Rivian rolls out new “universal hands-free” driving feature

Rivian’s new second-generation R1 EV receives an update today that introduces new “universal hands-free” driving software. This was announced by the company last week at its first Autonomy & AI Day.

The company says this new feature allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel on more than 3.5 million miles of roadways in the U.S. and Canada, on a mix of highways and roads, as long as lanes are visible.

Owners must continue to monitor the driving system, and importantly, the driving system “does not stop or slow down for traffic lights or stop signs.” Universal hands-free also does not allow you to turn or follow navigation. (Rivian says the software will reactivate if the driver uses the turn signal to manually turn.)

This is a significant step forward for the company, which aims to make its vehicles fully autonomous in the coming years. However, it also comes with risks. Rival automakers with similar systems, including Tesla and Ford, have dealt with multiple crashes and fatalities, many related to drivers’ attention being diverted from driver-assistance systems. These crashes led to investigations and lawsuits.

The updated software significantly expands on the driver assistance features previously available to Rivian owners. Before the update, Rivian’s hands-free driving system only worked on 135,000 highway miles. At last week’s event, Rivian detailed plans to eventually allow its vehicles to drive themselves “point-to-point,” but that capability won’t ship until 2026.

Rivian is developing a new autonomous computer with custom silicon for its R2 SUV (due to debut in 2026) that, when combined with roof-mounted LIDAR sensors, will someday allow its vehicles to drive fully autonomously, CEO RJ Scaringe said last week.

A software update released Thursday added several features unrelated to Rivian’s driver assistance systems. Owners of second-generation R1 cars have a new version of the digital key that they can add to their digital wallets on iPhone, Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Samsung phones. Owners of the quad-motor version of the second-generation R1 EV will also get access to the long-teased “kick turn” feature and customizable drive mode “RAD Tuner.”