Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe On Why The R2 Launch 'Must Go Well'

We chat with Rivian's founder about what the startup is cooking up next, the China threat and why America needs more EV competition.

Photo by: Ralph Hermens

Tim Levin

By: Tim Levin

Aug 22, 2025 at 9:00am ET

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Rivian is on the precipice of a very big year. In 2026, the California-based electric-vehicle startup plans to unleash the R2, a $45,000 mass-market SUV tasked with bringing it into the big leagues. And, as the automaker's CEO sees it, there's little room for error.

"For a big company that has lots of other products, you can absorb that not going well, and the business will be fine," Rivian founder RJ Scaringe told InsideEVs in an interview. "For a Rivian, it must go well."

Last week, my colleague Patrick George and I sat down with Scaringe for the latest episode of InsideEVs' Plugged-In Podcast, which is out now.

In this lengthy conversation, Rivian's CEO takes us back to the startup's origins in 2009 and talks about the vehicles coming next, like the R3, R4 and R5. He breaks down how AI is revolutionizing Rivian's self-driving efforts and explains where he sees battery tech going next.

We chat about the rise of Chinese EVs, which Scaringe says much of the auto industry is getting all wrong. We discuss why America needs more great electric cars that aren't Teslas and how policy shifts and tariffs will reshape the U.S. EV landscape for years to come.

A lot of the discussion also comes back to the R2, Rivian's biggest and most consequential challenge to date. And Scaringe provides a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at what goes into developing a new vehicle and bringing it to market.

RJ Scaringe, Patrick George and Tim Levin

Photo by: Maddox Kay/InsideEVs

The crossover promises to deliver the manufacturing scale Rivian needs to even think about long-term profits, but a lot needs to go right first. Ramping up production quickly while managing an "orchestra" of suppliers is absolutely critical, Scaringe said.

“Because the nature of this is if you're not ramped, you don't have the volume to cover your fixed costs. And if you don't have the volume to cover your fixed costs, the numbers just don't work,” he said. "And so the fact that it must go well, that may sound perhaps scary, but it's actually a really good motivator.”

Rivian R2 accessories

Rivian CEO R.J. Scaringe says the R2 launch 'must go well' for the company to scale up.

You won't want to miss our full conversation with Rivian CEO and founder R.J. Scaringe on the latest episode of the Plugged-In Podcast, our weekly dive into the biggest stories driving the future of transportation. The show drops every Friday and is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts.

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