Before RJ Scaringe founded Rivian in 2009, he had micromotorism in his mind.
Over a decade later, his meditations have been rooted in a small skunk works program within Libian, trying to answer one question. Can the company’s technology be condensed into something smaller and more affordable than electric vans, trucks, and SUVs?
The answer was yes. But what they discovered was that the Scunkworks program, which they told TechCrunch, is a bigger idea than it naturally exists within Libian. Skunkworks (currently a team of around 70 people from Apple, Google, Specialized, Tesla, Rei Co-op and Uber) is spun from Libian with a new name from Eclipse Ventures and $105 million in funding.
The startup also exists as a standalone company in Libian. However, the two are closely related. Libian holds a small number of stakes, and Sculling serves on the board, leveraging the technology, retail presence and economies of scale from the automaker. Chrisyu, Libian’s future vice president of programs, will become its president.
It also plans to produce flagship products for US and European consumers next year. The startup will eventually launch vehicles tailored for consumer and commercial use in Asia and South America.
Scaringe said it will also showcase its first vehicle design at an event later this year. But he and the new company are sincerely concerned about what that first product is, but Libian CEO has been cop to have a form factor like a bike.
“There’s a seating, two wheels, a screen, a few computers and a battery,” Scaringe said.
He made it clear that the goal is to make the quality of Libian micromobility available at an affordable price.
“It’s worth noting that a nice e-bike costs just as much,” Sculling commented. “Like a nice eBike, you can spend $6,000 to $8,000, over $10,000. This is a reflection of a very, very layered, undeveloped supply chain.”
Also, its electrical roots
Scaringe put aside ideas about E-bikes and micromobility when he built his company around electric passenger cars such as R1T pickups and R1S SUVs.
However, around 2019, former Livian Chief Growth Officer Jiten Behl was at the forefront of a fundraising round from Eclipse Ventures, and he and Scaringe said they began to seriously talk about starting an effort within Rivian to seize the opportunity.
“There’s a gap here,” Behl told TechCrunch that he remembered telling Scaringe. “If you look at our cities, infrastructure is like you can’t drive a big car. But there’s still a need for mobility. You need something different, something small, something more flexible.”
A few years later, in 2022, they brought in Chris Yu, former chief product and technology director of a professional bike manufacturer, to spin up the Skunkworks team.
One of the few published tips that Libian was working on the project came in 2022 when the company submitted new trademarks for bicycles and electric bikes, and submitted corresponding structural parts.
Scaringe spoke about TechCrunch’s e-bike in 2022, and in 2023 Bloomberg reported that Libian was working on one, but the project remained a rap.
Utilizing Libian technology
Many companies are trying to design and sell electronic bikes that stand out from the crowd. However, Scaringe said these companies rely largely on scattered supply chains and operate at a low volume, limiting their ability to cut costs.
Scaringe said Libian’s “a-ha moment” was when his company realized that they could change these variables. It also helps that Libian is working on many technologies that allow them to move to smaller form factors.
“Most companies in microspace don’t have the team that develops software OSes, designs and builds computers, just like full power electronics teams,” he said.
“Oh, wow, we have all this ability,” he recalls thinking.
Scaringe, Yu, and Behl believe there is potential for not only consumer play, but also commercial aspects.
“The need for small form factor EVs is almost certainly a bit more serious on the commercial side than on the consumer side, especially in Europe, especially within dense metropolitan areas. [where city centers are] Yu said in an interview. “We saw a ton of excitement around a scalable platform approach, such as food, parcels and delivery.
Yu also said it was in “rationally sophisticated discussions with truly exciting partners at this point,” but refused to name them.
The team is also cutting out their work for them. They want to build small EVs for consumers and commercial companies across the global market. And they are willing to build almost every form factor to meet those needs.
When asked if that would one day we could see rickshaws and skateboards, Scaringe said there are some practical limitations to what the company can achieve. But he said with micromobility, “Never say anything.”
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