Rivian plans new vehicle designs built for self-driving technology

Rivian is delaying its path to profit in order to build self-driving software that could change how cars look. Founder RJ Scaringe spoke at TechCrunch Disrupt and said autonomous tech will let the company build very different vehicles than its current trucks and SUVs. He noted that looking past the R2 and R3 models opens up new design options for personally owned self-driving cars. Other automakers promised a design revolution a decade ago when battery-powered electric vehicles and self-driving software first appeared, but those concept ideas never left the prototyping stage because the software took too long to build. The difference today is that real robotaxis now run on public streets in multiple cities, battery and motor parts are cheaper, and companies have learned how to build them at scale. Rivian still has a lot of work ahead to scale production of its R2 SUV to reverse past losses. On the software side, the company shipped a driver assistance system that lets people take their hands off the wheel while watching the road, and it plans to launch point-to-point navigation by the end of this year under driver supervision. It is also working on full autonomy for robotaxi versions of the R2 SUV on Uber's app. Even so, Scaringe believes that ninety-five percent of driven miles in the United States happen in personally owned vehicles, and that share might only drop to ninety or eighty percent due to social and psychological reasons. This belief drives his work on a fully autonomous, personally owned vehicle. He revealed that the vehicle after R3 will be called the R4, though he has not shown what it looks like yet.

Context

Rivian is an electric vehicle maker that competes in the growing market for battery-powered trucks and SUVs. Autonomous vehicle technology relies on advanced software and sensors to help cars navigate public roads without constant human control. Companies in the transportation industry continue to test these systems on public streets as they work toward full self-driving capabilities.