Written by Abhirup Roy and Arshiya Bajwa
(Reuters) – Electric vehicle maker Rivian (NASDAQ:) plans to launch an advanced hands-free driver assistance system in 2025 and an “Eyes Off” system in 2026, its CEO said. RJ Scaringe said Thursday.
Advanced driver assistance systems that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel and their eyes off the road will bring “tremendous value to customers,” Scaringe said.
Automakers have raced to add self-driving features to their vehicles in recent years, such as lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control.
Scaringe said advances in driver-assistance technology will allow buyers to “take back time” and be able to use their phones, read a book or send an email while driving. .
Developing such capabilities in the system is “something we're very focused on,” Scaringe said.
Rivian's second-generation vehicles are now equipped with the Rivian Autonomy Platform. This assists the driver, but requires continued attention and vehicle control from the driver, similar to features offered by some other automakers.
Scaringe's announcement comes as major EV manufacturers such as Tesla (NASDAQ:) shift their focus to self-driving technology and robotaxis, and advanced driver assistance systems are receiving increasing attention.
Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating 2.6 million Tesla vehicles after receiving reports of accidents related to a feature that allows users to control their cars remotely.
trump impact
The company also does not believe that President Donald Trump's executive order targeting the electric vehicle industry poses a material risk to its financing of the Georgia factory.
In early January, Rivian and the U.S. Department of Energy signed a loan agreement worth up to $6.6 billion to help the EV maker build a production facility in Georgia.
President Trump on Monday rescinded a 2021 executive order issued by his predecessor Joe Biden that aimed to make half of all new cars sold in the United States electric by 2030.
President Trump also called for an end to exemptions that allow states to adopt regulations for zero-emission vehicles by 2035, and said his administration would consider ending the EV tax credit.
President Trump's threat to impose 25% tariffs on products from Mexico and Canada has also cast a shadow on automakers and their suppliers.
Scaringe said the Mexican automaker's supply chain, which has seen hundreds of billions of dollars of investment over decades, must be remapped or face higher costs, and the impact will be “It can be really damaging,” he added.
“So we're monitoring that closely.”
(Reporting by Abirup Roy in San Francisco and Arshiya Bajwa in Bengaluru; Editing by Mohammed Safi Shamsi and Alan Barona)
