Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.
I wondered for a while about Rivian’s timing. Tesla had already gotten huge. All automakers had electric vehicles on the market, more coming, and growing EV sales. They were all advertising their EVs at high volume — in my region, at least. How was Rivian going to squeeze its way onto the mass market? It didn’t have Tesla’s first-mover advantage, and it didn’t have the decades-long loyalty that legacy automakers benefit from.
However, a year or two can make a big difference, and what looked like horrible timing now looks like it could be quite good timing.
Naturally, as US policies on EVs and fuel economy standards changed, legacy automakers have cancelled and pulled back on their EV plans and programs. EV models that were supposed to come to market have been canceled, and some models on the market have even been pulled!
At the same time, Tesla’s brand has taken a big hit, many pure EV enthusiasts are looking for something purer, and many people who bought a Tesla 3, 4, 5, 14 years ago are looking for something new and different — and better even.
