Mando said to be supplying autonomous driving solution to US EV startup Rivian

Rivian electric pickup truck

South Korea’s second largest auto parts maker Mando Corp. is said to be servicing self-driving solutions to U.S. EV startup Rivian, gaining traction to its transition to future mobility solution provider.

According to foreign media reports on Wednesday, Mando has been supplying its dual safety driving system to California-based EV startup Rivian to power the smart delivery fleet of U.S. e-commerce giant Amazon.

The dual safety driving system, part of the steer-by-wire (SbW) technology that won an innovation award at the CES 2021, is considered as indispensable in autonomous driving as it allows the entire system to continue its normal operation in case of a component failure.

Mando Mobility Solutions, its subsidiary, is also said to be supplying its self-driving sensors such as front radars for autonomous emergency brake (AEB) and lane keeping assist system (LKAS) to Rivian.

Mando declined to confirm its contract with Rivian, citing the confidentiality of customer information.

[Source: Mando Corp.]

Shares of Mando were 0.78 percent higher to finish Wednesday at 64,300 won.

Rivian, backed by Ford and Amazon, started rolling out the world’s first all-electric pickup truck ‘R1T’ from its factory in Illinois last month. Pre-orders for the first batch were fully booked in just a week at the end of last year, and Amazon ordered 100,000 units of its electric pickup trucks including R1T.

In August, Rivian filed for an initial public offering on the Nasdaq exchange, and analysts estimate its corporate value at above 95 trillion won ($81.3 billion).

Mando has been enhancing software power as mobility trend shifts away from traditional vehicles to EV and self-driving motors. It has been recruiting software developers for electrification and autonomous driving with an aim to organize 40 percent of its global R&D center staff with software engineers.

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