AI, R2 and the Future of Everyday Driving | Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe
In a Nutshell
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe predicts self-driving autonomy will be standard in all cars by 2030, driven by a full reset to neural net architectures, in-house inference chips, and a vertically integrated stack with superior perception (cameras, radar, LiDAR) that leverages massive fleet data for rapid progress—positioning Rivian among the only 1-4 companies (with Tesla, Waymo) able to compete. The upcoming R2, priced at $45K-$55K, targets mass-market EV adoption stalled at 8% in the US due to lack of choice beyond Tesla's Model 3/Y, offering unique form factors, performance, and software-defined OTA updates to pull buyers from ICE vehicles. Cars will evolve into personalized, AI-driven experiences for freedom and self-expression, while legacy automakers without these ingredients face extinction.
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By 2030, it'll be inconceivable to buy a car and not expect it to drive itself. Every single one of our cars, we want to have the ability for it to operate at very high levels of autonomy. Radars are extremely cheap. LiDARs are very cheap, but the really expensive part of the system is actually the onboard inference. In order to imagine more expensive than any of the perception stack. EV adoption in the United States is a reflection of the lack of choice. As consumers, we need lots of choices. We need to have variety. We self-identify with the thing we drive. The world doesn't need another Model Y. The world needs another choice.
Hi listeners, welcome back to No Priors. Today I'm here with RJ Scaringe, the founder and CEO of Rivian. We're here to talk about their autonomy strategy, proprietary chips, their coming R2 model, whether Americans want EVs, and what our relationship to cars is going to be in the age of AI.
Rivian's already an incredibly cool company. How did you decide it was going to become an autonomy company? When did that happen? From the beginning, we thought of it as a transportation and mobility company. Even before Rivian became Rivian, when thinking about the first products, it was unclear what kind of car it would be, or even if it was a car, but it was always clear we wanted to be at the front edge of helping to redefine what it means to have access to personal transportation. Autonomy has always been part of the strategy, but it's now fully coming to life with the technology we're building.
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