Rivian and Amazon are going steady, but they may be seeing other people soon. Talks between the EV-maker and its largest shareholder seek to end the exclusivity portion of their electric van deal. If a satisfying agreement is found, both companies can enter electric van buying or selling agreements with other companies.
Reservation invitation. Following a year of delays and production struggles, thousands of Rivian R1T reservation holders can finally expect invitations to the automaker's truck configuration tool. Once customers select and submit options, delivery is estimated to be "in the next 1-4 months."
Oh, so Amazon can use a Rivian to deliver my new socks in 5 hours, but Rivian needs another 4 months to deliver a Rivian to its new owner? #sus.
Buick's Electra EV has a bigger TV than we did growing up. The brand has not released powertrain info, but a 30-inch screen will replace everything that was once a gauge or button.
Back in 1986, the Buick Riviera introduced us to the first in-car touch-screen, so it seems putting screens in cars is a bit of a passion project for the company.
All we really want is a bunch of switches above our head that play a role in making the car go. That’s as sci-fi as we have asked to go!
Speaking of Buick and screens… We assume you've seen the viral image of a digital billboard offering a 2004 Buick Regal "clean, rust-free, 40K miles" to anybody willing to date the owner's son?
We'll buckle up because that ad is fake. The entire image and its explosion into viral awareness is part of a promotion for a movie called "No Hard Feelings." The movie centers around Uber driver Jennifer Lawrence who answers a similar ad. Hurray for social hacking...
Tesla has lots of fans. Maybe none as fervent as Elon Musk, but lots all the same.
One we didn't expect is Toyota, who recently tore apart a Model Y to see what Tesla is doing right.
Toyota, still the biggest automaker by volume, called the EV a "work of art." In support of their claim, Toyota cited the Model Y’s floor made of a structural battery pack and the giga casting tech that makes a whole body from a few massive parts. These large parts are quicker to make and easier to assemble than traditional forms of chassis manufacturing.
Ultimately, the engineers named four main advantages Tesla has but Toyota lacks.
If we understand the list as a plan, Toyota may be the next legacy OEM to split its EV business from ICE in an attempt to catch up and establish itself in the electric space.
Here we were assuming we didn’t learn anything useful in 9th grade biology class… 🐸