Rivian said on Thursday it will introduce a hands-off driver assistance system for highway driving in the coming weeks, with a more advanced “eyes-off” version set to debut in 2026.
The launch will position Rivian alongside competitors such as Ford and General Motors, which already offer hands-free driving systemsâBlueCruise and SuperCruise, respectively. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system also enables hands-off driving under certain conditions, though it is not fully autonomous.
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Rivianâs announcement comes as the electric vehicle maker braces for another challenging year, citing uncertainty over potential regulatory changes under a second Trump administration. The company, however, posted its first positive gross profit in the fourth quarter of 2024, supported by cost-cutting measures and increased revenue from software and services.
While autonomy was a key part of Rivianâs vision when it emerged from stealth in 2018, the company has since prioritized scaling production. CEO RJ Scaringe had previously envisioned scenarios where Rivian vehicles could autonomously meet their owners at the end of a hike, but such ambitions were put on hold as the company completed its IPO and ramped up production of three vehicle models.
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Rivian has now maintained annual production of around 50,000 vehicles for two consecutive years. A recent partnership with Volkswagen, finalized in late 2024, has provided the company with additional resources to develop new features like hands-free driving.
Rivian is using âend-to-endâ training for its driver assistance platform, a method similar to Teslaâs approach for its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software. Instead of relying on hard-coded rules, Rivianâs system is trained using data from cameras and radar sensors.
Like Ford and GM, Rivian will initially limit the hands-off feature to highways. The company plans to gradually extend its capabilities beyond highways following the release of its eyes-off system in 2026.
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âUltimately, the end state, we think hands-free, eyes-off needs to be available essentially everywhere,â Scaringe said.
To support its autonomous driving development, Rivian is exploring alternative ways to access high-performance computing power without making the large capital expenditures required for GPUsâan approach that diverges from Tesla’s strategy of investing billions in AI hardware.