Rivian owners soon got some new features for their electric vehicles through a free over-the-air (OTA) software update.
One of the interesting new features is Sand Mode introduced by CEO RJ Scaringe via a short video on Twitter. In the video, the Rivian R1S walks on the sand in slow motion.
Sand mode — coming in a future OTA update pic.twitter.com/8Q5NwIgImE
— RJ Scaringe (@RJScaringe) April 26, 2022
At the same time, the car kicked up a lot of sand at the same time. To be sure, from the video it looks like the rear wheels are spinning much faster than the front wheels.
There are no further details about the feature, including how it works. But what is certain from the video is that the vehicle automatically adjusts the wheel rotation to provide optimal traction when walking on sand.
Scaringe later confirmed via tweet that the feature would be standard on the R1S and R1T. In addition to Sand Mode, Rivian will add a Pet Mode and a dashcam.
Definitely – also coming soon!
— RJ Scaringe (@RJScaringe) April 26, 2022
Just like Sand Mode, there are no further details regarding Pet Mode. But to note, Dog Mode in Tesla allows owners to keep the vehicle’s HVAC system running at the perfect temperature to keep your furry friend comfortable.
Meanwhile, the dashcam feature works using the camera array on the vehicle currently used for Gear Guard, which is equivalent to Rivian’s Sentry Mode.
