Case Study: Rivian

Rivian, a California-based EV startup specializing in adventure-oriented electric vehicles, provides an insightful example of innovation in E/E architecture. With strong partnerships, including Amazon and Volkswagen, Rivian has made remarkable progress in reducing the complexity of its vehicle architecture, as shared during their Investor Day 2024.

In their first-generation vehicles, Rivian managed to reduce the number of ECUs to just 17, a stark contrast to the dozens typically used by incumbent OEMs. Currently, Rivian is working on its second-generation vehicles, further streamlining the design to only seven in-house developed ECUs.

This architecture employs a region-oriented zonal design, including east, west, and south zonal controllers, complemented by a few specialized ECUs for key functions such as infotainment, AD and ADAS, vehicle access control, and battery management.

The benefits Rivian reports from their Gen 2 architecture are striking:

• A 60% reduction in the number of ECUs compared to their first-generation vehicles.

• A 1.6-mile reduction in harness length, significantly reducing vehicle complexity.

• A weight reduction of 44 pounds per vehicle.

• A 40% cost reduction in the electrical Bill of Materials (BOM).

This case study underscores how Rivian and other EV startups are embracing zonal E/E architectures, central computing, and software-defined vehicle principles, achieving tangible benefits in cost, complexity, and efficiency. It highlights the competitive edge startups can gain by adopting cutting-edge approaches to E/E systems.