LoveFrom, the creative firm founded by former Apple chief designer Jony Ive, played a role in the development of Rivian’s first electric bike, according to multiple sources who spoke to TechCrunch.
For about 18 months, a handful of LoveFrom staff worked alongside Rivian’s design team and engineers within a skunkworks program led by Specialized’s former chief product and technology officer Chris Yu. LoveFrom’s work on the micromobility project ended in fall 2024, according to the sources.
LoveFrom and Rivian declined to comment.
Rivian’s skunkworks program, which eventually grew to a team of about 70 people hailing from Apple, Google, Specialized, Tesla, and REI Co-Op, spun out earlier this year with a new name and $105 million in funding from Eclipse Ventures.
The micromobility startup, called Also, has yet to show off its first vehicle designs. In interviews with TechCrunch, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe (who is on Also’s board) and Yu were cagey about what the new company’s first vehicle would look like.
“There’s a seat, and there’s two wheels, there’s a screen, and there’s a few computers and a battery,” Scaringe said in March. He has also said it will be “bike-like,” a description confirmed by sources.
But both Scaringe and Yu spoke of a much bigger vision for Also, one where it could theoretically tackle almost any imaginable micromobility form factor. The new company is supposed to reveal its first designs at an event later this year. An Also spokesperson declined to comment about its bike or any connection to LoveFrom.
When the electric “bike” is revealed, it’s possible that Ive’s fingerprints will be all over it.
Ive is best known for being the design force behind the iPhone and myriad other Apple products, and most recently, for his work with Sam Altman and OpenAI. But his collaboration with Rivian is not his first foray into the transportation industry.
The parent company of Ferrari announced in 2021 that Ive’s firm would help develop the Italian supercar manufacturer’s next-generation vehicles. Ive was also involved with Apple’s secretive car project. He was reportedly one of the main proponents for centering Apple’s long-running car project around autonomy, whereas other people inside the company pushed for a more traditional electric car. Apple abandoned that project early last year.
Sources told TechCrunch that Ive’s LoveFrom has acted as a consultant for Rivian in the past, including on the company’s redesigned infotainment system and retail, among other areas, according to two former employees with knowledge of the relationship. But its involvement in what would become Also was a more structured and dedicated effort, another source familiar with the relationship said.
The skunkworks program began taking shape in early 2022 with a directive to explore whether Rivian’s EV technology could be condensed down into something smaller and more affordable than its electric vans, trucks, and SUVs.
Initially, the small team worked with Rivian designers to develop a product that could scale to different types of vehicles. A key design challenge was how to make the bike-like product modular while still maintaining the elevated aesthetics Rivian has become known for.
By the time LoveFrom got involved in the project in early 2023, a lot of work had been completed, according to sources who said they helped refine the prototypes.
The relationship was described as a “pretty tight” collaboration between the skunkworks team, LoveFrom’s staff, and the industrial designers based out of Rivian’s headquarters in Irvine. This group looked at everything, including the user interface and UX for the bike.
The industrial design team at LoveFrom, which has a lot of experience with thoughtful and clever packaging, was particularly involved, according to one source, who noted the team brought an interdisciplinary and international perspective to the project.
Source: techcrunch.com
