Prior to founding Rivian in 2009, RJ Scaringe had already been considering the concept of micromobility.

Over a decade later, this idea took shape in a small, secretive program within Rivian, which aimed to answer a crucial question: Could the company’s technology be scaled down into something more compact and affordable than its electric vans, trucks, and SUVs?

The answer to this question was affirmative. However, as Scaringe revealed to TechCrunch, the skunkworks program evolved into a more extensive concept that couldn’t naturally coexist within Rivian. This team, now comprising approximately 70 individuals from renowned companies like Apple, Google, Specialized, Tesla, REI Co-Op, and Uber, has spun out of Rivian with a new name and $105 million in funding from Eclipse Ventures.

The newly formed startup, called Also, will operate as a separate entity from Rivian. Nevertheless, the two companies will maintain a close relationship, with Rivian holding a minority stake, Scaringe serving on the board, and Also leveraging Rivian’s technology, retail presence, and economies of scale. Chris Yu, Rivian’s VP of future programs, will assume the role of president at Also.

Also plans to initiate production of its flagship product next year, targeting consumers in the United States and Europe. The startup intends to eventually launch vehicles tailored for both consumer and commercial use in Asia and South America.

Scaringe announced that Also will unveil its first vehicle designs at an event later this year. Although the company is being cautious about revealing the specifics of its first product, Scaringe did hint that it will have a bike-like form factor.

“The product features a seat, two wheels, a screen, and a few computers and a battery,” Scaringe described.

Scaringe emphasized that the primary goal is to make high-quality, Rivian-level micromobility accessible at affordable prices.

He noted, “It’s remarkable that a high-end e-bike can cost as much as it does. For instance, a nice e-bike can cost between $6,000 to $8,000, and really premium ones can exceed $10,000. This is a reflection of a poorly developed supply chain that is highly tiered.”

Also’s electric roots

Initially, Scaringe put his ideas about e-bikes and micromobility on hold as he focused on building Rivian around electric passenger vehicles like the R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV.

However, around 2019, former Rivian chief growth officer Jiten Behl, who led the funding round from Eclipse Ventures, said he and Scaringe began discussing the possibility of launching an effort within Rivian to capitalize on the micromobility opportunity.

“There’s a gap in the market,” Behl recalled telling Scaringe. “If you look at our cities, the infrastructure is such that large cars can’t navigate easily, but people still need mobility solutions. We require something different, something smaller, and more flexible.”

A few years later, in 2022, they brought on Chris Yu, the former chief product and technology officer at bike-maker Specialized, to lead the skunkworks team.

One of the few public hints that Rivian was working on the project came in 2022 when the company filed a new trademark for bicycles and electric bikes, as well as their corresponding structural parts.

Scaringe discussed e-bikes at TechCrunch Disrupt in 2022, and Bloomberg reported in 2023 that Rivian was working on an e-bike, but the project remained under wraps.

Leveraging Rivian tech

Many companies have attempted to design and sell e-bikes that stand out from the competition. However, Scaringe noted that these companies are limited in their ability to reduce costs, largely due to their reliance on a scattered supply chain and low production volumes.

Scaringe revealed that the “a-ha moment” for Rivian was when he realized the company could alter these variables. It also helps that Rivian is developing technology that can be transferred to smaller form factors.

“Most companies in the micro space don’t have a full power electronics team, or a team that develops the software OS, and are designing and building computers,” he said.

“Oh, wow, we have all this capability,” he remembered thinking.

Scaringe, Yu, and Behl believe Also has potential not only as a consumer play but also on the commercial side.

“You could almost say that the need for small form factor EVs is more acute on the commercial side than the consumer side, especially within dense metro areas, particularly in Europe, where city centers are shut down to cars and vans,” Yu said in an interview. “We’ve seen an intense amount of excitement around a scalable platform approach for food, parcel, delivery, et cetera, type vehicles.”

Yu stated that Also is in “reasonably advanced discussions with some really exciting partners at the moment,” but declined to name any of them.

The Also team has a challenging task ahead. They aim to build small EVs for consumers and commercial companies across a global market, and they are willing to develop virtually any form factor to serve those needs.

When asked whether this means we could one day see an Also rickshaw or skateboard, Scaringe said there are some practical limitations to what the company can achieve. However, he added, “never say never on anything” in micromobility.