Rivian‘s founder and Chief Executive Officer RJ Scaringe has reaffirmed the company’s commitment to offer only fully electric vehicles, ruling out any move toward extended-range models.
Speaking with ABC News, Scaringe was questioned about weakening EV demand — particularly given that the federal EV tax credit expired last September and the popularity of hybrid vehicles.
He pushed back on a lack of consumer interest, arguing that the trend reflects “an extreme lack of choice” in the EV market.
“I talk about this a lot. This is a question of causality,” Scaringe said. “So EV demand in the US is around 8%. Why is it not 20%? We have an extreme lack of choice.”
To him, this is “most pronounced in the US, where there are just not a lot of great choices,” capable of combining “really well-integrated software, great technology, an EV first architecture.”
This isn’t the first time the Rivian CEO has pointed to a lack of choice as a key problem holding back the EV market.
He has repeatedly noted that Tesla‘s dominant market share — over 50% — is less a testament to the brand’s strength than a “reflection of limited great choices” for consumers.
Earlier this year, he drew a contrast with China, the world’s largest EV market, arguing that one reason it looks so different from the US is that buyers there have “an overwhelming number of choices.”
EREV Production
When asked about extended-range electric vehicles — a concept the broader industry is increasingly gravitating toward — Scaringe was unequivocal.
“We would never do one,” he said of Rivian, calling it “an intermediate technology.”
He acknowledged understanding “why some people are doing it,” but maintained that for the Irvine-based EV maker, “it wouldn’t make sense,” as “it’s not consistent with our brand.”
Scaringe also pointed to the added engineering burden, calling it “a more complex architecture,” and predicted that the approach “will be short-lived.”
Upcoming Models
Several automakers have started including the powertrain, with models scheduled for launch over the next two years.
Among them is Stellantis‘ brand RAM, which will launch an EREV version of its 1500 pickup later this year.
Ford is also moving in that direction with an extended-range variant of the F-150 Lightning — a move that came shortly after the Detroit automaker halted production of the fully electric version late last year.
“The F-150 Lightning is a groundbreaking product that demonstrated an EV pickup can still be a great F-Series,” said Doug Field, Ford‘s Chief EV, Digital and Design Officer. “Our next-generation F-150 Lightning EREV will be every bit as revolutionary.”
South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia are also exploring the technology.
In early 2025, Kia America’s Chief Operating Officer Steve Center told TopSpeed that “there’s increasingly credible technologies like EREV, we’re studying those as well.”
By April, the company announced it was considering integrating the powertrain into its Telluride SUV.
Hyundai, meanwhile, announced last September that it would adopt an EREV system primarily for larger vehicles, according to CEO José Muñoz, scheduled for 2027.
Scout Motors
Originally built by International Harvester between 1960 and 1980, Scout Motors was picked up by Volkswagen Group — which is also one of Rivian‘s main backers — in 2022 to “craft the next era of trucks and rugged SUVs rooted in the same tradition that made the original Scout vehicle an American icon.”
The brand will launch with its Traveler SUV and Terra pick-up, set to compete with Rivian‘s R1 models.
However, it is planning to offer extended-range electric versions of its trucks alongside the battery electric (BEV) variants.
Late last year, Scout Motors‘ CEO Scott Keogh said “over 80% of the reservations are the range-extender,” in a total of over 130,000 reservations for the models at the time.
Production of both versions — the fully electric and the range-extender — will happen simultaneously.
The entry-level trims of the models will start under $60,000, Scout Motors‘ website states.
The Volkswagen Group is one of Rivian‘s major institutional shareholders, having committed to invest up to $5.8 billion, as the two have partnered in a joint venture to co-develop software architecture.
Commenting on the partnership on ABC News, Scaringe called it the “best evidence or validation” of Rivian‘s ability to compete with Tesla — the EV market leader — on technology.
“This is the second largest car company in the world,” he said. “A $5.8 billion deal that was borne out of the fact that we did invest tremendously into technology.”
China EREVs
On China, several former pure EV makers have recently began producing extended-range electric vehicles after only manufacturing battery electric since inception.
It is the case of XPeng, which debuted its EREV powertrain late last year with the X9 multi-purpose van.
It has since expanded it by debuting new versions of existing models — the entry-level G6 SUV and the P7+ sedan, for instance.
Additionally, Xiaomi is scheduled to debut its first EREV models this year.
Earlier this year, Scaringe highlighted the tech giant’s EV unit as one of the few companies that stand out among the large EV market in China, for being both affordable and having “impressive” technology, alongside BYD.
“Companies like Xiaomi or BYD very much technically demonstrate a lot of leadership, and then from a price point of view, are quite competitive,” the CEO said then.
Stellantis-backed Leapmotor also offers both fully electric and extended-range models, as Li Auto — one of the few US-listed Chinese new energy vehicle companies — which launched with the EREV powertrain before expanding into fully electric vehicles.
