Rivian is making significant strides in the autonomous driving arena, announcing plans to roll out a hands-free driving system in 2025, followed by an “eyes-off” system in 2026. This move positions Rivian as a strong competitor in the electric vehicle (EV) market, challenging industry giants like Tesla, and signals a major step towards advanced driver-assistance technology.
Rivian’s Autonomous Driving Timeline
Rivian CEO, RJ Scaringe, revealed the company’s ambitious timeline for autonomous driving features. The company is set to introduce a hands-free Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) in 2025. This system will allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel, with the vehicle managing steering, acceleration, and braking under certain conditions. Following this, in 2026, Rivian plans to launch an “eyes-off” system, which will further reduce the driver’s engagement by allowing them to take their eyes off the road, and thus further improving the overall experience.
This phased approach shows Rivian’s commitment to incrementally enhancing its autonomous driving capabilities. The move is designed to keep pace with advancements in the EV sector and meet the evolving expectations of consumers for more automated driving features.
Rivian Driver+: The Foundation
Rivian’s current driver assistance system, known as Driver+, is the foundation for these upcoming autonomous features. Driver+ is a comprehensive suite of features designed to enhance safety and convenience while driving. It is equipped with a network of sensors, cameras, and radar technology, enabling the vehicle to monitor its surroundings and make informed decisions.
Key Features of Driver+
Here are some of the standout features of Rivian’s Driver+ system:
- Highway Assist: This feature allows for automatic steering, braking, and acceleration on select highways. Utilizing high-definition maps and real-time sensor data, the vehicle can maintain lane position, keep a safe distance from other vehicles, and adjust its speed to match traffic conditions.
- Adaptive Cruise Control: This feature allows the driver to set a desired speed, with the vehicle automatically adjusting to maintain a safe following distance from the car in front, accelerating and braking as needed.
- Lane Change Assist: On highways, this feature assists with lane changes by checking for traffic in adjacent lanes and smoothly changing lanes once the path is clear after the driver signals.
- Lane Keep Assist: If the vehicle drifts unintentionally close to or over a lane marker without a turn signal, this system helps steer it back into the lane.
- Lane Departure Warning: This system alerts the driver if the vehicle drifts too close to or crosses lane markers without a turn signal.
- Blind Spot Warning: This feature detects vehicles in blind spots and warns the driver if they indicate they will move into an occupied lane.
- Forward Collision Warning: Alerts the driver of potential collisions with people and cars ahead.
- Automatic Emergency Braking: Applies the brakes to help mitigate or prevent a collision.
- Dynamic Brake Support: Supports the driver’s braking to help mitigate or prevent a collision.
- Automatic High Beams: Automatically switches the headlights from high to low beams when a vehicle is detected ahead.
- Rear Cross-Traffic Warning: Alerts the driver to traffic approaching from the side when backing up.
- Park Assist: A 360° detection system designed to help sense and alert the driver to objects.
- Trailer Assist: Helps with reverse maneuvers while a trailer is attached.
How Rivian’s Technology Works
Rivian’s Driver+ system uses a combination of advanced technologies to achieve its functionality. The system is equipped with:
- Cameras: High-definition cameras capture visual data, allowing the system to recognize lane markings, road signs, and other vehicles.
- Radar Sensors: Radar sensors are used to detect objects and measure their distance and speed.
- Ultrasonic Sensors: Ultrasonic sensors provide precise measurements for close-range detection, which is especially helpful for parking and low-speed maneuvers.
These sensors work together to create a detailed, 360-degree map of the vehicle’s surroundings. This data is processed by sophisticated algorithms to enable the vehicle to steer, brake, and accelerate autonomously, while also providing feedback and assistance to the driver when not in hands-free mode.
The New Rivian Autonomy Platform
The 2025 Rivian models will feature the new in-house Rivian Autonomy Platform. This system is significantly more powerful than its predecessor, with the company stating it has 10 times more processing power. The new platform includes 11 cameras, five radar sensors, and predictive AI, offering a 360-degree view with eight times the number of camera pixels compared to the previous models. This enhanced technology is critical for supporting the advanced autonomous features planned for the coming years.
Gen 1 vs. Gen 2 Models
Rivian models are categorized into Gen 1 (vehicles built through 2024) and Gen 2 (2025 models and newer). The introduction of the new Rivian Autonomy Platform in Gen 2 vehicles brings significant hardware and software upgrades, which will enable features like hands-free and eyes-off driving. While Gen 1 vehicles will continue to receive over-the-air (OTA) software updates, some advanced features may require hardware capabilities that are exclusive to Gen 2 models.
Regulatory Considerations and Industry Trends
Rivian’s push towards autonomous driving comes at a time when the auto industry is increasingly focused on developing and deploying self-driving technologies. However, this development is also occurring amid increased scrutiny of these systems. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently opened probes into the remote capabilities of some automakers. These investigations highlight the importance of regulatory compliance as Rivian and other manufacturers continue to innovate in this space.
Despite these challenges, Rivian remains committed to advancing its autonomous technology, believing that these features will offer substantial value to its customers. CEO RJ Scaringe stated that these systems would allow customers to use their time more effectively, such as reading books, using their phones, or sending emails while driving.
Rivian’s Broader Software and Feature Updates
In addition to autonomous driving advancements, Rivian has also been active in rolling out other software updates to enhance the driving experience. The company has been known for providing timely updates, typically every four weeks, ensuring that vehicles are up to date with the latest features.
Recent software updates include:
- Smart Turn Signals: The newest vehicles include smart turn signals that cancel automatically after highway lane changes.
- Improved Alarm Functionality: Enhancements to the vehicle’s alarm system.
- Better Charging Efficiency: Improvements to how efficiently the vehicle charges.
- Enhanced Sleep and Cold Weather Performance: Enhancements to how the vehicle manages energy when sleeping and how it performs in cold weather.
- Messaging Integration: The ability to view and respond to texts directly from the vehicle’s screen.
- Mirror Tilting in Reverse: Side mirrors now tilt for better visibility while parking and reversing.
- Launch Mode: High-performance acceleration is now a feature on Gen 1 R1T and R1S Quad vehicles.
- SiriusXM Integration: Satellite radio is now available as a feature.
The Road Ahead
Rivian’s plan to introduce hands-free driving in 2025 and “eyes-off” capabilities in 2026 marks a significant step in its commitment to autonomous driving technology. This strategy is in line with the broader industry trend of integrating advanced driver assistance systems into vehicles. The company’s focus on innovation and safety, combined with its ability to deliver cutting-edge features through software updates, positions it as a leader in the EV market. As Rivian continues to develop and refine its autonomous driving technology, it will be interesting to see how it competes with Tesla and other players in the industry. The integration of new hardware and software into Gen 2 vehicles shows Rivian’s commitment to delivering the latest technology to its customers.
