Rivian CEO says it’s a misconception EVs are politicized, with a 50-50 party split among R1 buyers

At the Fortune Brainstorm AI conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said it’s a misconception that electrification is politicized, explaining that most customers buy a product based on how well it fits their needs, not their ideology. He said the questions car buyers ask are the same whether they’re buying a car with an internal combustion engine or a battery: “Is it exciting? Are you drawn to the product? Does it attract you? Does the brand resonate with you? Do the features meet your needs?”

Buyers of Rivian’s R1 electric SUV are split roughly 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, Scaring said. luckAndrew Noska. “I think this is very powerful news for us to realize that these are not just left-leaning buyers,” he added. “These are people who say, ‘I like the idea of ​​this product, and I’m excited about it.’ And that’s thousands and thousands of customers. That’s statistically relevant information.”

Buying an electric car was once an indicator of left-leaning politics, but the politics have scrambled after Tesla CEO Elon Musk became the largest Republican donor and close adviser to Trump. That attracted some new customers to Tesla, and turned away a lot of progressive electric car buyers, with many existing owners putting bumper stickers on their Teslas explaining they bought their cars before Musk’s right turn. Later, Trump and Musk got into a stunning public feud, in part over the administration’s elimination of tax breaks for electric vehicles and solar energy.

But Scaring said he started Rivian with a long-term vision, independent of any political framework or trends. He also insisted that if Americans had more electric vehicle options, sales would follow. Currently, Tesla dominates a key corner of the market: electric vehicles in the $50,000 price range. Rivian’s upcoming R2 midsize SUV will represent a new option in this market, with a starting price of $45,000 versus $70,000 for the R1.

Ten years from now, he hopes and believes electric vehicle adoption in the United States will be much higher than it is today across the board, Scaring said, explaining that the main constraint does not lie on the demand side. Instead, he added, it is on the supply side, which suffers from a “shocking lack of choice,” especially compared to Europe and China. Electric vehicle options in the United States are limited due to the closure of Chinese brands in the market.

More choice for U.S. electric vehicle buyers should create more competition for Rivian — and, in fact, the influx of low-priced Chinese electric vehicles into other auto markets has led to a backlash, with countries like Canada imposing hefty tariffs on them. But Scaringe seems to see more competition as a positive for the overall market.

“I think having an option will help stimulate more penetration, and actually create a unique opportunity in the United States,” he said.