As a student at the Automotive Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, RJ Scaringe had a crazy idea. He wanted to start a car company, he told his professors. In an industry where it costs billions of dollars to even try to keep up, it seemed like a fantastic idea. Only two new auto companies have reached mass production in the past half century: Hyundai in 1967 and Tesla. Scaringe might as well have said he wanted to colonize the moon.
But the 38-year-old made this high ambition come true. His 12-year-old newcomer to the electric car, Rivian, produced countless prototypes – including an ultra-efficient gasoline-powered sports car in its early days. He persuaded the local government to take massive tax breaks and revived a defunct one
