Rivian: LiDAR R2 reaches customers in 2027, employees get it this year. Rivian's first R2s with LiDAR and its in-house RAP1 autonomy computer will go to employees before the end of 2026. Paying customers will have to wait until 2027. It could be interpreted as a delay compared to previous communications. The automaker laid out the timeline at an investor conference in New York this week, along with updates on point-to-point driving, its Uber robotaxi deal, and what LiDAR now costs it: "a few hundred dollars." LiDAR and RAP1: Employees first, customers in 2027. Rivian unveiled its third-generation autonomy hardware at its AI & Autonomy Day last December. That's the RAP1 chip, rated at 1,600 sparse INT8 TOPS, paired with LiDAR on the R2. The company said it would arrive in "late 2026." The R2 launched in June without it. A few weeks later, a production-looking LiDAR R2 was spotted near Rivian's Irvine HQ, and we figured customers were only a few months away. Advertisement - scroll for more content Not quite. At Evercore ISI's ADAS, AV & AI Forum on Tuesday, Rivian VP of Investor Relations Chip Newcom said RAP1 production is going to the R2 first, and Rivian's own staff are first in line. The plan is for "our third-generation computer plus the LiDAR to go into the vehicle later this year for employees and then start rolling that out to customers next year," Newcom said. So "late 2026" technically holds. It just applies to Rivian employees. Newcom didn't say when in 2027 customer deliveries start. LiDAR now costs "a few hundred dollars" Newcom was also asked whether the LiDAR and dual-RAP1 hardware would weigh on R2 margins or get offset by autonomy pricing. His answer: it goes into automotive cost of goods, and it's cheap now. "You're talking on the order of a few hundred dollars versus if you went back several years ago where it was thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars within the vehicle," he said. He also pitched the in-house chip as a margin win, since Rivian is "no longer paying away that margin to our silicon provider." And that's before any savings from the in-house LiDAR Rivian has been considering. Point-to-point comes first, on current hardware. The more immediate news for current owners: point-to-point driving doesn't need Gen 3 hardware. That's Rivian's Tesla FSD competitor. James Philbin, Rivian's SVP of Autonomy & AI, said the rollout starts "at the end of the year to probably our early adopter customers" on R1 Gen 2 vehicles and Rivian's later Gen 2 hardware revisions, including the fleets it calls Phase II and Phase III. The goal is to have it on the full Autonomy+ fleet "later next year." Some scenarios, like parking lots, will likely be outside what the first version handles. Discover more Luxury Goods EV Charging Stations Car Safety Features Autonomy+ costs $2,500 upfront or $49.99 per month. Every R2 Launch Edition buyer gets it included, so Rivian says it doesn't know the R2 take rate yet, and Newcom called the revenue "still relatively small." Uber robotaxi: $250 million this quarter, service by late 2028. On the Uber partnership announced in March, worth up to $1.25 billion through 2031, Newcom said Rivian still expects to receive the second $250 million tranche in Q4. The triggers are technical milestones from Philbin's team that Rivian won't detail. The 10,000-vehicle order is not a sure thing. "Clearly, we need to have gotten to an L4 capable service before they would want to purchase those vehicles," Newcom said, reiterating a late-2028 target for the service. Rivian would sell the R2s to Uber or its fleet partners and collect a software licensing fee tied to how much the vehicles drive. Rivian is already running expert-driver data fleets in San Francisco, Chicago, and Miami. Philbin expects the robotaxi to come before personal Level 4, but "relatively close in time," since it's mostly the same work. Electrek's take. Rivian's autonomy plan makes more sense than most. Shipping point-to-point on the Gen 2 fleet it already has on the road, instead of waiting for new hardware, is the right call. It's the same fleet-data bet Tesla made, but with radar and soon LiDAR on top. Top comment by jethro. I hope the focus on autonomy doesn't delay basic features like "climate hold" and "camp mode". Those are simple things I'd really like in my R2 - and they already exist in the R1. Discover more EV News Subscription EV Charging Solutions Battery Healing Technology But the timeline quietly moved. "Late 2026" for LiDAR on the R2 now means employees, not customers. That might lead to some potential R2 buyers waiting for the update. And the eyes-free system promised for 2026 didn't get a date at all. Neither is a big deal on its own, as Rivian is at least not selling something it can't deliver (hmm hmm, Tesla), as current R2 Launch Edition buyers get lifetime Autonomy+. But this is going to change as Rivian inevitably has to start offering its lower-priced trims. Charge your electric vehicle at home using rooftop solar panels. Find a reliable and competitively priced solar installer near you on EnergySage, for free. They have pre-vetted installers competing for your business, ensuring high-quality solutions and 20-30% savings. It's free, with no sales calls until you choose an installer. Compare personalized solar quotes online and receive guidance from unbiased Energy Advisers. Get started here. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Fred is the Editor in Chief and Main Writer at Electrek. You can send tips on Twitter (DMs open) or via email: [email protected] Through Zalkon.com, you can check out Fred's portfolio and get monthly green stock investment ideas.

"Aramco" prepares to establish an independent gas unit... a new step in the energy sector In a step aimed at maximizing value Riyadh - Al Arabiya Business Published on: September 27, 2026: 09:48 AM GST Last updated: September 27, 2026: 02:04 PM GST Listen to the article. The audio text is automatically generated by an automated system. Two-minute read Bloomberg News reported on Saturday, citing informed sources, that oil giant Saudi Aramco has enlisted the banking firm Evercore to provide advice on a restructuring to create an independent gas unit and pave the way for a possible initial public offering in the future. The agency added that Boston Consulting Group also advised Aramco on separating its gas activities under a project named (Project Gamma), in a step aimed at maximizing value, citing Reuters. It noted that this step might allow attracting new investments into the gas unit or lead to an initial public offering or the listing of a minority stake in it, with the business valued at more than $100 billion. Reuters reported days ago that the Saudi oil giant intends to reorganize its business by creating a new gas unit, giving Saudi Aramco a specialized platform to develop its domestic natural gas resources and build a portfolio of liquefied natural gas operations abroad. Aramco's gas business growth is mainly based on the Jafurah project, in which the company is investing more than $100 billion to develop. Jafurah and other projects are expected to contribute to increasing gas production by about 80% by 2030. Aramco aims to generate up to $15 billion in additional operating cash flows from its gas business by that year. Ashraf Jarrar, an international markets broker at United Securities, said that the plan to restructure Aramco's gas unit enhances transparency and aims to attract foreign investors and liquidity. He added that maximizing Aramco's market value by enabling gas investments estimated at about $100 billion is in line with Vision 2030.

Moves in VC: week of september 20 - september 26. This week's Moves in VC contains 16 moves and 9 new fund announcements, compiled from 40+ sources. Icymi. Nikhil Raman was promoted to Investment Partner at Union Square Ventures. To its knowledge, this is only the second promotion from junior investor to Investment Partner in the firm's history. The first was Nick Grossman. Eastern Venture5 Media. Sarah Hess, Mia Krishnamurthy, and Mahi Joshi joined Lux Capital as Partners. Sarah previously worked at Point72 Ventures as an Investor, while Mia worked at CRV as an Investor, and Mahi worked at Evercore as an Associate. Michelle Daubar joined Engine Ventures as a Partner and Head of Investor Relations and Capital Formation. Michelle previously worked at Oak HC/FT as a Partner and Head of Investor Relations and Capital Formation. Engine Ventures is a venture capital firm supporting technical founders. Nick Zylstra left his role as an Associate at Accolade Partners and joined Evercore Wealth Management as a Vice President. Accolade Partners specializes in technology and healthcare-focused venture capital and growth equity fund investments. Interested in having your job posting featured here? Western Venture5 Media. Congrats to Jeff Greenfeld on his promotion to Chief of Staff at Venture5. Venture5 creates venture content, improves access to capital for founders and funders, and builds products and services for the venture ecosystem. Priscilla Luu was promoted to Partner at JFFVentures. JFFVentures is an impact venture fund focusing on the future of work and workforce development technologies. Valentina Rodriguez, Jiyoung Jeong, and Lida Vandermeer were promoted to General Partner, Senior Associate, and Head of Platform, respectively, at Wonder Ventures. Grace Brown joined GPx as a Partner. Grace previously worked at Vanderbilt University as a Private Markets Investment Manager. GPx is a VC fund-of-funds platform founded by Founders Fund alum Brian Singerman. Rob Scales was promoted to General Partner at BOND. Asher Siddiqui was promoted to Managing Director at Song United. Song United invests across tech, culture, real estate, and community, on behalf of the family of entrepreneur Dug Song. Scott Barclay is leaving his role as a Healthcare Managing Director at Insight Partners. Scott will remain as a Senior Advisor on select Boards. Cristina Hohlman left her role as a Chief Financial Officer at Sapphire Ventures and joined Fundomo as a Chief Financial Officer. Jonathan Nirenberg joined Cowboy Ventures as a Principal. Jonathan previously worked at Company Ventures as a Principal. Cowboy Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital firm focusing on technology companies. Daniel Clayton joined Adams Street Partners as a Principal. Daniel previously worked at Sapphire Partners as a Principal. Gary Pesola joined NVentures as an Investor. Gary previously worked at Adverb Ventures and Conviction as an Investor. NVentures is NVIDIA's venture capital arm. Asia. Takuya Hosomura joined Global Brain Corporation as a General Partner. Takuya previously worked at Salesforce Ventures as a Principal. New funds. These firms are ready to write checks, with new funds recently closed. San Francisco-based Bain Capital Ventures closed its eleventh $1.6B fund to invest in founders building for a post-AGI world. San Francisco-based Bessemer Venture Partners closed a new $5.75B fund to back AI founders. New York-based Commonweal Ventures closed its second $54M pre-seed and seed-stage fund to support defense, energy, healthcare, public safety, and manufacturing companies. Toronto-based Radical Ventures announced the first close of the Radical Breakouts Fund. The fund will invest in global AI scale-ups. Toronto-based Portage closed its fourth $600M fund to focus on fintech companies. Palo Alto-based Matter Venture Partners closed its second $450M HardTech venture fund. Illinois-based MISUMI Americas is launching MISUMI Ventures, a $50M fund backing the next generation of hardware, robotics, and physical AI companies. London-based Project Ventures announced the first close of its maiden fund to support early-stage companies where deep tech and AI meet the physical world. Gurugram-based Finvolve announced the first close of its $26.1M growth stage fund to back defense, aerospace, and deeptech startups. The amount closed was $9.4M. For emerging managers. Join over 3,000 VC professionals receiving key legal insights by Chris Harvey. Discover the "Law of VC" Substack with free checklists, forms, and guides. Stay tuned for next week's Moves in VC!