Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe announced the company plans to release a supervised, point-to-point self-driving system comparable to Tesla's Full Self-Driving later this year. Unsupervised, hands-free driving is slated for 2027.
Rivian's advancement in self-driving technology could position it as a stronger competitor in the autonomous vehicle market, potentially impacting the automotive industry's trajectory towards autonomous driving and influencing the development of robotaxi services.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe announced that the company is on track to release a supervised self-driving system, comparable to Tesla's Full Self-Driving, later this year. This advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) will allow Rivian's second-generation vehicles and the new R2 to drive point-to-point with supervision.
During a fireside chat at the Masters of Scale conference, Scaringe stated that the technology will be rolled out to all Gen 2 vehicles and the R2. This represents a significant upgrade from Rivian's current Universal Hands-Free system, which operates on clearly marked roads but does not handle turns, traffic lights, or parking lots.
Scaringe also indicated that unsupervised, hands-free driving is planned for release in 2027. Rivian's strategy includes developing autonomous driving capabilities for robotaxi fleets, evidenced by a $1.25 billion deal with Uber, which could purchase up to 50,000 R2 vehicles for its robotaxi ambitions.