Ford partners with Rivian to build an electric vehicle

Rivian now adds Ford as a voluntary partnership to promote its battery-electric pickup and SUV models to the assembly line. Ford's $500 million investment has planted Rivian with at least $1.1 billion in external funding, so now Rivian needs to deliver on various fronts: Deliver packages for Amazon, build a new EV for Ford, and ship a boatload of trucks to Saudi Arabia. Jim Hackett, CEO of Ford stated on a call with reporters and investors that the new vehicle will not put any impact on the two EVs that Ford is developing, a Mustang-inspired crossover and an electric F-150. 

Precisely, Ford will develop its vehicle around Rivian's "flexible skateboard platform," that incorporates the electric drivetrain, the battery pack, and the electrical architecture, which will power Rivian's own EVs, the R1S SUV, and the R1T electric pickup truck. Moreover, Ford will also enjoy a minority stake in Rivian in an account for its investment. Ford has already decided the type of vehicle they will build with Rivian but has declined to specify it. 

Hackett said, "Rivian is a really special thing that's teaching us about merging not only the powertrain but the architecture that the ECUs [electronic control unit> and other things connect to." Ford has chosen to develop its own body to cover the skateboard. "It would be counterproductive for us to try and make what they have the capacity to do in the beginning here because they've got a factory in Illinois that meets a lot of our criteria," added Hackett. 

Ford is also collaborating with Volkswagen and will utilise VW's brand-new MEB architecture. It is a global modular platform, which is created to underpin millions of electric vehicles for the Volkswagen Group as well as other interested carmakers. Ford says adding batteries will improve the performance of Mustang.