Solely a few years in the past, it appeared like international heavyweights Ford and Mercedes-Benz would find yourself tight with California-based EV startup Rivian. The maker of the all-electric R1T pickup and R1S SUV was simply getting began, however many assumed it could’ve had not less than two platform-sharing tasks with these two old-school titans.
Ford aimed to make use of Rivian’s skateboard platform for a Lincoln mannequin and a blue oval-branded EV. On the similar time, the partnership with Mercedes-Benz was meant to provide not less than two battery-powered vans at an present manufacturing unit in Europe. Each offers fell via, nevertheless, leaving Rivian to maneuver ahead by itself relating to manufacturing. Ford and Mercedes-Benz additionally went their very own methods.
Platform-sharing is tougher than it appears
There’s typically speak of platform-sharing between automotive corporations as a easy resolution to filling sure market gaps. However whereas easy badge-engineering jobs just like the Ram ProMaster EV (which is only a rebadged Fiat) are easy sufficient, making a brand-new automotive utilizing bits from a special firm is not precisely a stroll within the park, as Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe defined throughout an interview with The Verge.
Now we all know why these partnerships ended as a result of the startup’s CEO, RJ Scaringe, spilled the beans throughout a prolonged interview with The Verge’s Editor-in-Chief Nilay Patel for the Decoder podcast.
Briefly, it had nothing to do with engineering constraints akin to attempting to suit the physique of a Ford or Mercedes-Benz on prime of a Rivian chassis–which is not any small feat in itself. As an alternative, it was all about attempting to make all of the totally different computer systems speak to one another, which, because it turned out, was a deal-breaker.
“We checked out automobile platform sharing with Ford, automobile platform sharing with Mercedes, each very publicly,” Scaringe mentioned. “What’s, in each case, at all times the problem is getting the community architectures of Rivian’s platform and people different producers that we’ve talked to to work collectively,” he added.
The California firm’s founder and head honcho mentioned that it’s a problem to get two very totally different architectures to run down the identical manufacturing line and that the most important technical boundary was community structure.
“It’s a problem in each doable method. It’s a problem to get the highest hat from a conventional firm that’s utilizing heaps and many provider supply ECUs to work with our platform–battery, drivetrain, chassis that has only a few ECUs,” Scaringe mentioned in regards to the constraints.
There may need been additionally elements at play, akin to financials, however the CEO didn’t get into these particulars. As an alternative, he targeted on {the electrical} structure struggles. That’s why when the brand new deal with Volkswagen got here alongside, the principle speaking level was exactly “the factor that has at all times been the problem.”
As a reminder, VW is investing as much as $5 billion within the American EV maker to assist it overcome the software-related black spots that got here after years of delays and mishaps attributable to its personal software program subdivision often known as Cariad.
The 2 corporations is not going to collectively develop EVs within the conventional method. As an alternative, Rivian will provide its electrical structure know-how to make it simpler for Volkswagen to fabricate EVs that provide a hassle-free consumer expertise.
“We’ll present the topology of the ECUs, together with the bottom working system. That’s each for the infotainment platform and the real-time working system. There’s just a few totally different working methods we’ve constructed, after which the whole lot round over-the-air updates and connectivity,” Scaringe instructed The Verge.
Then again, Ford appears to be going its personal technique to the identical finish purpose, growing a skunkworks program out in California staffed by veterans from Tesla, Apple and sure, Rivian. That program will hopefully yield a brand new, low-cost EV structure to energy a probably $25,000 electrical truck and crossover. As for Mercedes-Benz, it is really scrapping a next-generation EV platform and appears to be refocusing on inside combustion. Maybe it should find yourself wishing it had made a Rivian deal work out.
