TechCrunch Mobility: Rivian’s R2 gambit

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for all things “the future of transportation.” To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free – just click TechCrunch Mobility!

I went out for a few days last week and we have a chance to do it! I won’t rehash too much, but I’m hoping for a few big stories – ahem, Wayve raised $1.2 billion – to do it here.

Another housekeeping note: I’ll be in Austin next week SXSW photosan annual art, music, film, and culture event that always attracts an exciting crowd of tech innovators, designers, politicians, and other business people. I plan to attend the Rivian event, where the company is expected to reveal more about its upcoming R2 line. I will also be in charge of a group called Innovation & Impact: Women Leaders are Changing the Corporate Industrytogether Rivian CFO Claire McDonough, Madison Reed CEO and founder Amy Errett, is Spotify public affairs director Dustee Jenkins. If you are there, please come!

As for Rivian, the company is planning an early launch of a new electric vehicle in the US with its upcoming R2 SUV. And the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Senior reporter Sean O’Kane looked at past sales history and Rivian’s plans for 2026. Rivian said it expects to sell between 20,000 and 25,000 R2s this year, the first of which will go to customers in June when production begins.

This means that he has six months to achieve that goal. Even if the Rivian reaches the end of that goal, its retail price will exceed all other comparable electric cars at or below $60,000 except for the Tesla Model Y, O’Kane writes. Read the full article here.

My question is what strategy does Rivian intend to use to achieve that goal? It will not be enough to simply say, “Want to wait, stupid.” This is not small. I expect Rivian to try different ways to spread the word and turn interest in its EVs into real sales. What do you think the company will do? Email me!

A little bird

No little birds this week – or anything else we can share. Remember, if you have any advice for us, you can email me kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or reach me through Signal at kkorosec.07. Sean O’Kane’s email is sean.okane@techcrunch.com

Sales!

This is from last week, but it’s worth commenting on. I’m talking about Wave it’s his $1.2 billion to raise (up to $1.5 billion if it unlocks $300 million in funding from Uber). As I said in my article, everyone seems to want a piece of this UK startup, which now has $8.6 billion.

Wayve is taking a different approach to driving. It doesn’t want to be a driver. Instead it wants to license its software — both for self-driving cars and limited editions designed for driver assistance systems — to automakers and robotaxis. Wayve has taken a self-learning approach to its software. The company developed a software program that uses a neural network endpoint that does not require a well-known map and only uses data to train the car to drive. It is hardware agnostic, which will be interesting for Wayve users Mercedes-Benz, Nissanand Stars.

Some products that impressed me…

AlsoToyota Motor-affiliated auto-parts suppliers, developed the concept of Kyoto-based chip maker Rohm, The WSJ said.

The last driveSwedish startups known for building electric vehicles and autonomous pods designed to transport cargo, are protected registered a $113 million PIPE (private investment in the public sector) before that, which is expected in the first half of 2026.

Harbinger found The self-driving company Phantom AI. The rules have not been disclosed.

HolyvoltSwedish battery technology company backed by Volvo, has acquired battery equipment manufacturer Wildcat Discovery Technologies for a premium price. $73 million.

At the momentthe Chinese independent car maker backed by GM and Tencent Holdings, has revealed its first offering in Hong Kong, Bloomberg said. The company would like to raise at least $1 billion in its IPO.

Namelylaunch programs that help the safety, space, energy, and transportation companies test their manufacturing processes, earned $80 million in the Series B round at a cost of $1 billion, led by Founders Fund.

Toyota he raised his price for Toyota Industries suppliers up to $30 billion.

Zenoof African origin, earned $25 million around the Series A to expand its software-controlled battery replacement network and produce more Emara motorcycles. About $20.5 million of that was in fundraising led by Congruent Ventures with participation from Active Impact and Lowercarbon Capital. The remaining $4.5 million is a loan from Camber Road and Trifecta Capital.

Popular reading and more

Chinese automaker BYD take off a New battery pack which is said to be able to charge from 10% to 70% in five minutes. This is a game changer, but there is an important caveat to this information: It requires a specific EV charger.

Hyundai, Toyotaand Chinese car manufacturers like Cherry They can face many problems from the US-Israel war with Iran, as the Middle East calculates the number of offers, according to Bernstein’s analysis, CNBC reported.

The Volkswagen Group went through a major EV phase this week. The company said it has provided 4 million electric cars since it launched its first model in 2013. Half of those came from the Volkswagen brand. The remaining products came from Škoda, SEAT/CUPRA, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and Porsche.

A movie to show a That’s it robotaxi blocked an ambulance as it responded to a mass shooting in Austin over the weekend. A spokesperson for Austin-Travis-County EMS he told Axios that the police officer followed the established procedure to solve the problem and was able to drive the car quickly. Waymo did not make a statement to retailers at the time. The incident is the latest in which a first responder has been used to move Waymo and raised questions about the technology’s readiness.

One thing…

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Tuesday is scheduled for a conference on the safety of autonomous vehicles. A who’s who of AV leaders are expected to attend, incl Aurora founder and CEO Chris Urmson, That’s it Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, and Zoox CEO Aicha Evans.