Rivian's Top Boss Warns Serious EV Battery Shortage Lies Ahead

If you take at fac value the many announcements that have been made by auto manufacturers and by different governments, no more new gasoline-powered vehicles will be sold by 2035. The goal is ambitious, to say the least. Some believe it is achievable, but others have serious doubts.

Behind the scenes, some manufacturers are telling us that it is simply unrealistic. Too much remains to be done in too little time. This week, Rivian boss R.J. Scaringe added his voice to those of the doubters. And he is in a good position to speak, since he is the head of a company dedicated to producing all-electric models business. His words are to be taken seriously.

Scaringe said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the current semiconductor shortage is “a small appetizer to what we are about to feel on battery cells over the next two decade s.”

The executive believes that the tight timeline for shifting millions of personal vehicle sales from internal combustion engines to batteries will highlight the lack of preparedness of the entire EV battery supply chain, from mining to final product assembly.

He says that right now, “90 percent to 95 percent of the supply chain does not exist” to meet the goals that governments and OEMs have set for the next decade.

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