Electric truck maker Rivian confirms it is developing an electric bike
We’ve received hints from Rivian over the past year that the electric truck and SUV maker is bike-curious. But now Rivian’s CEO RJ Scaringe has confirmed in a staff meeting that electric bicycle development is a go.
Scaringe announced the expansion into e-bikes on Friday during a companywide meeting, according to Bloomberg.
The move tracks with Scaringe’s previous interest in electric bikes, especially considering that the company previously filed to expand its trademark to cover electric bicycles.
The company also poached some high level e-bike designers from major brands like Specialized, bulking up its electric bike design team ahead of what many of us assumed was an inevitable e-bike project.
In fact, Scaringe confirmed during the meeting that an e-bike isn’t just in the plans, but that the first model is already actively being developed in-house.
Believe it or not, electric bikes actually outsell electric cars and trucks by a wide margin, in large part thanks to their lower production cost and thus much lower purchase prices.
And so it would make sense for the electric truck and SUV maker to explore developing a Rivian e-bike, joining other companies like Porsche who have expanded into electric bikes.
Though the move comes at a rocky time for Rivian, who was recently hit with a wave of layoffs amid serious cost concerns. Rivian recently announced that the company would lay off 6% of its workforce due to issues cutting costs amid its production ramp. That has resulted in the company selling its electric vehicles at a major loss.
Rivian has seen success ramping up production of its R1T and R1S electric vehicles over the last year, though the company still hasn’t been able to reduce its costs.
In contrast, electric bicycles are highly cost effective as they are much easier to both develop and produce.
E-bikes also have much lower regulatory hurdles, further reducing costs and decreasing the development period. That could help Rivian reach the market faster with lower overhead and a much higher volume product to complement its larger electric vehicles.
Many urban residents are also joining a growing cause working against larger vehicles, especially in cities. Massive electric trucks and SUVs like those made by Rivian have been the target of growing opposition online and in grassroots efforts. Smaller and more efficient vehicles like e-bikes are being promoted in many areas as safer alternatives that don’t endanger city residents or take up large amounts of public space.
Electrek’s Take
I’m all for this.
I think we’ll look back in many years and see how hard Tesla whiffed it by not entering electric bikes. It was their game to lose, especially as more and more auto companies began seeing the writing on the wall and got some skin in the e-bike game.
Rivian stands to pick up the slack left by Tesla, bringing major EV automotive design and manufacturing chops to tackle a simple and easy problem: designing and producing a quality electric bicycle.
I wish them the best of luck and I’ll be the first one to put down a reservation on a Rivian e-bike.
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On today’s festive episode of Quick Charge, Tesla steps up for its owners by calling in mobile charging stations to cut down on wait time. Meanwhile Hyundai has some extra goodies for your stockings and Texas is cleaning up its act.
We’ve also got big savings for Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra shoppers, as well as some good environmental news in the form of new solar and wind projects coming online at a record clip, and a dirty Texas mine that’s cleaning up its act.
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Dodge is rolling out a hefty discount on the 2025 Charger Daytona EV even though it hasn’t officially hit the market yet. According to a dealer bulletin, the 2025 Daytona EV qualifies for a juicy $3,000 discount, but you won’t see it advertised anywhere. Here’s how you could snag this deal and save big.
On December 13, Stellantis introduced the BEV Dealer Cash Coupon Program, an incentive program designed to sweeten the deal on electric Dodge models. Under this program, dealers get a $1,000 cash coupon for the Charger Daytona – and here’s the kicker – they can stack up to three of these coupons for a total of $3,000 in savings. Unlike traditional rebates that go directly to the buyer, dealers have the option to keep the incentive as extra profit.
The program covers both the 2024 and 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EVs for purchases and leases. But there’s more: if you’re leasing, you can stack that $3,000 dealer cash with a $7,500 lease incentive tied to a commercial tax credit (unavailable when buying). Add it all up, and you could score a whopping $10,500 in savings. This deal is slated to end on April 30, 2025, so there’s time to plan your move.
For some context, the 2024 Dodge Charger EV starts at $61,590, including destination fees. With $10,500 in potential savings, that’s an impressive 17% discount off MSRP—and that’s before you factor in any additional dealer discounts. Interestingly, Dodge has a higher-than-usual difference between invoice and MSRP pricing on the Daytona, meaning there’s room for negotiation if you’re savvy.
Of course, there are a few things to watch out for. Dealer participation varies, so your results may depend on where you shop. Plus, Dodge hasn’t released pricing for the 2025 Charger Daytona yet, so there’s some guesswork involved. Still, if you’re hunting for a bargain, the 2024 Charger EV stands out as one of the best financing deals right now, offering 0% interest for up to 72 months.
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Source: Stellantis via CarsDirect
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Toyota’s electric SUV may soon get a fresh start. After a rocky debut, the Toyota bZ4X is reportedly due for a rebrand, with a new name coming as soon as 2026.
Is Toyota giving the bZ4X a new name?
After launching the bZ4X in 2022, Toyota’s first electric SUV had a bumpy market debut. In June 2022, all bZ4X models were recalled over concerns that the wheels could fall off.
Since then, Toyota has struggled to gain traction. Through the first nine months of 2024, Toyota sold 13,577 bZ4X models in the US. Although that’s double the roughly 6,500 sold through Q3 2023, it’s still less than 1% of its over 1.7 total vehicles sold through September.
As Toyota looks to turn things around, the bZ4X is due for a complete rebrand. Speaking at a recent auto press event in Quebec, a regional director for Toyota Canada said the company is preparing to change the bZ4X name.
According to Motor Illustrated, Patrick Ryan, Toyota’s regional director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, said the name change will occur over the next year.
Toyota just revealed the 2025 bZ4X last week, so it will likely be for the 2026 model year. Prices for the 2025 Toyota bZ4X start at $37,070 in the US, or $6,000 less than the outgoing model. The FWD model has an EPA-estimated range of up to 252 miles, while the AWD trim has a range of up to 222 miles.
Toyota promotes its bZ branding as “beyond Zero” in reference to EVs cutting emissions. Meanwhile, the “4” determines its format (think RAV4), and the X tells us it’s a crossover.
In the US, all Toyota vehicles are badged with an actual name other than the RAV4 and bZ4X. A new name may make sense since bZ4X is a bit of a tongue twister and had a less-than-favorable reception.
After unveiling its new Urban Cruiser electric SUV earlier this month, will Toyota follow a similar route with the bZ4X? Although its first three-row electric SUV is now delayed until 2026, we could see a completely different naming system rollout.
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