Rivian CEO attempts to justify why the company refuses to offer CarPlay
CarPlay is available on the vast majority of cars today, including on electric vehicles from the likes of Ford, Polestar, and others. One of the most notable CarPlay holdouts (alongside Tesla) is Rivian, and new comments from CEO RJ Scaringe today make it clear that the up-and-coming EV company has no plans to adopt Apple’s platform…
Rivian makes it clear CarPlay isn’t coming to its EVs
Speaking to MKBHD on the Waveform podcast this week, Scaringe was asked about Rivian’s lack of CarPlay support. MKBHD specifically pointed to a stat that Apple shared at WWDC 2022, claiming that 79% of car buyers in the United States “only consider CarPlay-capable vehicles.”
Scaringe explains that Rivian’s decision to not use CarPlay is driven by its desire to be the “arbiter or head chef” of the in-car software experience, rather than handing over control to a company like Apple.
“A lot of the things we do, whether it’s music or mapping, we have to make sure we integrate in with the best-in-class platforms. But by controlling the system, it just allows us to be the arbiter or the head chef in terms of the experience you get, versus handing over control of what we think is one of the most important parts of the experience.”
The Rivian founder goes on to say that the company focuses on rolling out updates to its own in-car software on a regular basis, something that he says is only possible by “controlling the software stack.”
“The thing about controlling the software stack is we get to continually make it better. Every few weeks we have a new software release that either adds features, addresses gaps, we listen to feedback. Our head of software development is on Reddit all the time hearing what people are saying and interacting. It’s great to get the feedback and it drives our software roadmap to make sure we’re delivering on what customers want.”
At one point, Rivian indicated that it would maybe add CarPlay in the future if there was enough consumer demand. Scaringe’s comments today seem to suggest that’s not currently on the roadmap.
9to5Mac’s Take
I’ve yet to hear a convincing argument from a carmaker on why they refuse to adopt CarPlay, whether it’s Tesla, Rivian, or GM.
These comments from Scaringe come just a week after GM announced that it will no longer support CarPlay starting with its future EVs. GM’s reasoning was even weaker than Rivian’s with the company blatantly saying it wants to collect additional data on how customers drive and charge their cars.
It’s absolutely fair for a carmaker to want to control the entire in-car experience. That’s a decision they are free to make, and the market will eventually decide whether it’s a right or wrong move. I do, however, think there are multiple things these companies are failing to consider.
CarPlay doesn’t have to take over the entire infotainment experience. It can be an additive option alongside whatever “native” software the carmaker itself wants to offer. If a driver wants to use CarPlay, it’s there as an option.
In fact, it would be perfectly reasonable for Rivian to support CarPlay while simultaneously telling customers that certain features of the car would only be accessible outside of the CarPlay experience. This is already the case on most other CarPlay-enabled cars.
I also don’t buy the excuse that “controlling the software stack” is the only way Rivian is able to roll out software updates on a regular basis. Once CarPlay is added, there’s very little upkeep required by the carmaker itself. I could even argue that supporting CarPlay would remove some of the burden on Rivian. Apple and CarPlay app developers can add new features that improve the Rivian experience without Rivian itself doing anything at all.
To me, these decisions are shortsighted – particularly as Apple works on a slick-looking revamped CarPlay experience coming later this year. Apple already has a long list of carmakers on board, including some of the top EV brands like Ford, Nissan, and Polestar. In my book, this gives those brands an easy leg-up on the likes of Rivian, Tesla, and GM.
The best way I can put it is this: if I were shopping for a car, I wouldn’t completely rule out a Rivian because they don’t support CarPlay. I would, however, consider a competitor like the Volvo EX90 more strongly than I might if Rivian offered CarPlay because Volvo is committed to supporting wireless CarPlay.
Over at Six Colors this week, Jason Snell also penned an excellent column in response to GM’s decision in particular to drop support for CarPlay. As he explains, it’s a “clear case of a corporation prioritizing its own business and technical interests over the needs of its users.”
Are you willing to consider cars that don’t support CarPlay? Do the features offered by cars from Tesla, Rivian, and GM outweigh the benefits of CarPlay? Let us know in the comments.
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes a merger between Electric Bike Company and Integral Electrics, California looking to clamp down further on Sur Ron hooligans, a Super73 recall, Cowboy’s production move, a tour inside Bafang’s factory in China, and more.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
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NIU, best known as a leader in the electric moped market, has expanded considerably over the last few years. In addition to offering a hot-selling new electric dirt bike and showing off concepts for electric ATVs, the company is now unveiling an electric microcar known as the NIUMM 500.
Still in its prototype stage, the two-seater NIUMM 500 electric microcar is designed to fit into L6e category of light quadricycles in Europe. As a quadricycle, these vehicles are technically not “cars” in the traditional sense (or in the legal sense), and thus have their own set of regulations that help streamline their path to production. Other popular microcars, such as the Citroen Ami, have taken a similar path and reached success with over 30,000 units sold.
With a target price of €8,000 (approximately US $8,300), the NIUMM 500 is intended to fill that niche role of a comfortable, weather-protected urban commuter, going beyond a typical moped or motorcycle with the advantages of locking storage and the ultimate achievement of staying dry in the rain.
In order to qualify as an L6e vehicle though, there are certain restrictions such as speed and power that prevent the NIUMM 500 from laying down the fastest lap times. A top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph) keeps the microcar city-oriented, though you could probably tell by looking that this isn’t a highway vehicle.
In some countries, light quadricycles don’t even require a full car driver’s license, instead allowing the operator to hold a more easily-obtainable moped permit.
Despite the speed limitation, the little electric microcar has a lot going for it. The traditional steering wheel control and two-pedal drive setup will feel familiar to seasoned car drivers, yet the vehicle offers a more moped-like parking experience by taking up a mere fraction of a parking spot. The narrow size helps squeeze through tight city streets, though you likely won’t be lane splitting quite like a moped.
Back on the car-like side of things, electric locks and power windows come standard (including a power rear windshield), as does electric heating. Optional add-ons include a sun roof and air conditioning. There’s a decently large storage area behind the two seats, and another small storage area in front of the passenger seat.
And in another nod to its hybrid design, halfway between a moped and a car, the NIUMM 500 can even be outfitted with removable batteries (straight from NIU’s NQiX electric mopeds). The removable battery version allows apartment dwellers or others without access to street-level parking to still own and charge their own microcar. Just like how I charge my own NIU batteries at home, owners can simply carry the batteries up the elevator and charge them in their apartment.
For those with charging access though, there’s a fixed battery version with a larger 7 kWh capacity. It gets an impressive 118 km (73 miles) of range, compared to the removable battery version’s 60 km (37 miles) of range.
Both appear to feature the same 5 kW motor with a peak output of 10 kW – also the same drivetrain from the NIU NQiX electric moped.
NIU is currently showing off the new vehicle at the Motorrad show in Dortmund, Germany.
There’s no word yet on if or when the NIUMM 500 will see production, but based on conversations with company insiders, it sounds like NIU is fairly serious about the microcar’s future.
Here’s to hoping it sees the road soon, and that they can keep that target price in check on the way there.
Electrek’s Take
Yes, I’m all in on this!
I LOVE electric microcars. Give me a tiny car, a golf cart, whatever you want to call it, and I’ll take it. For city commuters, 25 mph is often sufficient, and since many people don’t feel safe on a scooter, these types of vehicles fit the bill as lighter and more efficient alternatives to a car that still carry some benefits of a scooter or moped.
I tested out Wink Motors’ vehicles in NYC a couple of years ago and got around the city just fine with a top speed of 25 mph, so I think these could even work in the US. But of course Europe is the primary target here thanks to their more conducive quadricycle laws.
If anyone at NIU is reading this, I will travel to review!
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Renewables increased their output by almost 10% and provided nearly a quarter of US electrical generation in 2024, according to newly released US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data.
Solar was still No 1
Solar remained the US’s fastest-growing source of electricity in 2024. Utility-scale and “estimated” small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar combined increased by 26.9% in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, according to the SUN DAY Campaign, which reviewed EIA’s “Electric Power Monthly” report data.
Utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic expanded by 32%, while small-scale solar increased by 15.3%. Together, solar was nearly 7% (6.91%) of total US electrical generation for the year.
In December alone, electrical generation by utility-scale solar expanded by 42% compared to December 2023.
Small-scale solar (systems <1 MW) accounted for 27.9% of all solar generation and provided 1.9% of the US electricity supply in 2024. In fact, small-scale solar PV generates over five times more electricity than utility-scale geothermal.
2024 renewables milestones
The electrical output of US wind farms in 2024 grew by 7.7% year-over-year. Wind remains the largest source of electrical generation among renewable energy sources, accounting for 10.3% of the US total.
Wind and solar combined provided more than 17.2% of US electrical generation during 2024. The mix of all renewables – wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, geothermal – provided 24.2% of total US electricity production in 2024 compared to 23.2% of electrical output a year earlier.
Between January and December, electrical generation by renewables grew by 9.6% compared to the same period the year before – nearly three times the growth rate of natural gas (3.3%) and over 10 times that of nuclear power (0.9%).
In December alone, electrical generation by renewables grew by 10.1% compared to December 2023.
Wind and solar together produced 15.9% more electricity than coal and came close to matching nuclear power’s share of total generation (17.2% vs. 17.8%).
The mix of renewables reinforced their position as the second largest source of electrical generation, behind only natural gas.
“Renewable energy sources now provide a quarter of the nation’s electricity,” said the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director, Ken Bossong. “Consequently, the rash efforts of the Trump Administration to undermine wind, solar, and other renewables will have serious negative consequences for the nation’s electricity supply and the economy.”
Read more: Renewables provided 90% of new US capacity in 2024 – FERC
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