In a somewhat surprising move, Ford and Rivian have announced they will no longer co-develop an electric vehicle. This is the second time a Ford Motor Company product won't utilize Rivian's Skateboard platform. An also canceled Lincoln vehicle, likely an SUV, was supposed to be the first. The companies announced the joint vehicle(s) projects back when the Blue Oval revealed it was investing $500 million in the EV start-up, which has since gone public and is currently worth over $10 million.

"We respect Rivian and have had extensive exploratory discussions with them, however, both sides have agreed not to pursue any kind of joint vehicle development or platform sharing," a Ford spokesperson said. Rivian said something similar.

"As Ford has scaled its own EV strategy and demand for Rivian vehicles has grown, we've mutually decided to focus on our own projects and deliveries. Our relationship with Ford is an important part of our journey, and Ford remains an investor and ally on our shared path to an electrified future."

Ford has continued to make significant progress with the development of its EV programs, such as the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E. Several more vehicles are in various stages of development. Unlike GM and other automakers, Ford of North America has not yet committed to an all-EV future, something its European division previously did. But the writing is on the wall.

Now that Ford and Rivian won't build a vehicle together, what can they gain from each other? Nothing specific was mentioned by either company, but we could foresee Ford advising Rivian on matters regarding mass production, supplier issues, and general auto industry knowledge that'll be extremely valuable to the new company.

Rivian's expertise lies not only in its platform but other critical EV-related areas such as batteries and electric motors. Ford has learned a lot in both matters too, but having Rivian's assistance certainly won't hurt.