Jacob Hunka May 11, 2026 · 5 min read
Some weeks the stories are about what is coming. This one is mostly about what has arrived. A custom chip that puts Rivian in control of its own autonomy roadmap. A series production truck that actually ships to fleets. A Chinese auto group already operating US dealerships under names you recognize. And a $30,000 electric truck announcement from Ford that is either the most consequential pricing story of the year or a number that will quietly move before production begins.
THE WEEK'S BEST STORIES
Rivian's RAP1 Chip Is Its Apple Silicon Moment
RivianTrackr · Jose Castillo
Rivian unveiled its custom RAP1 processor at its first Autonomy and AI Day, and the Apple Silicon parallel holds up. The chip is a custom 5nm processor built on Armv9 architecture, delivering 1,600 TOPS of AI compute across two units per vehicle. But the spec sheet is not the point. What Rivian built around the chip is: its own AI compiler, its own platform software, and a low-latency interconnect called RivLink designed to scale as compute needs grow. The R2 will launch on Gen 2 hardware and transition to Gen 3 with RAP1 and LiDAR later in 2026. No upgrade path between the two exists, and Gen 1 R1 owners are largely outside this story, which is the honest cost of vertical integration. Rivian stopped renting someone else's compute roadmap and started owning its own.
RJ Scaringe spoke at ACT Expo about the road from startup to 17,000 employees, and the framing that came through most clearly is one he does not shy away from: treat the vehicle as a platform, treat software licensing as the revenue stream that makes the vehicle economics work at scale. The Volkswagen deal, worth $5.8 billion with deployment beginning in 2027, is the proof of concept. One of the world's largest automakers decided it was cheaper to pay Rivian than to build the equivalent in-house. Scaringe's explanation of AI-defined vehicles starts not with AI but with architecture: decades of ECU sprawl produced vehicles running hundreds of isolated computers, a structure that accumulated rather than was designed. Rivian's zonal compute approach collapses that into fewer, higher-compute nodes. Amazon's fleet, now past 30,000 deployed electric vans, runs a dedicated compute partition where Amazon's own applications sit alongside the vehicle OS. R2, priced from $45,000, is the vehicle that needs to generate the revenue volume justifying the engineering organization behind all of it.
Kyle Conner from Out of Spec Reviews got seat time at ACT Expo with Dan Priestley, who leads the Semi program at Tesla. The truck on display is a meaningful departure from the early beta fleet. Visible changes include a new three-piece front fascia designed to reduce repair costs after minor yard incidents and a 4680 cell battery pack bringing production alignment with Tesla's current platform. The Semi comes in two configurations. The standard range comes in under 20,000 lb with roughly 48,000 lb of payload capacity in a typical drive van setup. The long range adds an extended wheelbase and a storage bay between the axles where the third battery pack sits, dropping payload to around 45,000 lb in exchange for 500 miles of range under load. The drivetrain runs two physically separate rear axles: a torque axle with two motors for takeoff and climbs, and an efficiency axle with a single motor for highway cruise. At sustained highway speed, the torque axle clutches out entirely, stopping the gearbox internals from spinning. MCS 3.2 charging supports a 1.2 MW capable inlet. Priestley's willingness to discuss cost structure and payload trade-offs openly is exactly what fleets evaluating a long-term commitment to this platform need to hear.
The debate over whether Chinese cars will reach American buyers is already settled in Geely's case. Through its 78.8% stake in Volvo Cars, its shared ownership of Polestar with Volvo, and its 51% control of Lotus, Geely Holding already operates dealership networks across the United States and an active factory in South Carolina. A CNBC analysis argues that no other Chinese automotive group is as well positioned to sell vehicles to American buyers, and that some version of that entry could happen faster than the tariff conversation suggests. The Volvo factory in Charleston is running below its 150,000-unit annual capacity. Zeekr, a Geely-owned EV brand, is already present in the US through a supply agreement with Waymo, whose autonomous ride-hail fleet includes Zeekr vans operating in San Francisco. Analysts cited in the report identify Zeekr as the most likely Geely brand to be formally introduced to American consumers. A 100% federal tariff on Chinese-built EVs and a ban on Chinese connected-vehicle technology in US vehicles both remain in effect. Geely's infrastructure position is in place regardless.
Ford has confirmed it is developing a $30,000 electric truck at a plant outside Detroit, following reporting by the Wall Street Journal. The truck is described as capable of around 300 miles of range with acceleration Ford describes as in Mustang territory, at a price that would be roughly half the current US average for electric vehicles. Battery costs recently fell below $100 per kilowatt-hour for the first time, a threshold analysts have long identified as the point where EVs can begin competing with combustion vehicles on purchase price without depending entirely on fuel savings. The framing is pointed: Chinese EV pricing is the explicit benchmark this truck is being built to undercut in the US market. Ford made the announcement while EV tax credits remain cut and emissions standards are rolled back, which makes the decision to move forward notable. What Ford has not provided is a battery capacity figure, a trim breakdown, or a production timeline. Ford has a documented history with the F-150 Lightning of announcing pricing early and revising it. The $30,000 number deserves healthy skepticism until a production date is attached.
FRESH FROM THE SITE
Two Batteries, One Hitch, and the Case for All-Electric Glamping Opinion · Jacob Hunka
This week's opinion piece covers the Lightship AE1, a Colorado-built electric travel trailer with a 77 kWh battery pack and a self-propulsion system called Trek Drive. Force sensors in the hitch coupler measure real-time drag and run a rear motor to neutralize it above roughly 15 miles per hour. Out of Spec Reviews tested the pairing with a Rivian R1S over a 71-mile run. The R1S returned above 2.4 miles per kilowatt-hour while pulling a trailer that weighs nearly 8,000 pounds. The Lightship arrived at the destination at 70% state of charge. Those are documented numbers from a real drive, not a controlled test. Entry-level Panos trims start at approximately $150,000, and Trek Drive pushes most configurations above $170,000. The Atmos starts at around $184,000. The pricing filters the audience substantially. What it does not change is what the technology demonstrates: the first all-electric glamping setup that does not require anyone to make excuses for the drive exists, has been documented in the real world, and the hardware gap that kept this as a concept rather than a product has been substantially closed.
NEW ON THE SITE
We have added a Daily Brief to nexusEVnews. A short thread goes up pulling together the stories worth paying attention to that day, with context and a bottom line. No algorithmic ranking, no aggregator noise. If you have been using the site as a daily read, this is the section built for that habit.
The week is yours. See you next Monday.
Jacob Hunka, Founder nexusEVnews.com
P.S. Know someone who follows the auto industry and ignores the electric side of it? Now is a good time to fix that.