Automotive industry VW and Rivian start winter tests of new vehicle architecture
VW and Tesla rival Rivian are starting winter tests of their first vehicles one year after founding their joint venture. Among other things, the cars will be used to test the electronics architecture of the cheaper Volkswagen ID.Every1 electric car planned for 2027.
13.11.2025, 04:22
SDA
Reference vehicles with technology for a future Audi model and a car from the US brand Scout, which has been revived by VW, will also be brought to the snow in Sweden at the beginning of next year.
The joint venture, called Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies (RV Tech), is developing the electronics architecture for future VW electric cars for Western markets, i.e. primarily outside China. Last year, Volkswagen decided to enter into a multi-billion euro cooperation with Rivian in order to catch up technologically with Tesla and Chinese competitors.
A key difference in the architecture developed by Rivian is that it is structured according to zones in the vehicle rather than functions. Traditionally, there are separate control units for individual tasks such as temperature control. In the Rivian concept, however, the functions are bundled together - for example, a computer on the driver's side can control both the accelerator pedal and the power windows.
Shorter wiring harnesses
The solution ensures less complexity and shorter wiring harnesses - and therefore also reduces costs. The electric car pioneer Tesla and various Chinese manufacturers also rely on zone architecture.
The collaboration with Volkswagen involves, among other things, ensuring that the control units developed by Rivian work together with components from the German group. The ID.Every1, with a target price of around 20,000 euros, is to make do with one zone controller; premium models from VW will have more, as the range of functions is greater.
The joint venture could also offer the architecture to other manufacturers in the future, said Co-CEOs Carsten Helbing and Wassym Bensaid. At the moment, however, the main focus is on using the technology at Volkswagen and Rivian.
