Rivian EV Platforms

R1 · R2 · EDV · zonal

Rivian sells few vehicles but owns a complete EV architecture. Volkswagen is paying billions for its zonal electronics and software, which makes the platform worth more than the trucks.

Electronic control units in the Rivian R1: 17 in the Gen 1 R1 of 2021 and seven in the Gen 2 R1 of 2024, after a move to zonal controllers that removed about 1.6 miles of wiring. What Rivian builds in-house: zonal E/E (east, west and south zones plus central compute, now licensed to Volkswagen); Enduro drive units (motors and inverters for the Gen 2 R1 and R2); autonomy compute (NVIDIA in Gen 2, Rivian's own RAP1 chip with lidar in Gen 3); battery packs (2170 and LFP cells in the R1, 4695 cells in a cell-to-pack structure in the R2). ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNITS IN THE R1 Gen 1 R1 (2021) 17 ECUs Gen 2 R1 (2024) 7 ECUs Zonal design removed about 1.6 miles of wiring WHAT RIVIAN BUILDS IN-HOUSE Zonal E/Eeast, west, south zones + central compute; sold to VW Enduro drive unitsin-house motors and inverters, Gen 2 R1 and R2 Autonomy computeGen 2: NVIDIA; Gen 3: RAP1 chip + lidar Battery packsR1: 2170 and LFP; R2: 4695 cell-to-pack
R1 ECUs
17 to 7
VW joint venture
Up to $5.8B
R2 cell
4695
Plant
Normal, Illinois
Hub
Systems

Finding

Rivian's Gen 2 zonal architecture is among the few Western E/E designs comparable to Tesla's, and it has become a licensed product as much as a vehicle platform

The Gen 1 R1T and R1S of 2021 rode a 400 V skateboard with four motors from Bosch and 17 electronic control units. The Gen 2 R1 of mid-2024 replaced them with zonal controllers and a central computer, cut ECUs to seven, removed about 1.6 miles of wiring, added in-house Enduro drive units, an LFP Standard pack and NVIDIA-based autonomy compute.

That architecture is now sold outward. The Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies joint venture, worth up to $5.8 billion, takes Rivian's zonal hardware and software into Volkswagen Group cars from 2027. In China, Volkswagen uses Xpeng's CEA instead - a sign that Chinese E/E designs such as Xpeng's and NIO's already match or beat Western ones on cost.

The R2, built in Normal from 2026 with a second plant planned near Atlanta, Georgia, moves to 46 mm 4695 cylindrical cells from LG Energy Solution in a cell-to-pack structure and drops ECU count again. Rivian's Gen 3 autonomy hardware - its own RAP1 processor plus a front lidar - goes to employee R2s in late 2026 and customers in 2027. See also Rivian.

Platforms

Rivian platform lineup

Rivian EV platforms
PlatformVoltageBattery and driveE/E and computeRepresentative EVsPlants
Gen 1 R1400 V105-149 kWh, Samsung SDI and LGES 2170 cells; Bosch motors, Quad MotorDomain, 17 ECUs; Mobileye-based ADASR1T, R1S (2021-2024)Normal, Illinois
Gen 2 R1400 VLFP Standard, NMC Large and Max; in-house Enduro Dual, Tri and QuadZonal, 7 ECUs; NVIDIA DRIVE Orin, 11 camerasR1T, R1SNormal, Illinois
R2400 V4695 cells (LGES, Arizona), cell-to-pack structural; EnduroZonal; Gen 3 RAP1 and lidar from 2027R2; R3 and R3X to followNormal; Georgia planned
EDV / RCV400 VSingle motor front drive, LFP and NMC packsZonal (Gen 2 software)Amazon EDV 500, 700; Rivian Commercial VanNormal, Illinois

E/E

Gen 1 versus Gen 2 electrical architecture

Rivian electrical architecture change
ItemGen 1 R1Gen 2 R1
Control units17 ECUs7 ECUs
TopologyDomain controllersThree zonal controllers plus central compute
WiringBaselineAbout 1.6 miles less
Drive unitsBosch-suppliedIn-house Enduro
Autonomy computeMobileye EyeQ4Two NVIDIA DRIVE Orin, about 10x Gen 1

Sources

Sources and scope

Scope
Rivian EV Platforms
Sources
Rivian Gen 2 launch (June 2024), Autonomy and AI Day (December 2025) and Q3 2026 updates; Rivian and Volkswagen (2024); Drive Tesla Canada (2026)
Updated
October 2026