DubiCars Persona Of The Month — R.J. Scaringe — The Man Behind Rivian & The First Production Electric Pickup Truck

Seldom does it occur that a car manufacturer with just two models in production gets listed as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Brands in the world. That is exactly what happened with California-based EV manufacturer Rivian. Deliveries of Rivian’s first model began only in 2021 and in under two years, Rivian produced over 130,000 vehicles.

Rivian was the first brand to launch an electric pickup truck, beating automotive giants like Ford, General Motors & its rival Tesla. For a brand to create such a big impact in the world, there needs to be a visionary leader at the helm and at Rivian, there is one — Robert Joseph Scaringe. In this persona of the month article, we tell you all you need to know about R.J. Scaringe and his brand Rivian.

A Car Enthusiast Since the Start

Born in Rockledge, Florida on 19 January 1983, R.J. Scaringe grew up in an academic environment. His father, Robert Scaringe was an engineer and the founder of Mainstream Engineering Corporation, an engineering and manufacturing brand that deals in thermal control and energy conversion machinery.

R.J. Scaringe was a car enthusiast since his younger days and spent time restoring older cars. However, as time went by, he began to understand the negative effects of cars on the environment and began looking at ways to create more sustainable and environment-friendly cars. He would go on to complete his Masters in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and he even received a doctorate in mechanical engineering.

Foundations Of The Rivian Brand

In 2009, R.J. Scaringe founded Mainstream Motors, taking inspiration for the name from his father’s engineering company. The brand began R&D operations to manufacture an electric vehicle. The Mainstream Motors was renamed Avera Automotive at a later stage. However, this name didn’t stick around for a long time either.

In 2011, R.J. Scaringe’s brand was renamed Rivian and this is the name that would stick. The name was inspired by the Indian River in Florida and is a wordplay on the same. Rivian immediately began working on electric mobility and its first car was supposed to be an electric sports car. However, R.J. Scaringe, the Founder and CEO of the brand decided to steer his company in a different direction.

Rather than catering to a small and niche electric sports car market, R.J. Scaringe wanted Rivian to revolutionise the largest and most popular car segment in the US — pickup trucks. The pickup truck market was valued at around $220 Billion (AED 808 Billion) in 2022 and Rivian wanted to bring about an electric revolution in the market.

Tesla had already showcased its Cybertruck and mainstream manufacturers like Ford and GM too were working on electric pickup trucks. Rivian decided to take on these auto giants by making an electric pickup truck as well. In September 2021, Rivian became the first of them to launch an electric pickup. In March 2022, Rivian was listed on Time’s 100 Most Influential Companies of the Year 2022 list.

Rivian R1T & R1S — The Dawn Of A New Era

Rivian’s first product was the R1T. Based on the R1 platform, the electric pickup truck is one of the most capable vehicles out there and comes with a rather lengthy list of features and equipment. It is powered by four electric motors — one for each wheel. Together, they produce 835hp and 1,231Nm and as a result, the R1T pickup truck can do a 0-100km/h run in a supercar-rivaling 3.0 seconds.

With a battery capacity of up to 180kWh, the Rivian R1T has a range of up to 640 kilometres. If you’re looking for more range, more batteries can be loaded into the bed at the rear. One can go camping like a pro, with this pickup truck. It has lots of storage spaces, reverse charge flow capabilities and more.

In 2022, Rivian launched the R1S electric SUV, which is based on the same platform and uses the same powertrain as the R1T. Rivian also launched its EDV (Electric Delivery Van) which was developed in collaboration with Amazon.100,000 of these electric delivery vans will be produced for Amazon to use in their last-mile delivery services.

What’s Next For R.J. Scaringe & Rivian?

Rivian has been developing another car based on the R1 platform. Called the R1X, the SUV is a rally car with lots of ground clearance and four electric motors producing around 1,200hp. However, this isn’t really the big news. Rivian is developing a new platform that will spawn new, smaller and more affordable EVs. The first car based on this new platform is called the R2 and will first go into production in 2025.

Rivian is certainly one of those manufacturers to look out for over the coming years. Under the leadership of R.J. Scaringe, the brand has grown by bounds and leaps and has announced several initiatives and partnerships that has the EV community excited and ready for more. R.J. Scaringe is worth over $1.7 Billion and his value continues to rise along with his brand.

You can also check out our other Persona of the Month articles about Elon Musk & Wang Chuanfu.