Rivian says other car manufacturers ‘knock on doors’ on technology from VW Joint Venture by Reuters
Author: Abhirup Roy
Palo Alto, California (Reuters) – a joint investment of the American manufacturer of electric truck and SUV Rivian (Nasdaq 🙂 and Volkswagen (ETR 🙂 In negotiations with other car manufacturers about delivery of their software and electric architecture, Senior Executive Director said on Thursday Riviana.
The German car manufacturer agreed to invest $ 5.8 billion in a joint investment in November, which will integrate advanced electric infrastructure and Rivian’s software technology for future electric vehicles of both companies.
While the joint investment will give Rivian greater quantities to negotiate better contracts with suppliers and reduction of costs, which is considered critical in the midst of slowing down electrical vehicles, Volkswagen and potentially other traditional car manufacturers will receive a quick and easy access to technology and software for which they are tortured to build a year.
“I would say that many other manufacturers of original equipment knock us on the door,” Rivian Chief Software (Etr 🙂 Wassym Bensaid police officer said in an interview, speaking of the producers of original equipment, a term used to describe the vehicle manufacturer.
Bensaid, who is also one of the executive directors of joint investment, refused to give the names of interested car manufacturers and details about what stage the conversations were.
Rivian’s architecture requires less electronic control units and significantly smaller wiring, reducing the weight of the vehicle and simplifying production. Technology is key to creating a car with software that can be updated wirelessly like a smartphone – what the industry calls “software defined vehicles”, an area where established car manufacturers are still lagging behind.
“There is a demand,” Bensaid said, adding that the priority by 2027 was to throw out R2, Rivianov smaller, cheaper SUV and integrate technology into other Volkswagen brands. “Obviously other manufacturers of original equipment talk to us and we try to think of how to support it in the future.”
“Every other oem who wants to make a step from a technological point of view, a joint investment today becomes one of the key partners with whom they can achieve this cooperation,” he said.
This venture is likely to become a platform of choice in the Western world except Tesla (Nasdaq :), said analysts of Canaccord Genuity in the note. Common investment also helps to alleviate the “significant part of capital concern” for Rivian, analysts said.
