Jony Ive’s LoveFrom helped design Rivian’s first electric bike

LoveFrom, the artistic agency based by former Apple chief designer Jony Ive, performed a job within the improvement of Rivian’s first electrical bike, in line with a number of sources who spoke to TechCrunch. 

For about 18 months, a handful of LoveFrom employees labored alongside Rivian’s design workforce and engineers inside a skunkworks program led by Specialised’s former chief product and know-how officer Chris Yu. LoveFrom’s work on the micromobility mission resulted in fall 2024, in line with the sources. 

LoveFrom and Rivian declined to remark. 

Rivian’s skunkworks program, which ultimately grew to a workforce of about 70 individuals hailing from Apple, Google, Specialised, Tesla, and REI Co-Op, spun out earlier this year with a brand new identify and $105 million in funding from Eclipse Ventures. 

The micromobility startup, referred to as Additionally, has but to indicate off its first automobile designs. In interviews with TechCrunch, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe (who’s on Additionally’s board) and Yu had been cagey about what the brand new firm’s first automobile would seem like.

“There’s a seat, and there’s two wheels, there’s a display screen, and there’s just a few computer systems and a battery,” Scaringe mentioned in March. He has additionally mentioned it will likely be “bike-like,” an outline confirmed by sources. 

However each Scaringe and Yu spoke of a a lot greater imaginative and prescient for Additionally, one the place it might theoretically deal with virtually any possible micromobility kind issue. The brand new firm is meant to disclose its first designs at an occasion later this 12 months. An Additionally spokesperson declined to remark about its bike or any connection to LoveFrom.

When the electrical “bike” is revealed, it’s doable that Ive’s fingerprints shall be throughout it. 

Ive is finest recognized for being the design power behind the iPhone and myriad different Apple merchandise, and most just lately, for his work with Sam Altman and OpenAI. However his collaboration with Rivian just isn’t his first foray into the transportation trade. 

The dad or mum firm of Ferrari announced in 2021 that Ive’s agency would assist develop the Italian supercar producer’s next-generation automobiles. Ive was additionally concerned with Apple’s secretive automobile mission. He was reportedly one of the main proponents for centering Apple’s long-running automobile mission round autonomy, whereas different individuals inside the corporate pushed for a extra conventional electrical automobile. Apple deserted that mission early final 12 months.

Sources instructed TechCrunch that Ive’s LoveFrom has acted as a guide for Rivian prior to now, together with on the corporate’s redesigned infotainment system and retail, amongst different areas, in line with two former staff with data of the connection. However its involvement in what would turn into Additionally was a extra structured and devoted effort, one other supply acquainted with the connection mentioned.

The skunkworks program started taking form in early 2022 with a directive to discover whether or not Rivian’s EV know-how might be condensed down into one thing smaller and extra inexpensive than its electrical vans, vans, and SUVs. 

Initially, the small workforce labored with Rivian designers to develop a product that would scale to several types of automobiles. A key design problem was the right way to make the bike-like product modular whereas nonetheless sustaining the elevated aesthetics Rivian has turn into recognized for. 

By the point LoveFrom bought concerned within the mission in early 2023, plenty of work had been accomplished, in line with sources who mentioned they helped refine the prototypes. 

The connection was described as a “fairly tight” collaboration between the skunkworks workforce, LoveFrom’s employees, and the economic designers based mostly out of Rivian’s headquarters in Irvine. This group checked out every thing, together with the consumer interface and UX for the bike. 

The commercial design workforce at LoveFrom, which has plenty of expertise with considerate and intelligent packaging, was notably concerned, in line with one supply, who famous the workforce introduced an interdisciplinary and worldwide perspective to the mission.