Rivian Rolls Out New ‘Universal Hands-Free’ Driving Feature

Rivian’s new second-generation R1 EVs are receiving an update today that brings the new “Universal Hands-Free” driving software, which the company revealed last week at its first-ever “Autonomy & AI Day.”

The company says the new feature allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel on more than 3.5 million miles of roads in the United States and Canada, including a mix of highways and surface streets, as long as there are visible lane lines.

Owners will still have to supervise the driving system and, crucially, it “will not stop or slow down for traffic lights or stop signs.” Universal Hands-Free will also not make turns or follow navigation. (Rivian says the software will re-engage if a driver uses their turn signal and handles the turn manually.)

It’s an important step forward for the company, which aims to make its vehicles fully autonomous over the next few years. But it also comes with risk: Rival automakers with similar systems, such as Tesla and Ford, have experienced multiple crashes and fatalities, many linked to drivers’ attention lapses from the driver-assistance systems. Those crashes have led to investigations and lawsuits.

The updated software significantly expands the driver-assistance capabilities previously available to Rivian owners. Before the update, Rivian’s hands-free driving system only worked on 135,000 miles of highways. Rivian detailed plans at last week’s event to eventually allow its vehicles to drive themselves from “point-to-point,” though that feature will not ship until 2026.

Rivian is developing a new autonomy computer with custom silicon for its R2 SUV (which debuts in 2026) that, when combined with a roof-mounted lidar sensor, will one day enable the company’s vehicles to be fully autonomous, CEO RJ Scaringe said last week.

The software update released Thursday includes a few additional features unrelated to Rivian’s driver-assistance system. There’s a new version of its digital key that owners of second-generation R1 vehicles can add to their digital wallets on iPhones, Apple Watches, Google Pixel phones, and Samsung phones. Owners of quad-motor variants of the Gen 2 R1 EVs are also getting the long-teased “Kick Turn” feature, as well as the “RAD Tuner” customizable drive modes.