Top carmakers have been working rigorously on self-driving technology for years now
Rivian plans to equip its EVs with hands-free driving by the end of this year and the eyes-off driving could be available by 2026. The American EV startup has been planning a lot of things for the future. This includes new mass-market products like the R2 and R3, along with a new factory with an annual capacity of 400,000 EVs in Georgia. In terms of technology, the advanced driver assistance system seems to have caught the fancy of many tech-savvy carmakers. We already know the ground-breaking work that Tesla has been doing in this space with its Autopilot for years now.
You might also like: Here’s How To Get Up To $6,000 Discounts On Rivian EVs
Rivian Plans Hands-Free Driving For This Year
At present, the R1T and R1S EVs deploy 11 cameras, 5 radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors to enable active safety capabilities for the driver’s aid. Since the new Level 2 ADAS is planned for this year, the 2025 models of these cars could be the first to receive this tech. Furthermore, the company also plans a Level 3 ADAS function, which will allow eyes-free driving by next year (2026). The R1T and R1S will be the first recipients of that as well.
During a recent speech at the press roundtable in San Francisco, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said that the Level 2 and Level 3 systems will provide significant value for the customers. Note that carmakers like Ford and Tesla offer hands-free systems called the BlueCruise and Autopilot, respectively. Furthermore, we know how ambitious Elon Musk is with fully autonomous driving technology. His company has been envisioning that goal for the longest time.
Scaringe mentioned a world where customers can directly sit in their cars and get to the properly-marked highways and then just sit back without having to touch the steering wheel at all. He remarks that it will save them a lot of valuable time. That is what the other top players in this space are also aiming for. Hence, it will be interesting to see who reaches the finish line first in this race to accomplish autonomous driving.
You might also like: VW Wants To Strengthen Ties With Rivian After Latter’s $6.6 Billion Loan Was Approved
Learn Electric Cars Says
Autonomous driving is a popular technology that a few major carmakers are after. As the world moves into the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), everything around us is becoming smarter. Future cars will be no different. However, I am of the opinion that we might be finding the solution to a problem which doesn’t necessarily bother all that many people. After all, people still love to drive cars and it will take an awfully long time for them to trust technology enough that they are willing to let their vehicles navigate them through the perils of highways. Still, let us keep an eye out for how things pan out in this regard.