Inside Rivian’s ambitious investment in AI-driven autonomous driving

Rivian’s Journey Toward Autonomous Driving

Inside Rivian’s Palo Alto office, a robot attempted to navigate the cafeteria, its shelves stocked with cold canned coffee. The attempt was short-lived; within minutes, the robot became immobilized, displaying a flashing yellow “I’m stuck” message until someone came to move it aside. This small mishap set the tone for Rivian’s “Autonomy & AI Day,” an event dedicated to unveiling the company’s ambitions for self-driving vehicles. Although Rivian wasn’t responsible for the robot, its struggles underscored a familiar truth: developing autonomous technology is no easy feat.

Later that day, I experienced Rivian’s new “Large Driving Model” firsthand during a 15-minute demonstration ride in a 2025 R1S SUV. The vehicle, equipped with Rivian’s latest automated driving software, chauffeured me and two company employees along a winding route near their headquarters. As we passed Tesla’s engineering building, a Model S ahead of us slowed to enter the lot. The R1S eventually recognized the situation, braking sharply just before a Rivian staff member nearly intervened.

During my test ride, there was a single instance where the system disengaged: the driver took control as we navigated a narrow, one-lane stretch due to tree maintenance. While this was a minor issue, I noticed several other demonstration vehicles also required manual intervention during their drives.

Despite these hiccups, the remainder of the journey was smooth, especially considering the software is still in development. Rivian has replaced its previous rule-based driver assistance with a comprehensive, end-to-end system—similar to Tesla’s approach with Full Self-Driving (Supervised). The vehicle managed stops, turns, and speed bumps autonomously, without relying on pre-programmed instructions.

A Strategic Shift in 2021

Image Credits: Rivian

According to CEO RJ Scaringe, Rivian’s original system was highly deterministic and structured, with every action dictated by human-written control strategies. In 2021, as transformer-based AI began to gain traction, Scaringe discreetly reorganized the team and initiated a complete redesign of Rivian’s self-driving platform, aiming for an AI-first approach.

After extensive development, Rivian introduced its new driving software in 2024, launching it on the second-generation R1 models powered by Nvidia’s Orin processors. Scaringe noted that significant advancements only became apparent once the company began collecting substantial amounts of driving data.

Rivian is now betting that rapid training of its Large Driving Model (LDM) using fleet data will enable the launch of “Universal Hands-Free” capabilities later this month. This update will allow drivers to remove their hands from the wheel on 3.5 million miles of marked roads across the U.S. and Canada. By the latter half of 2026, Rivian plans to introduce “point-to-point” driving for consumers, similar to the demonstration I experienced.

From ‘Hands Off’ to ‘Eyes Off’: The Next Challenge

By the end of 2026, after the release of Rivian’s more affordable R2 SUVs, the company will transition from Nvidia chips to a newly developed custom autonomy computer, which was unveiled during the event. This new hardware, combined with a lidar sensor, is expected to eventually enable both hands-free and eyes-free driving. Achieving full autonomy—where drivers never need to retake control—remains a longer-term goal, dependent on how quickly Rivian can train its LDM.

This phased rollout presents a challenge: the new autonomy computer and lidar won’t be available until several months after the R2’s initial launch. Customers seeking true eyes-off capability will need to wait. The R2, however, is a pivotal product for Rivian, especially as sales of its first-generation vehicles decline.

Scaringe emphasized the importance of transparency, acknowledging that rapid technological progress inevitably leads to some obsolescence. Early R2 buyers will still benefit from “point-to-point” hands-free driving powered by the new software, but eyes-off features will come later.

“If you purchase an R2 within the first nine months, its capabilities will be somewhat limited,” Scaringe explained. “Some customers may choose to wait, while others will want the latest technology immediately and may upgrade later. Fortunately, demand for the R2 is so strong that being upfront allows buyers to make informed decisions.”

He added, “Ideally, all timelines would align perfectly, but the development schedules for the vehicle and the autonomy platform don’t always match up.”

Looking Ahead: Rivian’s Vision for Autonomy

When I first spoke with Scaringe in 2018—before Rivian had even revealed its vehicles—he shared an ambitious vision: he wanted Rivian’s vehicles to be so autonomous that you could start a hike at one trailhead and have your car meet you at the end. While such promises were common in the self-driving industry at the time, this one resonated with Rivian’s adventurous spirit.

Scaringe still believes this scenario could become reality within the next few years, though it will require the company to develop and test its more advanced R2 models—a process that will take at least another year under optimal conditions.

“We could achieve that,” he said, though it hasn’t been a primary focus. As Rivian approaches level 4 autonomy, the LDM will need to master more challenging environments, including roads without clear lane markings.

“At that point, it’s about defining the operational design domain—dirt roads, off-road routes, those are manageable,” Scaringe noted. However, he cautioned against expecting Rivian vehicles to autonomously tackle extreme off-road trails like Hell’s Gate in Moab.

“We’re not investing in autonomous rock crawling,” he clarified. “But getting to the trailhead? Absolutely.”

Editor’s note: Rivian’s Universal Hands-Free update is scheduled for release later this month.