Rivian is an EV startup which, in contrast to others, is rather publicity shy. According to Wikipedia: "Rivian is an automotive technology company with research and development operations in Livonia, Michigan and San Francisco, California. The firm also has a factory in Normal, Illinois... The company was founded as Mainstream Motors but changed its name to Avera Automotive before finally settling on Rivian in 2011." Rivian created an EV prototype when it was located in Florida, partly using State money for development, then moved out of State. There was a lot of controversy generated by local (Florida) newspapers over the fact that the company had used public funds for development of its prototype, but then decided to move operations elsewhere. It should be noted that Rivian did fulfill its contract for Florida State funding, but apparently the experience left Rivian rather soured on media coverage. Strangely enough, altho Rivian reportedly delivered its prototype to NASA in 2012, I can't find a single photo of it. So at this time there is not much news to report, but I did find a few articles posted over the past 13 months, one of which was posted only yesterday. From Dec 2016: "Rivian Automotive Developing Future Transportation Mode" From Aug 2017: "Diving into EV-Startup Rivian’s complex history and their clear vision forward" From Dec 2017: "Sumitomo Corporation of Americas Makes Strategic Investment In Rivian" From Jan 9, 2018: "Searching for Clues Into Rivian's Electric Vehicle Future" Not much if any hard data in this promotional video, either:
I signed up for Rivian's email press releases, and I finally got my first one Yesterday! (That was Wednesday, Oct. 24.) The text is reproduced below. * * * * * Thank you for signing up for Rivian news and updates. We built Rivian because we believe adventure deserves electric —and the planet deserves better. We’re a month away from our reveal at the LA Auto Show and we can’t wait to share the world’s first Electric Adventure Vehicles with you. In advance of our launch on November 26th, here’s a behind-the-scenes look into our design studio. Meet some of the talented designers and engineers helping to deliver a totally new driving experience, for those who will never stop wanting to go to new places and see new things. Stay tuned for more updates and stories about the advances we’re making, the places we’re going and the people we’re meeting along the way. See you in LA, Team Rivian INSIDE OUR DESIGN STUDIO Meet some of our designers, sculptors & engineers who are shaping things to come. Read Here (https://rivian.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9792d9e7c99343a3b56686104&id=f5348d5d39&e=32f8aa5673) Learn more at rivian.com (https://rivian.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9792d9e7c99343a3b56686104&id=ce9bef1949&e=32f8aa5673)
Shucks, I was hoping that a flying car would finally be coming to my driveway soon. Dammit, it's 2018; we were supposed to have these things by 2000 at the latest! If I could go back in time and cancel my subscription to Popular Science...
The latest Rivian promo video is still mostly a tease, but at least it does have a few brief, long distance virtual "shots" of the vehicle: There is more info, and some personal reporting that is very optimistic about Rivian's chances for actually putting a mass-produced EV into production, in this InsideeVs news article: "We Visit Rivian, And Its Pickup Truck Is The Real Deal: Watch This Video" Go Rivian!
So... what is the idea behind the "Carvus"? A hovercraft? The website is very cryptic, with almost no info at all except to say that the concept is to develop a car without traditional wheels.
