Rivian Software SVP reveals New Features Rollout Plan

Rivian SVP of Software, Wassym Bensaid has revealed new features and experience enhancement rollout plan for R1s and R1T electric vehicles (EVs).

Last week, Rivian organized an R2 experience event in Santana Row, San Jose, California. The event was led by Bensaid who briefed attendees about Rivian R2 and all the new features coming to the existing R1 series.

Here’s the feature roadmap:

• Video Streaming
• Apple Watch Key
• Android support
• Satellite Radio and Music Streaming
• Driver+ Subscription
• New UI for R1
• Summon
• Turn Signal and Custom Alarm
• Horn Fix
• Voice Commands
• Automatic Parking

Video Streaming

It appears that Rivian has found a way to stream videos directly on the center screen. New R1 vehicles come with audio streaming services including Spotify, Tidal, TuneIn, and Amazon Music. However, there’s no option available to stream video on infotainment.

The video streaming capability will rollout with an over-the-air (OTA) software update. There are no further details revealed on this matter. Car makers usually feature apps such as Netflix to stream videos online, which may also suit Rivian.

Apple Watch Key:

Rivian team is working on this feature to provide ease of access to car owners and could provide added functionality including lock/unlock.

Android:

The electric vehicle company wants to simplify interactions with Android phone users. Therefore, it will add more Android APIs for native functionality directly into Rivian EVs.

New Radio and Streaming Apps:

Rivian will bring satellite radio service SiriusXM and streaming service Pandora later this year.

Driver+ Subscription:

New Driver+ and Connectivity subscriptions are coming to vehicles later this year. However, the features and capabilities are unknown.

Driver+ features are standard on Rivian vehicles including highway assist, adaptive cruise control, and lane change assist. It also offers safety features including lane safety, light safety, parking and reverse, and collision mitigation.

New UI:

During the R2 launch event in March, Rivian unveiled a new user interface and interactions. Bensaid confirmed that the R2 UI will come to R1 vehicles later this year via an OTA update.

Summon:

This is an interesting feature that could debut with the next generation R1 vehicles. The software chief suggests that the company has an in-development Summon feature. It is quite a popular capability in EVs and enables users to summon vehicles automatically to a location.

More information about Rivian’s Summon feature remains unknown.

Turn Signal:

Rivian will improve the Turn Signal with added new sound to keep the driver aware of the turn signal. The company may also equip different chimes with new experiences. In addition, a custom alarm sound will be introduced with a future OTA rollout.

Horn Fix:

User feedback reveals that the horn sound in Rivian R1s and R1T is weak and doesn’t meet the customer expectations. The SVP said that this will be fixed with R2. There’s no retrofit confirmed at this time.

Voice Commands:

The Rivian team is developing fixes for the voice experience with new voice commands. However, specification details aren’t shared at the moment.

Automated Parking:

Rivian’s software chief said automatic parking is in its roadmap but will require hardware upgrades for these vehicles. An estimated time for launch has not been shared.

This features rollout plan is interesting and Rivian vehicles could get enhanced experience for optimized performance.

(source)