Watch Rivian

• Rivian will hold its first-ever Autonomy and AI Day today.
• The EV startup is expected to unveil an advanced driver assistance system that enables hands-off, point-to-point trips.
• The event livestream starts at noon today, and you can watch it here on InsideEVs.

The heat is on Rivian. With the $7,500 federal tax credit out of the picture and the upcoming R2 SUV yet to be on sale, the American EV startup is looking for ways to diversify its revenue streams. It already scored a big win with Volkswagen, but that’s not enough, so it’s looking to autonomy as the next big thing that could keep it afloat for many years to come.

Today, Rivian will hold its first-ever Autonomy and AI day, where the company is expected to reveal its plans for what’s next in terms of advanced driver assistance systems, artificial intelligence assistants and the hardware that will enable it all.

It’s similar to what Tesla has been doing for a few years now, and it’s meant to spur interest among fans, potential customers and—probably more importantly–investors. If Rivian’s plan is solid, investment firms will be more than happy to pour money into the startup, but if it all hinges on hopes and dreams, the California company might face one of the biggest struggles since its inception.

Rivian posted a short teaser about the event (embedded below), where founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said that, “In the relatively near future, the expectation from the customers is that your vehicle can drive you places, take you anywhere you’d like to go, and you don’t have to play an active role in the operation of the vehicle.” 

This sounds a lot like Rivian is prepping a semi-autonomous system that would allow drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel and enjoy a more relaxing long-distance ride. Scaringe said last week that the next steps for Rivian’s autonomy efforts are a “hands-off everywhere” feature, followed by a “point-to-point navigation” feature.

So far, the R1S and R1T’s advanced driver assistance systems have been a little lackluster, probably because they’re based on cameras and conventional proximity sensors. The key to unlocking more advanced hands-off driving features might lie in the addition of a Lidar sensor.

Although Tesla CEO Elon Musk described the technology as a “crutch,” we expect Rivian to offer a Lidar sensor in the upcoming R2 SUV. A cutout of where the sensor would be installed can be seen in an official video showing an R2 prototype being assembled, and RJ Scaringe said that he “wouldn’t rule out” the technology.

A cutout for a Lidar sensor can be seen at the top of the R2 windshield frame.

Photo by: Rivian

Another piece of news that might pop up during Rivian’s Autonomy and AI Day is regarding an artificial intelligence in-car assistant, which could control some fo the vehicle’s functions through natural voice commands. In an interview with TechCrunch, Wassym Bensaid, Rivian’s software chief, said that the company has spent nearly two years developing the AI assistant and that it’s planning on releasing it by the end of the year.

We’ll attend Rivian’s Autonomy and AI Day event in person, and we’ll publish important breakouts from the show floor, but anybody can join the online livestream below. The event starts today at 12 p.m. ET.

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