Rivian debuted new tech at its first "Autonomy and AI Day" on Thursday in Palo Alto, California.
Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive has developed a custom chip, car computer and new artificial intelligence models that will enable it to bring self-driving features to its forthcoming vehicles, the company revealed at its first "Autonomy and AI Day" on Thursday in Palo Alto, California.
Rivian also said it plans to roll out an Autonomy+ subscription with "continuously expanding capabilities" to customers in early 2026, to be powered by its Rivian Autonomy Processors and autonomy computers.
The Autonomy+ offering will be priced at $2,500 as a one-time upfront purchase or is available for $49.99 per month to start. By comparison, competitor Tesla offers its premium FSD (Supervised) option for $8,000 upfront or a $99 per month fee.
The company said in a statement that a near-future software update will include a "Universal Hands-Free," capability, allowing Rivian customers "hands-free driving" on "over 3.5 million miles of roads in North America, covering the vast majority of marked roads in the US."
Unlike its primary competitor, Tesla, Rivian said it intends to use lidar, or light detection and ranging, systems and radar sensors in its forthcoming cars to enable "level 4," or fully automated driving, as defined by SAE Levels of Driving Automation.
A passenger can sleep in the back seat in a level 4 self-driving car while it carries them to their destination in normal traffic and weather conditions. Waymo, the Alphabet -owned robotaxi leader in the U.S., considers its vehicles level 4.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said Thursday the company's forthcoming self-driving vehicles enable the company to pursue robotaxis, which Tesla has promised for years but has yet to launch.
"Now, while our initial focus will be on personally, owned vehicles, which today represent a vast majority of the miles to the United States, this also enables us to pursue opportunities in the rideshare space," Scaringe said during the event.