Rivian plans to sell a carbon neutral option package

[DuoRivians]

https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2023/07/25/rivian-rj-scaringe-brightnight-solar-ppa-charging

Rivian plans to begin selling a carbon neutral add-on with its luxury electric pickups and SUVs, CEO RJ Scaringe tells Axios.

Why it matters: The automaker is tapping into drivers' guilt around their carbon footprint to generate fresh revenue streams in the expensive electric vehicle industry.

Driving the news: Rivian this afternoon is announcing a commitment to buy 100 MW from an enormous planned solar plant in Kentucky.

The automaker plans to use renewable energy credits generated by that plant to support a "carbon neutral" option it'll sell to customers.
Big picture: "Eventually this will be bundled with every Rivian sale. To start this will be a package that’s going to be available with the vehicle," Scaringe says.

Of note: The solar plant is expected to begin generating electricity in 2027. It's being developed by BrightNight, an independent power producer based in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Catch up fast: It's impossible to track how individual electrons flow across an electric grid. So companies rely on renewable energy credits, or RECs, to represent the low-carbon power they're buying.

Zoom in: Building electric cars has proved enormously expensive, and automakers are racing to unlock new revenue streams, such as by tying certain features to subscription pricing.

Rivian's approach is among the more unorthodox — and squarely focused on clean energy.
Be smart: The automaker is taking a page from airlines that offer optional carbon-offsets to guilt-ridden fliers.

What we're watching: "We see a wide range of really interesting business opportunities that exist when you take a broader, more holistic view of the electric system," Scaringe says.

"Coordinating or aggregating usage around time of day, or coordinating and aggregating distributed storage, or coordinating and aggregating the use of renewable energy."

Sponsored

 

[Whale Blubber]

I don't like the media couching this sort of thing as an appeal to the "guilt-ridden." I don't feel guilty consuming energy I pay for, even if it isn't carbon neutral, but I would much prefer to consume green energy when possible, and I may not mind paying for that when I can afford it, not to assuage my guilt, but to do my part, to the extent I can, among millions of others doing their part, to address a shared communal problem. As communal issues go, taking small steps against Earth becoming a second Venus is about as communal an issue as there comes. No need for the pejorative use of "guilt," except for the apparent impulse of the non-journalism media to stick in the knife and twist it whenever they can.

Maybe it's just me, but this sort of thing vexes me. I'll shut up now.

 

[Dark-Fx]

No need for the pejorative use of "guilt,"

No need to consider guilt a pejorative when used in this setting.

 

[thrill]

No need to consider guilt a pejorative when used in this setting.

"Guilt" by definition is a pejorative.

 

[Whale Blubber]

No need to consider guilt a pejorative when used in this setting.

I concur that it shouldn't be in this context. There's nothing to feel guilty about. But it's the connotation the term has in discourse around these and similar "social-good" subjects. And I believe it's exactly that negative implication the author is drawing upon when loading up their narrative with the term. I also don't think it's unconscious, but could be. And there's really no need to do it, except to add spice, that is, to generate an emotional reaction in the audience, presumably to drive engagement. Ha, worked on me I guess!

All that being said, it will be interesting to see how they model pricing of the offsets in the high-price auto/commercial sales context, where buyers may feel pressed already and also may find it difficult to assess what they're buying tangibly.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Most news writers are not experts on the topics they write about. They take a release from a news wire, summarize, regurgitate and add some degree of juicy spin to get clicks and pay bills.

 

[hekhl00]

https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2023/07/25/rivian-rj-scaringe-brightnight-solar-ppa-charging

Rivian plans to begin selling a carbon neutral add-on with its luxury electric pickups and SUVs, CEO RJ Scaringe tells Axios.

Why it matters: The automaker is tapping into drivers' guilt around their carbon footprint to generate fresh revenue streams in the expensive electric vehicle industry.

Driving the news: Rivian this afternoon is announcing a commitment to buy 100 MW from an enormous planned solar plant in Kentucky.

The automaker plans to use renewable energy credits generated by that plant to support a "carbon neutral" option it'll sell to customers.
Big picture: "Eventually this will be bundled with every Rivian sale. To start this will be a package that’s going to be available with the vehicle," Scaringe says.

Of note: The solar plant is expected to begin generating electricity in 2027. It's being developed by BrightNight, an independent power producer based in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Catch up fast: It's impossible to track how individual electrons flow across an electric grid. So companies rely on renewable energy credits, or RECs, to represent the low-carbon power they're buying.

Zoom in: Building electric cars has proved enormously expensive, and automakers are racing to unlock new revenue streams, such as by tying certain features to subscription pricing.

Rivian's approach is among the more unorthodox — and squarely focused on clean energy.
Be smart: The automaker is taking a page from airlines that offer optional carbon-offsets to guilt-ridden fliers.

What we're watching: "We see a wide range of really interesting business opportunities that exist when you take a broader, more holistic view of the electric system," Scaringe says.

"Coordinating or aggregating usage around time of day, or coordinating and aggregating distributed storage, or coordinating and aggregating the use of renewable energy."

Jeez almighty. How about focusing on the infotainment system RJ? You know, maybe we could have voice to text capability of some kind.....like 99.9% of all other vehicles sold today.

 

[RexRemus]

Carbon credits/offsets are the biggest scam - and KNOWN to be a scam. It's a sham to let large corps have a good green "scorecard" but the entire thing is a pyramid scheme

 

[defcon888]

When people ask me "You got an EV (R1T & RAV4 Prime) because you care about the planet".....duh, of course, I care about the planet....I live on it. I care about my house as well. I tell them I got an EV because of economics and $4.89/gallon of gas in California, I also love the EV tech.

When I buy a product I don't think "is this carbon neutral or will this affect my carbon footprint?". I think "Wow, I only filled up the RAV4 Prime once this month". Yes, my electric bill went up $100 more a month, but that is 1/6th of what the gasoline bill was.

The terms "carbon neutral" and "Carbon footprint" are media-created terms to make companies feel good about themselves.

Think about it....in the winter they call it "Climate Change" and in the summer when it gets hot they switch to "Global Warming".

 

[Dark-Fx]

Think about it....in the winter they call it "Climate Change" and in the summer when it gets hot they switch to "Global Warming".

Denier.

 

[mikehmb]

I’m not entire sure who ”they” are in this scenario.

“Global Warming” terminology was used for decades because, on average, the temperature is getting hotter on earth.

Scientists also had to switch to “Climate Change,” which is still technically accurate but a necessary linguistic switch to get around the “HurrDurrButMoarSnow so global warming is a hoax” idiocy.

There are still vestiges of “Global Warming” used today, despite the lexicon largely changing over. But that doesn’t make it scientifically dubious.

 

[defcon888]

Denier.

LOLOL.

When I was in 5th grade I remember in Science class the teacher said "Within 25 years, the oceans will be 200 feet higher". I got scared and went to the library and found out that our town was at 300 feet.....disaster adverted.

Well, that "25-year" mark ended in the year 2000, and guess what, the ocean has risen I believe 1/10th of an inch.

So, call me a denier if you will, I just live in "reals ville" and this carbon footprint crap is a joke.

They had the "climate change" conference in Sweeden I believe. All these stars and politicians flew their CARBON-burning planes (private mind you) to the conference. "Do as I say, not as I do".

 

[zymolysis]

I think that perhaps the nonfunctional PTCs are the first step toward carbon-neutral - just think how much electric energy isn't being used by PTCs that won't work.

 

[Revelation]

I’m not entire sure who ”they” are in this scenario.

“Global Warming” terminology was used for decades because, on average, the temperature is getting hotter on earth.

Scientists also had to switch to “Climate Change,” which is still technically accurate but a necessary linguistic switch to get around the “HurrDurrButMoarSnow so global warming is a hoax” idiocy.

There are still vestiges of “Global Warming” used today, despite the lexicon largely changing over. But that doesn’t make it scientifically dubious.

No. Global warming came about after their failed "global cooling" predictions in the 60s, 70s, and mid 80s. When the global warming predictions have yet to materialize they switched to climate change.

I can post countless predictions of ice ages made by a consensus climate scientists according to many articles. I can also post countless predictions about "global warming" that never materialized. According to climate scientists we were supposed to be ice free, by what was it like 2013 or something like that?

I can show you were, after Katrina, the "climate scientists" predicted ever increasing number of major hurricanes - ever increasing in strength and number of storms. I can show you were "climate scientists" were predicting months on end of 100+ degree days going into the future after a heat wave a few years ago in my area. Now I know you will say that is just weather, but those "climate scientists" called that weather proof of "climate change" when it fit their narrative. In fact there have been multiple years since then there was not even a 100 degree at all, all year long.

According to climate scientists the oceans were supposed to have risen and swallowed entire nations already. This was the consensus of "climate scientists."

If we planned to meet up and you told me you would be somewhere at a specific time and you were late; you were then late every time we agreed to meet up - I'm not going to believe you that you when you say you are going to be on time. (not the best analogy)

Especially when "your" answer to "climate change" is taking more money out of my pockets, which the government already gets way too much of, you have an uphill battle in convincing me. When "your" side makes countless predictions that never materialize and you still say the only way to fix things is to steal my money under threat of violence or death - well that's not going to win me over.

At least when it comes to Elon and RJ, they created products that people want that can be a catalyst for the change that they believe is necessary. That I can respect. If "you" believe in man's effect on climate change and want to create stuff that people want, without government mandates, to achieve "your" desired end results than I say go for it.

Now, you can disagree with me, that is fine; I'll have no hard feelings. Just don't get mad when I got tired of hearing failed prediction after failed prediction and I no longer listen to the lies.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Pollution is bad, I think we can all agree we should try to be doing less of it. IMO I'm already doing that by buying an EV so I'm personally not interested in carbon credits but I don't have anything negative to say about anyone who wants to buy this and Rivian should explore all avenues to become profitable which is good for me as well as all other owners.

Sponsored