Rivian reveals hands-free tech and smart assistant

The race to build the smartest electric cars just got a serious boost from Rivian. The California-based EV maker revealed its new AI-powered driving system, the Rivian Autonomy Platform, and announced a big expansion for hands-free driving accompanied by a clever new voice assistant.

Rivian's most exciting news for drivers is a feature called Universal Hands-Free (UHF). The new feature takes the company's current hands-free highway driving and sets it free on almost any well-marked road. Previously, this technology only worked on a small number of pre-mapped roads - about 149,100 miles in North America. Now, that number explodes to roughly 5.6 million kilometers of roads in the US and Canada, as long as the lane lines are clearly painted.

The system allows the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel. It manages the vehicle's position within the lane and controls the distance to the car ahead. But this is still a driver-assistance feature; it doesn't handle everything - the driver must still take control to navigate stoplights or sharp turns. Rivian's Vice President of Autonomy and AI, James Philbin, highlighted that this new, expanded hands-free capability directly responds to what Rivian owners most want, especially for reducing fatigue on long trips.

The new Universal Hands-Free feature is part of an optional package called Autonomy+. This subscription will launch early next year and offers two ways to pay. Owners can choose a one-time purchase of $2,500 or pay $49.99 per month. Adding another subscription might feel annoying, but other car companies like Ford and General Motors have seen that drivers will actually pay for the convenience of hands-free highway assistance.

It seems people see the value in a more relaxed drive. The Autonomy+ package will be available for second-generation Rivian R1S and R1T models, and the upcoming R2 crossover. Unfortunately, first-generation R1 vehicles do not have the necessary hardware to run this new system.

This impressive step forward comes from the new Rivian Autonomy Platform. It works using an end-to-end AI system that learns from real-world driving. When a Rivian driver experiences a tough situation - like a confusing intersection or a close call - the car can send that data back to Rivian's systems using a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. Engineers use this information, which is similar to how large language models (LLMs) like Google's Gemini are trained, to make the driving model smarter over time.

The ultimate goal is to reach Level 4 autonomy, which means the car could handle all driving tasks without human help under specific conditions, like a robotic taxi. Though that level is not available on any consumer EV today, Rivian has a clear path set to get there.

Rivian is also launching the Rivian Assistant, a conversational AI voice assistant. The new assistant is coming early next year to both first- and second-generation R1 vehicles. It's built on a mix of different AI systems, allowing it to understand natural language and perform complex actions.

Apart from the usual functions like turning on your heated seats or opening the "frunk," the new assistant can also link up with outside applications. Google Calendar is the first integration. This means you could say, "Navigate to my next appointment," and the EV will set the course, or you might even be able to ask it to change the time of a meeting. The AI is also designed to improve how Rivian handles service and diagnostics by analyzing vehicle data.

The new, more affordable Rivian R2 crossover will play a key role in this story. Rivian announced that the R2 will be the cheapest new car sold in the US that uses LiDAR - a high-tech sensor that uses lasers to map the environment - for its advanced driver assistance features. This multi-sensor approach, which also includes cameras and radar, is what helps the company build better and safer driving systems.

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