Which electric vehicle startup was founded by R.J. Scaringe? Rivian was founded by R.J. Scaringe.
Scaringe established the company in 2009 in Rockledge, Florida, originally calling it Mainstream Motors. The business was later renamed Avera Automotive before becoming Rivian Automotive in 2011. The name refers to Florida’s Indian River, near where Scaringe grew up.
Rivian initially explored a hybrid sports car, but it eventually focused on electric vehicles and autonomous-driving technology. Its best-known early products were the R1T electric pickup and R1S electric SUV, built around a flexible “skateboard” platform. Rivian also developed electric delivery vans for Amazon.
A common mix-up is treating Rivian as a Tesla subsidiary or assuming Amazon founded it because Amazon became a major investor and customer. Scaringe remains Rivian’s founder and chief executive, while Tesla, Lucid Motors and Nio were founded by different entrepreneurs.