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Rivian creates new company aimed at small, lightweight vehicles

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Announcements | Market Trends
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Rivian has made its micromobility business into a new company — Also, Inc., which the OEM says will focus on small, lightweight vehicles designed to meet current and future global mobility transportation challenges.

Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe told TechCrunch that Also will reveal its first vehicle designs at an event later this year; however, details were scant on what the vehicle will be, though the speculation is it will be an e-bike.

“There’s a seat, and there’s two wheels, there’s a screen, and there’s a few computers and a battery,” Scaringe told TechCrunch.

He noted it’s “remarkable that a nice e-bike costs as much as it does… a nice e-bike, you can spend $6,000 to $8,000 on, and really nice ones, over $10,000. That’s a reflection of a poorly developed supply chain that’s very, very, very tiered.”

Also is the result of “the massive need for small electric form factors in enabling the sustainable transition of our global transportation system,” Rivian said in a press release Thursday.

Rivian started a stealth program focused on micromobility several years ago. The initial goal was to examine how the company’s strength in software, electronics, and electric propulsion could be applied to create an advantaged cost structure and greatly enhanced product relative to currently available offerings, the release states.

“As these efforts advanced, it became clear that Rivian’s approach had the potential to unlock a large opportunity that deserved to be its own company, optimized around different products, brand positioning, and markets,” Rivian wrote.

Rivian will retain a substantial minority ownership stake in Also and expects opportunities for future collaboration, possibly including selectively using some of Rivian’s retail footprint.

Eclipse Ventures has invested $105 million in Also to support its next phase of growth. Scaringe will serve as chairman of Also’s Board of Directors.

A team of about 70 people from Apple, Google, Specialized, Tesla, REI Co-Op, and Uber make up the Also staff, according to TechCrunch.

“For the world to fully transition to electrified transportation, a range of vehicle types and form factors will be needed,” said Scaringe, in the release. “I am extremely excited about the innovations developed by the Also team that will underpin a range of highly compelling micromobility products that will help define new categories.”

Rivian said it continues to make significant progress toward launching its R2 in Normal, Illinois, with customer deliveries of the new midsize SUV slated to begin during the first half of 2026.

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Featured image provided by Rivian

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