Rivian’s Decision Not To Copy Tesla’s Homework Was ‘Very Intentional’ [Video]

• Rivian called Tesla “very inspirational” for its rise to become a leader in EVs
• It almost followed in Tesla’s footsteps in building a sports car before the R1
• CEO RJ Scaringe made a “very intentional” move to avoid copying Tesla’s “Master Plan”

It’s hard to ignore the contributions that Tesla made in the infancy of the modern EV industry. Many have given Tesla recognition for paving the way for electric cars in today’s market, and while some automakers have certainly used Tesla for inspiration in its own vehicles, others have purposefully steered their ship in a different direction to avoid copying Tesla’s homework.

Rivian is one of those companies.

Still a startup in itself, Rivian was founded in 2009—that’s just a year after Tesla CEO Elon Musk took the reins. Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has committed to doing things differently than Tesla. In a recent interview on Kleiner Perkin’s Grit Podcast, Scaringe explained he didn’t want Rivian to become just another Tesla, but instead find …