NPR

Every auto startup wants to be the next Tesla. Why these 2 may have a real shot

They aren't household names yet, but Rivian and Lucid are two auto startups attracting a lot of buzz – and loads of money.
The Lucid Air takes the stage at the 2021 LA Autoshow on November 17, 2021. The luxury electric sedan won the 2022 Motortrend Car of the Year award this month.

Rivian and Lucid aren't household names. But, somehow, these two electric startups are each worth more than Ford.

Both companies are flush with cash, and they've reached a major milestone: They are actually producing and delivering vehicles to customers

That has left them at the front of an epic race to recreate Tesla's astonishing success story, as the auto industry speeds toward a transition to electric vehicles.

The production volumes are still small — just a few hundred vehicles each so far. But they have big ambitions to scale up in the coming years.

And a lot of smart investors are banking big money that they will be able to pull it

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