Rivian fans rejoice ! Just a few hebdomad ago , Rivian rolled out automate , hands - off driving for its second - gen R1 vehicle with a game - changing software update . Yet , the Modern feature article , which is only usable onmapped highway , had go out many fans crave for more .

Now the company , which prides itself on listening to – and deliver on – what its customers desire , did n’t wait long to signal a ‘ map - complimentary ’ upgrade will be usable later this twelvemonth .

“ One feedback we ’ve listen loud and clear is that customer know [ Highway Assist ] but they want to practice it in more post , ” James Philbin , Rivian VP of autonomy , saidon the podcast RivianTrackr Hangouts . “ So that ’s something kind of exciting we ’re working on , we ’re calling it internally ‘ Map Free ’ , that we ’re targeting for after this class . ”

The slowdown between the spillage of Highway Assist ( HWA ) and Map Free automated driving give meter for the fleet of Rivian vehicle to get together ‘ unparalleled event ’ . These events are used to train Rivian ’s offline mannequin in the cloud before data point is distilled back to individual vehicle .

As Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringeexplainedin early March , HWA marked the very offset of an spread out automate - driving feature film set , “ going from highway to aerofoil roads , to twist - by - turn . ”

For now , HWA still requires drivers to keep their eyes on the road . The scheme will send alerts if you drift too long without paying attention . But stay tuned — eye - off driving is set for 2026 .

It ’s also part of what Rivian call its “ cave in you your sentence back ” philosophical system , the first of three pillar support Rivian ’s sight over the next three to five years . Philbin says that philosophy is focused on “ meet drivers where they are ” , as opposed to chasing full automation in the way other automakers , such as Tesla’srobotaxi , might be doing .

“ We recognize a lot of people grease one’s palms Rivians to go on these adventure , to have these awe-inspiring trips . They want to tug , and we desire to let them drive , ” Philbin says . “ But there ’s a lot of other driving that ’s very monotonous , very irksome , like on the highway . There , giving you your time back is how we can give the best experience . ”

This will also eventually lead to the third pillar of Rivian ’s imaginativeness , which is delivering Level 4 , or high - automation vehicles : Those will extend lineament such as motorcar park or auto valet , where you’re able to get out of your Rivian at the office , or at the drome , and it move off and parks itself .

While not promising anything , Philbin says he consider the current Gen 2 computer hardware and platform should be capable to support these approaching features .

The second pillar for Rivian is its stress on active safety feature , as the EV - Divine rewrote its entire self-directed vehicle ( AV ) system for its Gen2 models . This stress allowed Rivian ’s R1 T to be the only large truck in North America to get a Top Safety Pick+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety .

“ I believe there ’s a lot of innovation in the participating refuge space , in terms of making those feature more capable and preventing more accidents , ” Philbin says . “ Really the goal , the north star end , would be to have Rivian be one of the good vehicles on the road , not only for the occupants but also for other road users . ”