EV Inspired Automobile Renaissance

By the start of the 20th Century, the development of consumer automobiles was in full swing, and, seemingly, everyone was throwing their hat in the ring. Hundreds of vehicle manufacturers came and went during this time; many deposited innovative concepts and some succeeded.

It’s hard not to see the similarities present today in the development of EVs. The creation of an automobile manufacturer in the 21^st century world, with many huge and established players, seemed a task too big to handle until the likes of Elon Musk inspired others to say, “Why not try?” Money is certainly a challenge to surmount, EV startup, Canoo, will be releasing their Q4 and fiscal year 2023 financial results in early April 2024; EV manufacturer, Rivian, has certainly been transparent about their cash flow dilemma. Likewise, Tesla has had its financial hardships and is seemingly continuing its rise from near the ashes (so to speak). Maybe some or all of these new Automotive OEMs will go the way of innovators such as the Stanley Motor Carriage Company or the Electric Vehicle Company and have a short-lived history. However, their innovations will, undoubtedly, live on, and for that, we can be grateful.

Following the launch of the Rivian R2, R3, and R3X, we had an opportunity to have a look at the R2 during a promotional event in Austin. I would argue, that one of the aforementioned innovations has nothing to do with the powertrain, but rather the Rivian design. While design is a characteristic rightly held as subjective, some designs evoke pleasure from the majority, and my argument is that Rivian has opened the door to a refreshing new realm; a door that was cracked by BMW with the creation of the i3. With this door, now, wide open, maybe the race to become the edgiest, most overpowering design will come to a close and we can breathe easy in the peace of beauty and harmony.

Take a look at a couple of photos we shot while visiting the All-new Rivian R2: