Lovefrom, a creative company founded by former Apple chief designer Jony Ive, played a role in the development of Rivian's first e-bike, according to multiple sources talking to TechCrunch.

For about 18 months, the design team and engineers from Rivian worked with Chris Yu, a former chief product and technology officer of the expert in the Skunkworks program. Love’s work from microsports ended in fall 2024, according to sources.

Lovefrom and Rivian declined to comment.

Rivian's Skunkworks program eventually grew into a group of about 70 people from Apple, Google, Specialized, Tesla and Rei cooperatives, and was distributed from Eclipse Ventures earlier this year under a new name and $105 million in funding.

Also known as Micromability startup has not yet shown off its first vehicle design. In an interview with TechCrunch, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe (also on the board) and Yu were odd about the new company’s first car.

“There is a seat, two wheels, a screen, and some computers and a battery,” Scaringe said in March. He also said it would be "biking", a description confirmed by sources.

However, both Scaringe and Yu talk about a larger vision that theoretically solves almost all imaginable miniature forms. The new company should reveal its first design at an event later this year. A spokesperson declined to comment on his bike or any contact with Love.

When the electric “bike” is revealed, my fingerprints may be spread all over it.

I'm known for the design power behind the iPhone and countless other Apple products, and most recently his collaboration with Sam Altman and Openai. But his collaboration with Rivian was not his first foray into the transportation industry.

Ferrari's parent company announced in 2021 that IVE will help develop the next generation of vehicles for Italian supercar manufacturers. I also worked on Apple's Secret Auto Project. He was reportedly one of the main proponents of the long-running automotive project around autonomy, while others within the company pushed for a more traditional electric car. Apple abandoned the project early last year.

Sources told TechCrunch that according to two informed, My Love has been working as a consultant to Rivian from the past, including the company's redesigned infotainment systems and retail, as well as other areas. Another source familiar with the relationship said, but it was involved in it, which is also a more structured and dedicated effort.

Skunkworks plans to begin taking shape in early 2022, and the directive explores whether Rivian's EV technology can condense it into something smaller and more affordable than electric vans, trucks and SUVs.

Initially, a small team worked with Rivian designers to develop products that could be expanded to different types of vehicles. A key design challenge is how to make bike-like products modular while still maintaining the elevated aesthetic Rivian has become famous.

Sources said that by the time they participated in the project in early 2023, a lot of work had been done, and they said they helped refine the prototype.

The relationship is described as a "very close" collaboration between the Skunk Team, Lovefrom staff and industrial designers based on Rivian's Rivian headquarters in Irvine. The group viewed everything, including the user interface and UX for the bike.

According to a source, from Lovefrom's industrial design team, especially involved in thoughtful and smart packaging, he noted that the team brought an interdisciplinary and international perspective to the project.