Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, the role AI is playing in it.

As I wrapped my TechCrunch Disrupt interview with Rivian CEO and founder RJ Scaringe, I kept circling back to one question: What does Scaringe want Rivian to become? If you look at Rivian’s moves over the past year, it’s clear that Scaringe wants the company to be much more than an EV maker. But he doesn’t want to stray completely from that mission either.

Rivian is far more vertically integrated than it was just a couple of years ago. It has developed its own AI models to power its in-vehicle assistant and is building an end-to-end automated driving stack for its passenger vehicles and future robotaxis through a partnership with Uber. It’s even developing custom silicon, a 5 nm processor in collaboration with Arm and TSMC. And then there is its $5.8 billion joint technology venture with VW Group focused on electric architecture and software. 

Scaringe’s ambitions extend beyond Rivian as well, although there is always a link back. He created a micromobility skunkworks program that has since spun out into a startup called Also. And he founded an industrial robotics startup called Mind Robotics, which is now 31% owned by Rivian and counts the automaker as a prospective customer. (Scaringe announced onstage that former Ford, Apple, and Tesla executive Doug Field has been hired as president of Mind Robotics.)

Scaringe’s aspirations were on display as he talked of not only expanding the joint venture with VW to cover AI and autonomy, but also licensing Rivian’s tech to “many different brands.”

So what does Rivian look like at the end of the decade? Certainly not just a maker of electric trucks and SUVs. The term I kept coming back to was “tech supplier.” 

Hear me out. Rivian is clearing a path toward licensing its electric architecture and software as well as its AI models and autonomy stack. Meanwhile, the Mind Robotics startup it partially owns is building industrial robots to not only be used in Rivian factories, but also sold to other companies. Then there’s the robotaxi business. A successful launch with Uber could open the door to more deals.

And Scaringe is already imagining how autonomy could reshape Rivian’s own vehicles.

"Where it gets really interesting is then you think beyond R2 and R3 and start to imagine the form factors that you want to build for a personally owned autonomous vehicle. You know, it opens up all kinds of design opportunities. It can create dramatically different experiences," he said in an interview with TechCrunch. "I'm wildly excited about what the next 10 years look like in transportation because of what this enables us to dream and think about."

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Notable reads and other tidbits

Electric vehicle sales in the United States are showing signs of life.

Laplace Intelligence, one of 20 startups that competed in TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield 200, is building automated red-teaming that stress-tests robots and self-driving cars. 

MIT startup LNK Energies says it has created a way to convert existing heavy-duty trucks from diesel to hydrogen, slashing pollution and costs while shielding operators from price spikes.

The Paris Auto Show puts Chinese cars on center stage.  

Tesla showcased its SpaceX-powered Roadster with a theatrical kickflip stunt. The Roadster used a mix of high-powered fans and thrusters to drive up an inverted ramp, spin around, and stick a landing on the pavement below. CEO Elon Musk claims the vehicle will be on the road by 2028. But will future owners be allowed to legally deploy these maneuvers on public streets? I don’t see how. 

Waymo is expanding into Canada — specifically, Toronto — after receiving approval to participate in an automated vehicle pilot program. Waymo has also opened up its robotaxi service to everyone, meaning no more waitlists, in San Antonio, San Diego, and Tampa.

One more thing …

TechCrunch reporter Tim De Chant recently test drove the 2026 Porsche Macan Turbo EV. His week with the EV has him questioning what a sports car is supposed to be. Read the full review.