Rivian (RIVN) unfazed by Trump EV policy changes, but warns it could spell trouble for others
Electric vehicles are “not a political thing,” according to Rivian’s (RIVN) CEO RJ Scaringe. Although the Trump administration is expected to scale back EV incentives, including the $7,500 federal tax credit, Rivian believes it’s still in a better position than most. Scaringe warned that the changes could spell trouble for some legacy automakers.
Rivian charges ahead despite Trump EV policy changes
As it preps to launch its more affordable R2, Rivian expects policy changes to be “small speed bumps” along the way. And in the end, Scaringe said, “The future of transportation will be electric” either way.
At the opening of its new showroom in San Francisco last week, Rivian’s CEO and founder reiterated that the company’s plans are not changing, even with the threat of changing EV policies in the US.
“I started the company with the view of making highly compelling products, and none of my decision to start Rivian had anything to do with what the policy was going to look like,” Scaringe told visitors at the event (via Automotive News).
As he explained, any changes “will be equally applied to all,” so Rivian is not particularly worried about them. Like many, He expects the $7,500 federal EV tax credit and tax credits for battery production to be repealed.
Although the policy changes would likely set the US behind China and others in the broader auto industry, Scaringe said the long-term trend toward EVs is unstoppable. Scaringe warned that the US leadership in the future of automotive tech is at risk.
This is not a political thing. It’s not like the left wants to move to electrification. It’s that the future of transportation will be electric.
Less than two weeks ago, Rivian closed its loan agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) for up to $6.6 billion in financing for its second EV manufacturing plant.
The next growth stage
The plant, located just east of Atlanta, Georgia, will be home to Rivian’s smaller, more affordable R2 SUV and R3 crossover. Rivian’s upcoming EVs will be “critical drivers in the company’s long-term growth and profitability.”
Starting at around $45,000, Rivian’s R2 will be nearly half the cost of the current R1S and R1T. Rivian will initially start building R2 models at its Normal, IL facility in early 2026 before moving it over to Georgia. Rivian’s plant in GA is expected to be up and running in 2028 with the capacity to build 400,000 vehicles annually.
Rivian produced 49,476 vehicles in Normal last year, with over 51,500 deliveries. After launching the R2 in 2026, the EV maker expects to rapidly scale up, with up to 615,000 annual vehicle production capacity between its two manufacturing plants.
Trump rolling back EV incentives would likely result in more delays from legacy automakers, which could benefit Rivian.
“The challenge with some of these short-term changes, for the world and for the U.S. leadership in technology, is that it will cause some manufacturers to invest less in electrification,” Scaringe said.
Although that’s “probably good for Rivian from a competitive landscape,” Scaringe added, it’s “bad for the world.” It could cause legacy car makers like Ford and Toyota, which have already doubled down on hybrids, to invest more in inferior powertrain technology as they seek to maximize short-term profits.
Rivian’s boss thinks it’s “a big miscalculation for the long term” for legacy automakers to focus strictly on profits in the next two to three years.
Scaringe shared a few other insights at the Rivian Space opening in San Fransico last week. After launching a new EV and software joint venture with Volkswagen, Scaringe said, “OEMs are knocking on our door” for technology.
He also said Rivian plans to launch hands-free driving this year, followed by an “eyes-free” system in 2026 as it dives deeper into software and ADAS.
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Paris’ bike-share system, Vélib has long been considered one of the shining success stories of urban micromobility. With a massive fleet of over 20,000 pedal and electric-assist bicycles around Paris, the service has helped millions of residents and tourists get around the City of Light without needing a car or scooter. But lately, a growing problem is threatening to knock the wheels off this urban mobility marvel: theft and joyriding.
According to city officials and the service operator, more than 600 Vélib bikes are now going missing every single week. That’s over 30 bikes a day simply vanishing from the system – some stolen outright, others taken on “joy rides” and never returned.
“At the moment we’re missing 3,000 bikes,” explained Sylvain Raifaud, head of the Agemob company that currently operates the Velib system. That’s nearly 15% of over 20,000 Vélib bikes across Paris.
The sticky-fingered culprits aren’t necessarily professional thieves or organized crime rings. Instead, they’re often regular users who treat the shared bikes like disposable toys.
The city estimates that many people have figured out how to pry the bikes out of the system’s parking docks, unlocking one for a casual cruise and then ditching it somewhere far from a docking station.
Once pried free, the bikes are technically usable for the next 24 hours until their automatic locking feature kicks in. At that point, the bikes are often simply abandoned. Some end up in alleyways. Others get tossed in rivers. A few just disappear completely.
And since the bikes are intended to be parked at their many docking stations around the city, they don’t have GPS chips, further complicating recovery of “liberated” bikes.
The issue started small but has grown into more than an inconvenience – it’s beginning to undermine the entire purpose of the service. With bikes going missing at such a high rate, many Vélib docking stations are left empty, especially during rush hours.
Riders looking for a quick commute or a convenient hop across town are increasingly finding themselves without available bikes, or having to walk long distances to find a functioning one.
That kind of unreliability chips away at user confidence and threatens to drive potential riders back into cars, cabs, or other less sustainable forms of transport at a time when Paris has already made great strides to dramatically reduce car usage in the city.
The losses are financially painful, too. Replacing stolen or vandalized bikes isn’t cheap, and the resources spent on tracking down missing equipment or reinforcing anti-theft measures are stretching thin. Vélib has faced theft and vandalism issues before, especially during its early years, but this latest surge has officials sounding the alarm with renewed urgency.
Officials acknowledge that there’s no easy fix. Paris, like many cities with bike-share systems, walks a fine line between accessibility and accountability. Part of what makes Vélib so successful is its ease of use and widespread availability. But those same features make it vulnerable to misuse – especially when enforcement is limited and the consequences for abuse are minimal.
The timing of the problem is especially unfortunate. In recent years, Paris has seen impressive results in reducing car traffic, expanding bike lanes, and promoting cycling as a key part of its sustainable transport strategy. Vélib is a cornerstone of that plan. But if the system becomes too unreliable, it risks losing the very people it was designed to serve.
Meanwhile, as Parisians increasingly find themselves staring at empty docks, the challenge for the city and Vélib will be to restore confidence in the system without making it harder to use. That means striking the right balance between freedom and responsibility, between open access and protection against abuse.
In a city where cycling is supposed to be the future of mobility, losing thousands of bikes to joyriders and sticky fingers isn’t just frustrating; it’s unsustainable.
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