Jony Ive’s LoveFrom Collaborates on Rivian’s First Electric Bike

LoveFrom, the creative firm founded by former Apple chief designer Jony Ive, has played a significant role in the development of Rivian's first electric bike. This collaboration was part of a skunkworks program led by Chris Yu, Specialized's former chief product and technology officer.

For about 18 months, LoveFrom staff worked closely with Rivian’s design team and engineers. Their involvement in this micromobility project concluded in fall 2024.

The skunkworks program eventually expanded to include around 70 people from companies like Apple, Google, Specialized, Tesla, and REI Co-Op. Earlier this year, it spun out into a new micromobility startup called Also with $105 million in funding from Eclipse Ventures.

Although the new company has yet to unveil its first vehicle designs, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe hinted that it would be "bike-like," featuring a seat, two wheels, a screen, computers, and a battery.

Both Scaringe and Yu envision Also tackling various micromobility form factors. The company plans to reveal its first designs at an event later this year.

Ive is renowned for his work on iconic Apple products like the iPhone. His collaboration with Rivian marks another venture into transportation design following his involvement with Ferrari's next-generation vehicles and Apple's car project.

Sources indicate that LoveFrom previously consulted for Rivian on projects such as their redesigned infotainment system. However, their work on what became Also was more structured and dedicated.

A Collaborative Effort

The skunkworks initiative began in early 2022 to explore whether Rivian’s EV technology could be adapted into smaller vehicles. The challenge was creating a modular bike-like product while maintaining Rivian's aesthetic standards.

An Interdisciplinary Approach

The collaboration between LoveFrom's industrial designers and the skunkworks team was described as "pretty tight." They focused on everything from user interface design to UX for the bike.
LoveFrom brought an interdisciplinary perspective to the project thanks to their experience in thoughtful packaging design.