GM, Amazon reportedly ready to invest in Rivian electric trucks

Thursday, 14 February 2019

Suburban Detroit-based electric pickup maker Rivian declined to comment Tuesday evening on reports that General Motors and Amazon plan to invest US$1 billion to US$2 billion in the startup, which was among the stars of the Los Angeles auto show late in 2018.

Reuters initially reported negotiations that could lead to a deal among the companies being announced as soon as this month. Reuters said Amazon was mum.

GM issued a statement that said, 'We admire Rivian's contribution to a future of zero emissions and an all-electric future.'

The Rivian R1T created quite a scene when it was unveiled at the Los Angeles show last year and now GM and Amazon are said to be interested.

Rivian plans to sell a battery-powered pickup and midsize SUV by the end of 2020. The company owns a former Chrysler and Mitsubishi assembly plant in Normal, Illinois, where it plans to build the vehicles.

Rivian has also said it will license its technology to other automakers.

* Yes, Ford is going to make an electric pickup truck

* Amazon wants to get Alexa into your car**

Little is known about the details of Rivian's engineering today. The company says its R1T pickup will have a range of 400 to 650 kilometres and four electric motors, one for each wheel. Rivian's tech center and headquarters are in Plymouth, Michigan.

Rivian's stand next to Ford Motor Co. drew huge crowds during the LA Auto Show. The R1T pickup and R1S SUV were both on display.

General Motors has committed to introducing more than 20 electric vehicles by 2023. Most of those are expected to be built and sold primarily in China.

Rivian has positioned its pickup as a leisure vehicle for adventure vacations like hunting and camping, not a work truck.

The R1S SUV, about the size of a Ford Explorer, has seven seats and is expected to share its engineering and systems with the R1T, which also claims a similar range and 0-60mph (97km/h) acceleration in 3 seconds.

Ford has said it will build a hybrid version of the F-150 pickup - possibly a plug-in hybrid that can go miles on electricity alone - in 2020. A battery-only F-150 is expected after that.