EV Notes: Rivian Sues for Direct Sales

As July gets further in the rearview mirror, companies are preparing to release third-quarter earnings, ramping up production, and making other big announcements. Here’s some of the latest news from the electric vehicle industry.

One of luxury EV manufacturer Lucid Group’s biggest goals has always been brand awareness. Now, the company is truly following through on its hopes to become a “global brand.” In late July, Lucid announced it had signed a multi-year partnership with actor Timothée Chalamet as Lucid’s first-ever global brand ambassador.

Chalamet will be the face of Lucid's marketing campaign for its SUV, Lucid Gravity, this fall. Representatives called the partnership a “key milestone” in the company’s strategy for cultural relevance. 

It’s not the only partnership the manufacturer announced in July. Lucid also joined with critical mineral producers Alaska Energy Metals, Graphite One, Electric Metals, and RecycLiCo to form Minerals for National Automotive Competitiveness Collaboration (MINAC). The group aims to accelerate development and procurement of domestic critical mineral resources for U.S.-based automakers and suppliers.

“By developing resilient automotive supply chains, we establish commercially viable mining operations that also help strengthen the American defense industrial base. Sourcing minerals domestically enables better regulatory oversight, higher environmental standards, metal source traceability, and responsible sourcing,” said Gregory Beishcer, CEO of Alaska Energy Metals. “This approach mitigates harmful environmental and human rights risks often associated with foreign mining operations and provides an opportunity to improve the livelihoods of American communities."

Rivian Automotive has filed a lawsuit in Ohio to sell its electric vehicles directly to customers in the state. The suit directly names the registrar of Ohio’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles and argues that the state is harming consumers by blocking direct sales.

In Ohio, the most recent anti-direct selling law came in 2014, which forbid the issuance of a license to sell cars to a “manufacturer, or a parent company, subsidiary, or affiliated entity of a manufacturer, applying for a license to sell or lease new or used motor vehicles at retail,” with an exception for Tesla.

It’s the latest in a string of lawsuits targeting direct selling, which is still illegal in many states. Rivian currently direct sells its cars to consumers in 25 states and Washington, D.C.

With the semi-recent wave of vehicle manufacturer startups, the direct sales model has gained popularity amongst newcomers. While the traditional dealership model has its benefits, such as lower capital investments, which allow an entity to concentrate on ramping production, many companies believe a ban on direct selling altogether is harmful and have tried to get laws overturned state by state. 

EV charger manufacturer EVgo announced its second-quarter results on August 5, revealing that the company is continuing to get chargers on the ground while keeping money in its pocket. Revenue jumped 47% year over year to $98 million for the quarter, while losses stayed relatively flat at $29.8 million.

Charging-wise, network revenue made up more than half of Q2’s total revenue at $51.8 million, a 46% increase over last year. EVgo also managed to install 240 chargers during the quarter, ending with a total of 4,350 stalls on June 30.

Late last month, EVgo secured a $225 million commercial bank loan facility with an option of up to an additional $75 million for continuing support. Executives plan to use the funds to deploy 1,500 new fast charging stalls, and EVgo contributed 400 charging stalls from its existing public network to the project as collateral.

As of July 28, Mullen Automotive has a new name: Bollinger Innovations. The change comes nearly three years after the company became the majority owner of Bollinger Motors. Bollinger Motors launched its Class 4 electric truck, the B4, in September 2024. As Mullen Automotive, Bollinger Innovations manufactured a Class 1 EV cargo van, and THREE, a Class 3 EV cab chassis truck. Now, all three vehicles will be produced under one brand name.

The name change coincided with a new financial era for Bollinger Innovations: The company eliminated all its warrants and $23.5 million in convertible notes. According to a release by Bollinger, the company entered into agreements with existing noteholders to exchange convertible notes and warrants into newly created preferred stock.

Wallbox users can now earn rewards through their home EV chargers via Wallbox Rewards, Wallbox’s smart charging program. The program will allow virtual power plants to aggregate energy capacity from residential chargers and then connect to local energy programs using Wallbox’s partner in the venture, Leap. Leap specializes in platforms for building and scaling VPPS and will be able to coordinate when Wallbox’s chargers draw power.

Once enrolled, Wallbox Rewards users will allow their chargers to automatically shift charging away from peak times, instead drawing power when electricity is cleaner, more affordable, and in lower demand. In return, they will gain unique  charging insights, feature upgrades, and potentially, performance-based financial incentives.

A pilot version of the program launched in July in California and New York, and leaders expect an expansion into other domestic markets, including Texas, later this year.  

“Launching our first virtual power plants in California and New York marks a major step in scaling the role of EV chargers as flexible grid assets,” said Esteve Dolsa, General Manager North America at Wallbox. “Through our partnership with Leap, we’re […] turning distributed infrastructure into a reliable grid resource.”

Participants will be notified via the Wallbox app when their chargers are contributing to grid events. The more consistently chargers participate, the greater the opportunities for users to access rewards and new grid services as the program evolves.

“Virtual power plants are a critical tool for building a more reliable, affordable, and dynamic grid,” said Christie Dodge, Head of Partner Success at Leap. “EV chargers are uniquely well-suited to serve as flexible grid resources. Through this partnership with Wallbox, we’re unlocking the potential of thousands of residential chargers to support grid stability while delivering value back to everyday drivers.”