How Is Rivian Going To Lead On Driver Help Expertise?

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There’s not typically information within the EV world that baffles me, and even actually surprises me, however I’ve been just a little thrown off by some bulletins from Rivian this week, together with how they’ve come about.

Rivian is a cool EV startup that I actually like. It may really be the corporate I’m most desperate to see succeed at this second. It appears to have core, coronary heart, and plan. The Rivian R2 and R3 are on the prime of my record for automobiles I’d be most thinking about shopping for subsequent. I additionally love that Rivian Amazon supply automobiles are all over the place, and it’s thrilling to see that Rivian and Volkswagen have teamed as much as assist one another advance within the more and more aggressive EV enviornment.

However I’m a bit confused about Rivian’s latest strikes round driver-assist know-how. To start with, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe mentioned this week that the corporate goals to launch hands-off superior driver-assist know-how in 2025 and eyes-off driver-assist tech in 2026, with the implication that it will be a frontrunner on this.

I’m confused for a couple of causes, and it’s instances like these that I resort to bullet-point lists. Right here are some things that come to thoughts on this information:

• GM’s Cruise (“Tremendous Cruise”) has been engaged on autonomous driving for years, and launched precise robotaxis. Presumably, it’s nicely forward of Rivian on this. Proper?
• Mercedes-Benz has had hands-free driving — to a restricted extent — in a few of its automobiles for a few years. Once more, is it not forward of Rivian on this?
• You’ve acquired Tesla’s “Full Self Driving” tech as nicely, after all, and its connection to rising AI at Tesla has largely brought on Tesla’s inventory value to skyrocket in latest months or years. Is Rivian’s give attention to driver-assist tech a method to assist with the inventory value and monetary backing? Or is it actually in some way near Tesla in attaining hands-off and eyes-off autonomous driving?
• How a lot software program and {hardware} has Rivian really developed on his personal on this area, and what can it provide to different automakers that NVIDIA and Mobileye can’t?
• If Rivian is certainly reaching excessive ranges of semi-autonomous or autonomous driving, how is it that we haven’t heard extra about this growth in recent times?
• In brief, is all of it simply hype, or is Rivian really in a position to grow to be a frontrunner on extremely superior driver help or autonomous driving know-how?

“Advancing driver help know-how will give patrons their ‘time again,’ Scaringe mentioned, permitting them to get on their telephones, learn books or ship emails whereas on the wheel.” Hmm … that sounds extra like Elon Musk than RJ Scaringe. Scaringe additionally added that superior AI is “one thing we’re hyper centered on.” As David Havasi mentioned within the video dialogue under, RJ isn’t the kind of man who makes huge, daring claims with out being able to again them up, he’s not the PT Barnum kind. But it surely’s actually laborious to not be just a little cynical about what’s going on right here. What am I lacking? Can anybody reply the questions above?