Rhidan
Well-Known Member
This is leadership we should expect from the public sector, not a single private company. In the U.S., there is potential for a huge federal investment in green transportation infrastructure in 2021, including electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. (There's also a good chance the U.S. Senate blocks this investment). A private company BEV does not set the big picture tone. They lead by selling compelling vehicles that the public wants to buy, the public can afford, and are more sustainable. You're asking too much if you want a car company who hasn't sold a car to carry the mantle on sustainable transport. For example, BEVs will be pointless if the electric grid is still powered by coal. Maybe a coalition of BEV manufactures like Zeta can provide leadership, but not a single company.What I'm missing is a voice that sets the tone, that creates a vision, that mobilizes and focuses resources on what needs to happen to make transportation better, cleaner, more sustainable. Yes, that's asking for a lot, but I hope and have a sneaky suspicion Rivian and RJ are up to the task.
I do think Rivian has an ambitious vision to make electric vehicles people want to buy (SUVs and Trucks). They have to spend $3+ billion before they can even sell their first product. I also think Rivian has already been more disruptive in the market than it gets credit. The Model 3 is the best selling sedan and Ford and GM couldn't care less. The legacy OEMs make no money on sedans and are discontinuing the Fusion, Impala, etc. Rivian threatens the bottom line of the legacy OEMs more by offering electric trucks and SUVs. The Cybertruck, and its $100 pre-order, even appears to me to be more of a reaction than a real electric truck that people will buy. Rivian is not making the most sustainable or efficient BEV but hoping to convert to electric the cars people want to buy.
The next move is Rivian's third and fourth vehicle. These are already in the works, but I doubt Rivian will make any real announcements before the R1T and R1S are delivered. They don't want to cannibalize their own sales. RJ has said the R1T/R1S are the company's halo products. If the R1T/R1S are successful, can they bring a more affordable vehicle to the market?
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