sites such as Lordstown will be empty again before the first Scout is produced. And it is not just manufacturing but also retail and hospitality where we as a country feel it necessary to build new and abandon unused properties.

I can even think if a few former steel plants in PA whose declining towns could use a boost. Yes you can teach any employee to stand around and watch a robot build a car but how many of those employees native to the area have the mechanical skills to fix the robots. How high a percentage of the employees of SM will be transplants? If all the neighboring houses are $800k it is doubtful that the local unemployment rate would handle the massive I crease in employees needed

 

[J Alynn]

I will just say this in support of what appears to be an opposing view and that is there are several empty and unused manufacturing plants scattered across the country that could possibly have been a less expensive proposal. Why new when it is obvious that sites such as Lordstown will be empty again before the first Scout is produced. And it is not just manufacturing but also retail and hospitality where we as a country feel it necessary to build new and abandon unused properties.

I can even think if a few former steel plants in PA whose declining towns could use a boost. Yes you can teach any employee to stand around and watch a robot build a car but how many of those employees native to the area have the mechanical skills to fix the robots. How high a percentage of the employees of SM will be transplants? If all the neighboring houses are $800k it is doubtful that the local unemployment rate would handle the massive I crease in employees needed

While I completely agree with you-as an architect it kills me to see spaces sit abandoned. That said, there is the supply chain of all the other parts and pieces Scout won’t directly produce. That region in SC has tire manufacturers, seat manufacturers, so on and so-forth. When considering the costs and impacts of shipping all those parts and pieces around the country it makes sense that they landed where they did.
As a resident for PA and close to some of the steel plants (Harrisburg not Bethlehem) I have always hoped to see the sites revitalized. Unfortunately the skilled labor in those immediate areas probably is less then in SC as they can poach employees from BMW and other similar manufacturers. I think mills are best served as housing and entertainment rehab projects which fully revitalize an area with people as well as jobs especially when they are adjacent to larger cities or tourist destination locations.
But as I said to start-I agree with your thoughts. Nothing worse than 3 big box spaces sitting empty in a region only to see new Costcos, Targets and Home Depots build new spaces 1 mile away. Sadly we have become a throw away society.

 

[Mousehunter]

While not an exact analogy, sometimes it is more costly down the road to repurpose than to design something correctly from the start. Legacy auto makers are paying the price for trying to adapt legacy vehicles to EV's. The same can probably be said about trying to adapt legacy factories or even legacy factory sites.

 

[J Alynn]

While not an exact analogy, sometimes it is more costly down the road to repurpose than to design something correctly from the start. Legacy auto makers are paying the price for trying to adapt legacy vehicles to EV's. The same can probably be said about trying to adapt legacy factories or even legacy factory sites.

I designed schools early in my career and that was always the exact same problem. Older residents would complain about wasting money and Taj Mahal buildings all the while not realizing technology education and new training didn’t always fit into existing spaces in a cost effective manner. Well said.
Though I still feel adaptive reuse is needed for so many great old buildings. While manufacturing may no longer fit, a boutique hotel, restaurant/brewery and living spaces may fit the bill perfectly

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

I've had the impression Rivian is serious and dedicated to software and customer service and especially customer response.
VW lagged way behind but is better and still has catching up to do.

The front Rivian clips are too Klaatu barada nikto looking.
Owners love them though.

 

[JohnnyScout]

I designed schools early in my career and that was always the exact same problem. Older residents would complain about wasting money and Taj Mahal buildings all the while not realizing technology education and new training didn’t always fit into existing spaces in a cost effective manner. Well said.
Though I still feel adaptive reuse is needed for so many great old buildings. While manufacturing may no longer fit, a boutique hotel, restaurant/brewery and living spaces may fit the bill perfectly

Exactly the kind of thing being done in Cleveland.

Sometimes though older structures were to well built. We had a local school whose doorways could never become ADA compliant, couple with old time asbestos in or on many surfaces.....it is now a public park with a pavillion

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

While not an exact analogy, sometimes it is more costly down the road to repurpose than to design something correctly from the start. Legacy auto makers are paying the price for trying to adapt legacy vehicles to EV's. The same can probably be said about trying to adapt legacy factories or even legacy factory sites.

True.
Ford gave it a good shot with the F150 Lightning IMHO. Really nice to drive. But not enough battery and not enough power and the price hike and recall mulligans didn't help either. I've driven a few, man o man are they fun.
Our local dealer is over flowing with them.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

An Executive with Rivian lives a few homes down from us. Word gets around the neighborhood. Their survival was sketchy for a while. This move will help both companies. Gotta good feeling Scout will do outstanding.

 

[Kris K]

An Executive with Rivian lives a few homes down from us. Word gets around the neighborhood. Their survival was sketchy for a while. This move will help both companies. Gotta good feeling Scout will do outstanding.

HV Battery? Personally, a Rivian battery has almost juice. ONE ,right down the road, is a strong supplier who should have the kinks out by Scout SOP.
However, NA-ion might be a good fit in the future. Offering a HV & LV system makes sense, if the chemistry matches.

 

[JohnnyScout]

HV Battery? Personally, a Rivian battery has almost juice. ONE ,right down the road, is a strong supplier who should have the kinks out by Scout SOP.
However, NA-ion might be a good fit in the future. Offering a HV & LV system makes sense, if the chemistry matches.

By the time Scouts get built maybe they can implement Samsung's solid state battery with a claimed 100% charge in 9 minutes

 

[Chaparral]

I saw a post on LinkedIn (translated from German) claiming the Rivian CEO let slip that VW and Rivian are starting a new tech company. The company will be staffed with engineers from Rivian who will also be VW employees. The company will operate with minimal interference from VW. The company will design a new electrical control system based on Rivian tech that will be used in vehicles from all future VW brands. One advantage of the Rivian tech is that it uses far fewer control units than what VW vehicles currently use.

Did anyone else see these rumors? Can anyone correct or verify this information?

 

[oldgeeksguide]

I saw a post on LinkedIn (translated from German) claiming the Rivian CEO let slip that VW and Rivian are starting a new tech company. The company will be staffed with engineers from Rivian who will also be VW employees. The company will operate with minimal interference from VW. The company will design a new electrical control system based on Rivian tech that will be used in vehicles from all future VW brands. One advantage of the Rivian tech is that it uses far fewer control units than what VW vehicles currently use.

Did anyone else see these rumors? Can anyone correct or verify this information?

I think RJ talked a bit about this on a recent “inevitable” podcast. I don’t remember him saying that they would be vw employees, more like a spinning off the ev architecture folks into a separate entity modeled on rivian but jointly owned by vw and rivian, but I don’t precisely remember the details. It sounded to me like something that scout could leverage, though maybe not in time for initial release.