Rivian is rolling out a new “global hands-free” driving feature

The new second generation R1 EVs are being received from Rivian Updated today Which brings the new “Universal Hands-Free” driving program that the company revealed Last week On the first ever “Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence 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 drive system, and most importantly, it “will not stop or slow down at traffic lights or stop signs.” Universal Hands-Free will also not rotate or keep moving. (Rivian says the software will react again if the driver uses their turn signal and handles the turn manually.)

It’s an important step forward for the company, which aims to make its cars fully autonomous within the next few years. But it also comes with risks: Rival automakers with similar systems like Tesla and Ford have dealt with numerous accidents and fatalities, many of them related to drivers distracted from their driver-assistance systems. These incidents led to investigations and lawsuits.

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

Rivian is developing a new autonomous computer using custom silicon for its R2 SUV (debuting in 2026), which, combined with a roof-mounted lidar sensor, will be able to one day make the company’s cars fully autonomous, CEO RJ Scaringe said last week.

The software update released Thursday brings a few other features that aren’t related to Rivian’s driver assistance system. There’s a new version of its digital key that owners of second-generation R1 cars can add to digital wallets on iPhones, Apple watches, Google Pixels, and Samsung phones. Owners of quad-motor variants of Gen 2 R1 EVs also get The long-awaited “Kick Turn” featureIn addition to customizable driving modes “RAD Tuner”.