The Rivian spinoff will also build autonomous delivery vehicles for DoorDash

Micromobility, which is built within Rivian and created last year, will also work with DoorDash to develop autonomous delivery vehicles, the companies announced Tuesday.

As part of the deal, DoorDash participated in a $200 million Series C funding round as well, which was led by previous investor Greenoaks Capital. DoorDash gets a seat on the company’s board of directors, too.

The raise brings Also’s total funding to $505 million, and puts its valuation above $1 billion. The startup launched with a $105 million investment from Eclipse, which also backs Mind Robotics — a third-party industrial AI company created by Rivian late last year.

It also started as a Skunkworks project within Rivian in 2022. The electric car maker initially set out to build an electric bike, and also collaborated with Jony Ive’s design firm LoveFrom, as TechCrunch first reported last year. The first product is also a sophisticated, funky-looking e-bike, but it also showed designs for small, pedal-assisted delivery vehicles.

Amazon — a major investor in and partner with Rivian — placed an order for thousands of these delivery vehicles late last year. It has also been said that these can hold over 400 pounds of packages while still being small enough to fit in a bike lane.

The DoorDash deal is the first indication that it will also develop autonomous versions of its small electric vehicles. Rivian founder RJ Scaringe and CEO Chris Yu told TechCrunch last year that almost any form factor was on the table — within practical limits.

Rivian also said the micromobility startup will leverage the automaker’s technology in its products, as well as its retail presence and economies of scale. It’s not clear whether it will also benefit from the autonomous technology that Rivian is working on.

Rivian currently plans to use a combination of cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radar, and eventually lidar technology to bring autonomy to its vehicles. Late last year, Rivian revealed that it had developed its own silicon and autonomy computer in a bid to make its own cars increasingly capable of self-driving. Scaringe has already hinted that Mind Robotics will be using this chip, so it’s possible that he will use it as well. TechCrunch has reached out to both Rivian and Also and will update this story if they respond.

It’s possible DoorDash could tackle autonomous technology.

The company has its own autonomous division and spent several years developing a robotic vehicle called Dot that is equipped with lidar, radar and camera sensors and can drive autonomously on roads, bike lanes and sidewalks. The brightly colored vehicle with cartoon eyes can travel at speeds of up to 20 mph and delivers in the Phoenix metro area.