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Tesla alumnus replaces ex-McLaren exec as Rivian’s new VP of engineering

Rivian R1S SUV at New York Auto Show 2019. | Image: Dacia J. Ferris/Teslarati

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It appears that Rivian Automotive recently welcomed yet another employee with an extensive background in Tesla. As indicated in a recent Bloomberg report, Nick Kalayjian, who spent over a decade at Tesla, will be joining Rivian as the company’s new vice president of engineering and product. Kalayjian will be replacing Mark Vinnels, a former McLaren executive who joined Rivian in 2017. 

A Rivian spokesperson has confirmed that Vinnels has indeed left the company, though the Michigan-based electric truck maker did not specify how recently his departure happened. Both Kalayjian and Vinnels could not be reached for comment by the publication. Rivian has also not released a statement about its new VP of engineering and product. 

Kalayjian will have big shoes to fill at Rivian, especially considering his predecessor’s formidable and extensive automotive background. Mark Vinnels, after all, is a veteran, and during his time with McLaren, he was in charge of several key projects like the design and development of vehicles like the 650S, 675LT, 570S, and even the critically-acclaimed 720S. 

That being said, Kalayjian’s background in electric vehicles is extensive. As could be seen in his LinkedIn profile, he was involved in the development of the original Model S powertrain from the architecture phase to volume manufacturing. He was later promoted to VP of Engineering, where he served as a key figure in the Model 3 ramp.

It should be noted that Kalayjian is not coming over to Rivian directly from Tesla. He left the Elon Musk-led company in 2018 to work as the SVP of Engineering at Plenty, which develops indoor farming technologies. Since last month, Kalayjian also serves as a Board Advisor for Plenty. 

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Both Rivian and Tesla are aiming to breach and potentially establish a mark at the lucrative pickup truck segment. Rivian’s R1T debuted to critical acclaim, and expectations are high for the vehicle’s start of deliveries next year. Tesla is also aiming to release the Cybertruck late 2021, though much of this goal relies on the rapid buildout of Gigafactory Texas. 

Interestingly enough, Tesla and Rivian are currently involved in a lawsuit over alleged thefts of trade secrets. In its complaint, Tesla noted that it has no issue with former employees going over to companies like Rivian, but it draws the line when former staff break NDA and share proprietary information with their new employers. So far, Tesla has accused Rivian of stealing sensitive information related to its recruiting processes, bonus and compensation plans for sales personnel, and manufacturing project management systems, to name a few. 

Rivian, for its part, has denied Tesla’s claims. The company has asked a judge to dismiss Tesla’s claims, and it has argued that the Silicon Valley-based EV maker’s claims fail to state sufficient allegations of trade secret theft. Rivian’s legal team further argued that Tesla did not really file its case to defend or protect any legitimate intellectual property rights. Instead, it was an attempt to slow down Rivian’s momentum and damage its brand, while discouraging employees to leave the company. 

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla Model 3 gets perfect 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating

Tesla prides itself on producing some of the safest vehicles on the road today.

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Credit: Tesla Singapore/X

Tesla prides itself on producing some of the safest vehicles on the road today. Based on recent findings from the Euro NCAP, the 2025 Model 3 sedan continues this tradition, with the vehicle earning a 5-star overall safety rating from the agency.

Standout Safety Features

As could be seen on the Euro NCAP’s official website, the 2025 Model 3 achieved an overall score of 90% for Adult Occupants, 93% for Child Occupants, 89% for Vulnerable Road Users, and 87% for Safety Assist. This rating, as per the Euro NCAP, applies to the Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive, Long Range Rear Wheel Drive, Long Range All Wheel Drive, and Performance All Wheel Drive.

The Euro NCAP highlighted a number of the Model 3’s safety features, such as its Active Hood, which automatically lifts during collisions to mitigate injury risks to vulnerable road users, and Automatic Emergency Braking System, which now detects motorcycles through an upgraded algorithm. The Euro NCAP also mentioned the Model 3’s feature that prevents initial door opening if someone is approaching the vehicle’s blind spot.

Standout Safety Features

In a post on its official Tesla Europe & Middle East account, Tesla noted that the company is also introducing new features that make the Model 3 even safer than it is today. These include functions like head-on collision avoidance and crossing traffic AEB, as well as Child Left Alone Detection, among other safety features.

“We also introduced new features to improve Safety Assist functionality even further – like head-on collision avoidance & crossing traffic AEB – to detect & respond to potential hazards faster, helping avoid accidents in the first place. 

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“Lastly, we released Child Left Alone Detection – if an unattended child is detected, the vehicle will turn on HVAC & alert caregivers via phone app & the vehicle itself (flashing lights/audible alert). Because we’re using novel in-cabin radar sensing, your Tesla is able to distinguish between adult vs child – reduced annoyance to adults, yet critical safety feature for kids,” Tesla wrote in its post on X.

Below is the Euro NCAP’s safety report on the 2025 Tesla Model 3 sedan.

Euroncap 2025 Tesla Model 3 Datasheet by Simon Alvarez on Scribd

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USDOT Secretary visits Tesla Giga Texas, hints at national autonomous vehicle standards

The Transportation Secretary also toured the factory’s production lines and spoke with CEO Elon Musk.

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Credit: Elon Musk/X

United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean Duffy recently visited Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas complex, where he toured the factory’s production lines and spoke with CEO Elon Musk. In a video posted following his Giga Texas visit, Duffy noted that he believes there should be a national standard for autonomous vehicles in the United States.

Duffy’s Giga Texas Visit

As could be seen in videos of his Giga Texas visit, the Transportation Secretary seemed to appreciate the work Tesla has been doing to put the United States in the forefront of innovation. “Tesla is one of the many companies helping our country reach new heights. USDOT will be right there all the way to make sure Americans stay safe,” Duffy wrote in a post on X. 

He also praised Tesla for its autonomous vehicle program, highlighting that “We need American companies to keep innovating so we can outcompete the rest of the world.”

National Standard

While speaking with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the Transportation Secretary stated that other autonomous ride-hailing companies have been lobbying for a national standard for self-driving cars. Musk shared the sentiment, stating that “It’d be wonderful for the United States to have a national set of rules for autonomous driving as opposed to 50 independent sets of rules on a state-by-state rules basis.”

Duffy agreed with the CEO’s point, stating that, “You can’t have 50 different rules for 50 different states. You need one standard.” He also noted that the Transportation Department has asked autonomous vehicle companies to submit data. By doing so, the USDOT could develop a standard for the entire United States, allowing self-driving cars to operate in a manner that is natural and safe.

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Tesla posts Optimus’ most impressive video demonstration yet

The humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network.

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Credit: Tesla Optimus/X

When Elon Musk spoke with CNBC’s David Faber in an interview at Giga Texas, he reiterated the idea that Optimus will be one of Tesla’s biggest products. Seemingly to highlight the CEO’s point, the official Tesla Optimus account on social media platform X shared what could very well be the most impressive demonstration of the humanoid robot’s capabilities to date.

Optimus’ Newest Demonstration

In its recent video demonstration, the Tesla Optimus team featured the humanoid robot performing a variety of tasks. These include household chores such as throwing the trash, using a broom and a vacuum cleaner, tearing a paper towel, stirring a pot of food, opening a cabinet, and closing a curtain, among others. The video also featured Optimus picking up a Model X fore link and placing it on a dolly.

What was most notable in the Tesla Optimus team’s demonstration was the fact that the humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network. The robot’s actions were also learned directly from Optimus being fed data from first-person videos of humans performing similar tasks. This system should pave the way for Optimus to learn and refine new skills quickly and reliably.

Tesla VP for Optimus Shares Insight

In a follow-up post on X, Tesla Vice President of Optimus (Tesla Bot) Milan Kovac stated that one of the team’s goals is to have Optimus learn straight from internet videos of humans performing tasks, including footage captured in third person or by random cameras.

“We recently had a significant breakthrough along that journey, and can now transfer a big chunk of the learning directly from human videos to the bots (1st person views for now). This allows us to bootstrap new tasks much faster compared to teleoperated bot data alone (heavier operationally).

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“Many new skills are emerging through this process, are called for via natural language (voice/text), and are run by a single neural network on the bot (multi-tasking). Next: expand to 3rd person video transfer (aka random internet), and push reliability via self-play (RL) in the real-, and/or synthetic- (sim / world models) world,” Kovac wrote in his post on X.

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