Rivian has announced initial award recipients for grants from its philanthropic arm, coming a few years after the electric vehicle (EV) maker first detailed plans for the project.
On Monday, the company launched a dedicated website detailing the Rivian Foundation, which the company first announced in 2021 as a way to provide funding to sustainability and conservation projects. Rivian has named the first 41 grant winners, mostly based in the U.S., which will collectively be awarded over $10 million over the course of one- and two-year projects.
The awards range in value from $2 million to smaller grants between $40,000 and $60,000, with a number of other totals in between. The Rivian Foundation is also giving to projects with a broad range of geographical scopes, with some being granted to those in specific U.S. states, across the country, or in North America overall, along with some footing more global efforts.
The top awardee was The Nature Conservancy, which received $2 million as part of a two-year project to help preserve wildlife and protect cultural resources in California. Other high-value grantees included the global Ocean Resilience Climate Alliance (ORCA) and the U.S.-based Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, which received $1 million and $500,000, respectively.
Rivian Foundation: initial grant recipients
- Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy ($500,000)
- Billion Oyster Project ($100,000)
- CalWild ($50,000)
- Conservation Lands Foundation ($400,000)
- Cumberland River Compact ($100,000)
- Deep Sea Conservation Coalition ($200,000)
- Duwamish River Community Coalition ($140,000)
- Ecology Action Center ($60,000)
- Force Blue ($200,000)
- Friends of the Owyhee ($60,000)
- Grid Alternatives ($300,000)
- Georgia Conservancy ($140,000)
- Greening Youth Foundation ($120,000)
- Harlem Grown ($100,000)
- Indigenous Led ($250,000)
- Laguna Canyon Foundation ($60,000)
- Maasai Wilderness Conservation ($300,000)
- Mad Agriculture ($140,000)
- National Indian Carbon Coalition ($300,000)
- Nature for All ($120,000)
- Northern Chumash Tribal Council ($140,000)
- Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project ($100,000)
- Ocean Resilience Climate Alliance (ORCA) ($1,000,000)
- Open Space Institute ($250,000)
- Oregon Natural Desert Association ($140,000)
- Prairie Rivers Network ($100,000)
- Resolve ($125,000)
- Rare ($300,000)
- Save The Waves ($160,000)
- Shelterwood Collective ($100,000)
- Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) ($300,000)
- Soul Trak Outdoors ($40,000)
- South River Watershed Alliance ($80,000)
- Surfrider Foundation ($200,000)
- The Ecology Center ($180,000)
- The Film Collaborative ($250,000)
- The Greening of Detroit ($180,000)
- The Nature Conservancy ($2,000,000)
- Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy ($100,000)
- Trout Unlimited ($300,000)
- Urban Roots ($80,000)
- Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust ($370,000)
Rivian has also shared additional details on each grant program selected, which you can find on its website here.
Rivian Foundation mission, renewable matching, R1 footprint report
Upon initially announcing the philanthropic program, Rivian said it would dedicate 1 percent of its equity at the time of its IPO to the foundation’s efforts, as part of a mission to make the “natural world” a stakeholder.
Rivian also announced a renewable energy matching initiative on Monday, in which it’s purchasing 4.8 MWh of renewable energy certificates (RECs) from U.S. wind and solar projects for every vehicle it sells by the end of the year. The company also shared its initial carbon footprint report for the R1 Gen 2 this month, noting that it has decreased vehicle carbon footprint by 15 percent with the newly refreshed EVs.
Rivian opens Yosemite Charging Outpost with snacks, games, and more
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
News
Elon Musk confirms Tesla FSD V14.2 will see widespread rollout
Musk shared the news in a post on social media platform X.
Elon Musk has confirmed that Tesla will be implementing a wide rollout of Full Self-Driving (FSD) V14 with the system’s V14.2 update. Musk shared the news in a post on social media platform X.
FSD V14.1.2 earns strong praise from testers
Musk’s comment came as a response to Tesla owner and longtime FSD tester AI DRIVR, who noted that it might be time to release Full Self-Driving to the fleet because V14.1.2 has already become very refined.
“95% of the indecisive lane changes and braking have been fixed in FSD 14.1.2. I haven’t touched my steering wheel in two days. I think it’s time, Tesla AI,” the longtime FSD tester wrote.
AI DRIVR’s comment received quite a bit of support from fellow Tesla drivers, some of whom noted that the improvements that were implemented in V14.1.2 are substantial. Others also agreed that it’s time for FSD to see a wide release.
In his reply to the FSD tester, CEO Elon Musk noted that FSD V14’s wide release would happen with V14.2. “14.2 for widespread use,” Musk wrote in his reply.
Mad Max mode makes headlines
One of the key features that was introduced with FSD’s current iteration is Mad Max mode, which allows for higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than the previous “Hurry” mode. Videos and social media posts from FSD testers have shown the system deftly handling complex traffic, merging seamlessly, and maintaining an assertive but safe driving behavior with Mad Max mode engaged.
Tesla AI head Ashok Elluswamy recently noted in a post on X that Mad Max mode was built to handle congested daytime traffic, making it extremely useful for drivers who tend to find themselves in heavy roads during their daily commutes. With Musk now hinting that FSD V14.2 will go on wide release, it might only be a matter of time before the larger Tesla fleet gets to experience the notable improvements of FSD’s V14 update.
News
Multiple Tesla Cybercab units spotted at Giga Texas crash test facility
The vehicles were covered, but one could easily recognize the Cybercab’s sleek lines and compact size.
It appears that Tesla is ramping up its activities surrounding the development and likely initial production of the Cybercab at Giga Texas. This was, at least, hinted at in a recent drone flyover of the massive electric vehicle production facility in Austin.
Cybercab sightings fuel speculations
As observed by longtime Giga Texas drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer, Tesla had several covered Cybercab units outside the facility’s crash testing facility at the time of his recent flyover. The vehicles were covered, but one could easily recognize the Cybercab’s sleek lines and compact size. Tegtmeyer also observed during his flyover that production of the Model Y Standard seems to be hitting its pace.
The drone operator noted that the seven covered Cybercabs might be older prototypes being decommissioned or new units awaiting crash tests. Either scenario points to a ramp-up in Cybercab activity at Giga Texas, however. “In either case, this is another datapoint indicating production is getting closer to happening,” Tegtmeyer wrote on X, highlighting that the autonomous two-seaters were quite exciting to see.
Cybercab production targets
This latest sighting follows reports of renewed Cybercab appearances at both the Fremont Factory and Giga Texas. A test unit was recently spotted driving on Giga Texas’ South River Road. Another Cybercab, seen at Tesla’s Fremont Factory, appeared to be manually driven, suggesting that the vehicle’s current prototypes may still be produced with temporary steering controls.
The Tesla Cybercab is designed to be the company’s highest-volume vehicle, with CEO Elon Musk estimating that the autonomous two-seater should see an annual production rate of about 2 million units per year. To accomplish this, Tesla will be building the Cybercab using its “Unboxed” process, which should help the vehicle’s production line achieve outputs that are more akin to consumer electronics production lines.
Elon Musk
Teslas in the Boring Co. Vegas Loop are about to get a big change
Elon Musk has a big update for Teslas that operate within the Boring Company’s Vegas Loop.
Tesla vehicles operating in the Boring Company’s Vegas Loop are about to get a big change, CEO Elon Musk said.
In Las Vegas, the Boring Company operates the Vegas Loop, an underground tunnel system that uses Teslas to drop people off at various hotspots on the strip. It’s been active for a few years now and is expanding to other resorts, hotels, and destinations.
Currently, there are stops at three resorts: Westgate, the Encore, and Resorts World. However, there will eventually be “over 100 stations and span over 68 miles of tunnel,” the Vegas Loop website says.
The Loop utilizes Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles to send passengers to their desired destinations. They are currently driven using the Full Self-Driving suite, but they also have safety drivers in each vehicle to ensure safety.
Tesla Cybertruck rides are crucial for Vegas Loop expansion to airport
Tesla and the Boring Company have been working to remove drivers from the vehicles used in the Loop, but now, it appears there is a set timeline to have them out, according to CEO Elon Musk:
The Tesla cars operating in The Boring Company tunnels under Las Vegas will be driverless in a month or two https://t.co/mX4nNrJui9
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 18, 2025
Musk says the Boring Co. will no longer rely on safety drivers within the Teslas for operation. Instead, Tesla will look to remove the safety drivers from the cars within the next month or two, a similar timeline for what Musk believes the Robotaxi platform will look like in Austin.
In Texas, as Robotaxi continues to operate as it has since June, there are still safety monitors within the car who sit in the passenger’s seat. They are there to ensure a safe experience for riders.
When the route takes the vehicle on the highway, safety monitors move into the driver’s seat.
However, Tesla wants to be able to remove safety monitors from its vehicles in Austin by the end of the year, Musk has said recently.
In early September, Musk said that the safety monitors are “just there for the first few months to be extra safe.” He then added that there “should be no safety driver by end of year.”
The safety driver is just there for the first few months to be extra safe.
Should be no safety driver by end of year.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2025
Elon Musk confirms Tesla FSD V14.2 will see widespread rollout
Multiple Tesla Cybercab units spotted at Giga Texas crash test facility
Teslas in the Boring Co. Vegas Loop are about to get a big change
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