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Barchart
Barchart
Mohit Oberoi

Rivian Is Copying Tesla’s Playbook, but Is RIVN a Better Buy Than TSLA for 2026?

The slump in the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) industry continued in 2025, and several startups, including Nikola (NKLAQ) and Canoo (GOEVQ), filed for bankruptcy, continuing the spate of bankruptcies from the previous year. Most U.S. EV startups that went public between 2020 and 2021 have already gone out of business or become inconsequential.

Rivian (RIVN) and Lucid Motors (LCID) are the only two EV startups of some consequence still standing, even as they trade at a fraction of their all-time highs. Both companies have tried to copy U.S. EV market leader Tesla’s (TSLA) playbook at various points, and Lucid’s former CEO, Peter Rawlinson, famously said in a 2021 interview that the EV industry would be a “two-horse race” between Tesla and Lucid.

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