How Rivian Thrives In The Trump Era Of EVs

What's an EV startup to do if EV tax credits end and tariffs spike? On the Plugged-In Podcast, we explain what RJ Scaringe had to say.

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Patrick George

By: Patrick George

Jan 31, 2025 at 7:25am ET

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"What now?" That's a question I've been hearing in auto industry circles (and, let's face it, pretty much everywhere) since President Trump was re-elected in November on a promise to reset nearly all aspects of the U.S. government. That certainly impacts cars as well, with a possible end to the electric vehicle tax credits on the horizon and potentially much higher tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico.

For now, the tax credit system's fate is TBD. A more immediate concern for automakers big and small is the tariffs. General Motors is certainly worried about their effect on car prices; but how about a smaller upstart like Rivian?

That's one of our topics of discussion for this week's Plugged-In Podcast. My co-host, Senior Reporter Tim Levin, sat in on a media roundtable with Rivian CEO R.J. Scaringe recently where he got debriefed on a whole range of topics including tariffs and why he thinks some rivals are at risk if they back off on EV investments.

Rivian R2 R3 R3X

Photo by: InsideEVs

But we had lots to talk about this week. There's also GM's progress on the EV front, and how it's approaching profitability with its battery-powered cars while it's making a big bet on Super Cruise this year.

And on the more fun side of things, we chat about the Lucid Gravity and why it's a charging monster rated at 400 kW DC fast charging. How useful will that be in the short-term? We dig in and chat about where America's charging ecosystem is at in 2025.

Tell us what you think!

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Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com