Rivian’s Chief Software Officer, Wassym Bensaid, answered questions live via Reddit AMA.
He covered everything from his favorite R2 features to going behind the curtain on the software roadmap. Also, there was a guest appearance from James Philbin, SVP of Autonomy and AI at Rivian.
Here are some of our favorite questions:
“What upcoming capabilities are the software team most excited for?”
Hands down, it’s Rivian Assistant!
We just started rolling it out to vehicles, and seeing everyone in the community use it has been incredibly rewarding for the team. But for us, the real excitement is about what’s next—we are completely focused on continually adding more features and taking it to the next level to completely redefine the in-cabin experience.
Beyond that, the team is heavily focused on point-to-point hands-free driving. We’ve been training our Large Driving Model rigorously and the goal is to do a limited roll out of address-to-address autonomy later this year.
“Can you please go into detail on the HVAC design for R2?”
R2 will have a heat pump across the entire lineup. R2 has a smaller cabin compared to R1 and with an increased compressor displacement combined with a more efficient battery-coolant interface that reduces the load on the refrigerant system. R2 can maintain cabin comfort during DC fast charging, especially in hot summer conditions.
Sharing some pics from our R2 thermal testing! Opens in new tab
“What’s one thing about the R2 experience that Rivian internally thinks will become a major differentiator long term, but most people still aren’t paying attention to yet?”
Honestly, it's the edge compute story for me. I don't think it's being talked about enough. R2's infotainment chip has about 200 sparse TOPs and is capable of running a local AI model on the vehicle itself. Rivian Assistant, multi-modal awareness using the cameras and sensors, richer graphics – will eventually work when you're offline in the middle of nowhere. Which when you're a Rivian owner, is kind of the point.
But here's what I really want people to internalize: this compounds. We own the full software stack down to the motors, suspension, and thermal management. The R2 vehicle you drive home is the least capable version you'll ever own, and it will continue getting better. That's not a feature, it's the architecture.
“The drop-down rear window is so cool but as a reservation holder living in the NE, I’m hesitant that the windshield wiper design is going to be problematic with winter. How are you guys planning to keep it from freezing solid and getting stuck?”
Drop glass is one of my favorite R2 features! We chose this design specifically so we could bring you the rear drop glass, so I'm glad to hear you're excited for it!
We engineered the system with a built-in trough heater to melt away ice, as well as a software-enabled option that can park the wiper completely outside of the recess.
Check out this photo of that software feature in action during our winter testing 🥶
“I really love Rivian but can’t afford a R1. In your opinion, is R2 launch edition really worth 58K or should I wait?”
This is exactly why we're so excited about R2! The Launch Package is a great choice, comes with lifetime Autonomy+, Tow Package, launch Key Fob, and access to Launch Green (back by popular demand 🙂). And you will be one of the first to experience this limited time package!
“How will R2 Autonomy+ capability and feature set differ between models with and without Lidar?”
Great question. Let me phone a friend!
Thanks u/WassymRivian! This is James, I lead Autonomy at Rivian and am very happy to be answering your questions!
R2 Performance with Launch Package is one of the most capable Autonomy platforms of any vehicle on sale in North America today. Featuring 400 sparse TOPS, 11 cameras, 5 radars, and more than 65MP of imaging, the ceiling of Autonomy performance is incredibly high with enough headroom for future progress. Customers who purchase the R2 Launch Package will have access to our Autonomy+ package included for the lifetime of their vehicle, and will see incredible features roll out to their vehicles over time starting with Universal Hands-Free Phase 2 which adds sophisticated stop sign and traffic light control. Later this year we will start the rollout of point-to-point driving to R2 and R1 Gen2 vehicles.
LiDAR-equipped vehicles will form the foundation of an improved data flywheel for our Large Driving Model (LDM), with benefits that accrue to the entire Gen2+ fleets, regardless of sensor suite. We do not expect a noticeable difference between LiDAR and non-LiDAR vehicles for some time.
Check out the full Q&A directly on RedditOpens in new tab
