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Stealth EV startup Rivian receives $50M state tax credit and praise from IL Governor

Secret electric vehicle startup Rivian Automotive continues to stride towards its goal to produce a line of self-driving cars aimed at the future. We recently reported that Rivian finalized their purchase of the massive Mitsubishi factory in Normal, IL in January with goals of starting production in 2020.
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner met with Rivian last Wednesday to announce that the company will receive $49.5M in Edge tax credits from the state, provided they meet employment benchmarks. Edge tax credits which stands for “Economic Development for a Growing Economy” allow businesses to receive the state’s income tax revenue from employees.
Founded in 2009, Rivian has been operating in stealth mode for the last six years as the company underwent intense product development. The company was founded to create something completely different than any other competitors out there. The planned vehicle is described as, “sports-car quick, but a vehicle your whole family can fit into.”
Rivian’s founder RJ Scaringe has a doctorate from MIT’s Sloan Automotive Laboratory. Scaringe said that his interest in vehicles started at a very young age, and tinkered with cars throughout his life. While at MIT, Scaringe considered dropping out to pursue starting up his own automotive company. Eventually, after fielding a few investment offers, he decided to stay at MIT and finish up his degree.
Rivian purchased the Normal, Illinois plant for $2M in January, which doesn’t include the factory’s equipment that was purchased in a separate transaction. This strategy is very similar to one employed by Tesla when it first acquired the NUMMI plant in Fremont. Start-up manufacturers Lucid Motors and Faraday Future are heading a different route by building their factories from scratch.
“It’s essentially a new plant; it was commissioned in 1990. Mitsubishi did a great job keeping up with all of the equipment and invested massively in the early 2000’s, so the robotics are all in great shape. The paint shop is in great shape, the stamping operation is incredible. So it really is a unique facility, with millions of dollars of equipment sitting inside of it. We are really lucky we have found it!”
Governor Rauner expressed a deep interest in what the company is doing and the potential impact it could have on the state. Rivian’s deal with the state requires them to create 1,000 jobs over the next ten years, which is similar to the deal they struck with the local municipalities.
“I’ve spent 45 minutes talking with RJ, talking strategy and product development and it’s incredible what he’s doing… We are hoping to move many of their people here in Illinois, we are working with them on that, ” said Rauner in a public comment during the event at Rivian’s factory. Rauner previously founded and ran private equity firm GTCR, assets over $11B, and has a long track record of success in the business world with a net worth rumored to be above $1B.
While the company has not revealed their board of directors, former managing director of Mclaren Automotive Antony Sheriff lists himself as a member of the board on his LinkedIn. Sheriff is also on the board at Rimac Automotive and is the Executive Chairman of Princess Yachts. Scaringe said the company isn’t ready to announce how they are being funded currently but said that would eventually be revealed.
Stay tuned for more exclusive coverage from Teslarati as we learn more about Rivian’s exciting future and explore the company’s plans.
News
Tesla Cybertruck gets Full Self-Driving v14 release date, sort of

Tesla Cybertruck owners are wondering when they will get access to the company’s Full Self-Driving version 14.1 that rolled out to other owners today for the first time.
Cybertruck owners typically receive Full Self-Driving updates slightly later than other drivers, as the process for the all-electric pickup is different. It is a larger vehicle that requires some additional attention from Tesla before FSD versions are rolled out, so they will be slightly delayed. CEO Elon Musk said the all-wheel steering technically requires a bit more attention before rollout as well.
The all-wheel steering of Cybertruck requires a bit more Autopilot training
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 7, 2025
After some owners got access to the v14.1 Full Self-Driving suite this morning, Cybertruck owners sought out a potential timeframe for when they would be able to experience things for themselves.
Tesla owners show off improvements with new Full Self-Driving v14 rollout
They were able to get an answer from Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s Head of AI, who said:
“We got you. Coming soon.”
We got you. Coming soon.
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) October 7, 2025
The release of FSD v14.1 for Cybertruck will not be tempered, either. Elluswamy then confirmed that Tesla would be rolling out the full-featured FSD v14 for the pickup, meaning it would be able to reverse and park itself, among other features.
Elluswamy said it would be capable of these features, which were void in other FSD releases for Cybertruck in the past.
Tesla’s rollout of FSD v14.1 brings several extremely notable changes and improvements to the suite, including more refined operation in parking garages, a new ability to choose parking preferences upon arriving at your destination, a new driving mode called “Sloth,” which is even more reserved than “Chill,” and general operational improvements.
Those who were lucky enough to receive the suite have already started showing off the improvements, and they definitely seem to be a step up from what v13’s more recent versions were capable of.
CEO Elon Musk called v14 “sentient” a few weeks back, and it seems that it is moving toward that. However, he did state that additional releases with more capabilities would be available in the coming weeks, but many owners are still waiting for this first version.
News
Tesla launches two new affordable models with ‘Standard’ Model 3, Y offerings
It is the first time Tesla has revealed any details about what it planned to launch in terms of its new, lower-cost vehicles, which are mainly aimed at countering the loss of the $7,500 EV tax credit.

Tesla has officially launched its affordable models with the new Model 3 and Model Y ‘Standard’ versions hitting the company’s Online Design Studio on Tuesday.
It is the first time Tesla has revealed any details about what it planned to launch in terms of its new, lower-cost vehicles, which are mainly aimed at countering the loss of the $7,500 EV tax credit.
Here’s what Tesla went with for its release of the new affordable models.
Tesla Model Y ‘Standard’
The Model Y Standard is a stripped-down version of the all-electric crossover and starts at $39,990.
- Credit: Tesla
- Credit: Tesla
- Credit: Tesla
- Credit: Tesla
Deliveries are slated for November and December, the company says if you plan to order one, and it comes with a few major changes to improve efficiency and bring down cost for owners.
- New athletically tuned exterior and new alloy wheels to improve aerodynamics
- 15.4″ touchscreen in the front, the same as the other trims
- Available in three colors: Stealth Grey (free), White ($1,oo0 extra), Diamond Black ($1,500 extra)
- Textile and vegan leather interior
- Range sits at 321 miles
- New front fascia
- Covered glass roof (textile on inside)
- Windows are not acoustically laminated for a quieter cabin
- Manual mirrors and seats
- Smaller frunk
- No rear infotainment screen
- No basic Autopilot
- 69 kWh battery
- New 19″ Aperture wheels
- 0-60 MPH in 6.8 seconds
- 7 speaker stereo, down from 15 speakers in premium models
🚨 BREAKING: Tesla has launched the new Model Y ‘Standard’ for $39,990
Here’s what’s new: 🧵 pic.twitter.com/ILxbEsEniX
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 7, 2025
Tesla Model 3 ‘Standard’
The Model 3 Standard was a surprise offering from Tesla, as many had only anticipated the company to refine and offer a more affordable version of the Model Y.
Coming in at $36,990, it features many of the same changes Tesla made with the Model Y “Standard,” all ways to improve price and make it less flashy than the more premium offerings.
Deliveries are also slated for November for this vehicle, and it features relatively the same stripped-down offerings as the Model Y Standard.
- Available in three colors: Stealth Grey (free), White ($1,oo0 extra), Diamond Black ($1,500 extra)
- Textile and vegan leather interior
- Range sits at 321 miles
- Covered glass roof (textile on inside)
- Manual mirrors and seats
- No rear infotainment screen
- No basic Autopilot
- 69 kWh battery
- New 19″ Aperture wheels
- 0-60 MPH in 6.8 seconds
- 7 speaker stereo, down from 15 speakers in premium models
@teslarati 🚨 Tesla’s Affordable Models are here! Let’s talk about them! #tesla #fyp #viral #teslaev #elonmusk ♬ Natural Emotions – Muspace Lofi
Elon Musk
Tesla owners show off improvements with new Full Self-Driving v14 rollout
Some of the big things that Tesla faced head-on with the development and release of v14 were navigating in parking garages and handling parking after arriving at a destination.

Tesla owners with access to the company’s Full Self-Driving new version, v14, which rolled out on Tuesday morning, are showcasing some of the very impressive improvements that have arrived.
CEO Elon Musk called v14 “sentient” a few weeks ahead of its rollout, claiming the newest iteration of the company’s Full Self-Driving platform would be the most accurate to date.
Tesla FSD (Supervised) V14.1 with Robotaxi-style dropoffs is here
It was obvious this narrative had Tesla owners keeping their expectations high, as there were very evidently things that needed to be improved upon that were present in v13. I wrote about several improvements I was hoping to see, and based on the release notes for v14, Tesla did have these things in the works already.
Some of the big things that Tesla faced head-on with the development and release of v14 were navigating in parking garages and handling parking after arriving at a destination.
Tesla said it was working to increase the capabilities of Summon within parking garages, as many owners believe that is where it would be the most beneficial.
While that does not appear to be part of this initial v14 rollout, it does seem Tesla is focused on improving the suite’s ability to navigate through these garages, including stopping for a ticket to enter the facility, finding a spot, and parking in an appropriate space.
It was evident this was a huge improvement based on one example from an owner who received v14:
FSD v14 navigates parking garages really well. Here’s a full clip of it leaving a parking spot, going through the garage, waiting for me to put the ticket in, and exiting.
Almost feels like it can read the signs above to go find the exit, with a complex garage here.@Tesla_AI pic.twitter.com/fv9j6LNcp6
— Zack (@BLKMDL3) October 7, 2025
If you look closely, you will even see the car shift slightly to the right when it arrives at the ticketing station, making it easier for the driver to hand over their ticket and payment. It then moves back out to the right when leaving to return to the center of the lane. It’s very intuitive.
Additionally, it appears to be more accurate when parking, thanks to improvements that enable owners to select the type of parking upon arrival at a destination.
In the v14.1 release notes, Tesla said that it has added “Arrival Options for you to select where FSD should park: in a Parking Lot, on the Street, in a Driveway, in a Parking Garage, or at the Curbside.”
One owner chose to navigate home and chose a garage to park in. Full Self-Driving performed it without any issues:
Not only can FSD 14.1 pull into my gravel driveway (no version before has done this) it can pull into the garage. pic.twitter.com/pweI5JKWHD
— Dirty Tesla (@DirtyTesLa) October 7, 2025
These are just two evident improvements so far, and there are likely many more on the way. The changes and fixes will be tracked by anyone with access to FSD v14 in the coming weeks.
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