Tag: Rivian

Rivian finally adds full Apple Wallet Digital Key support with new OTA update

Posted on by faz_business


Rivian owners, your phone is finally becoming a proper key. The company’s software chief, Wassym Bensaid, has confirmed that the upcoming .46 update will officially turn on Digital Key support for second-generation R1S and R1T vehicles. This isn’t just an app update; it introduces native keys that live right inside your Apple Wallet on your iPhone and Apple Watch.

The best part? It uses both Ultra Wideband (UWB) for precise, hands-free unlocking and NFC. That NFC bit is huge because it supports Apple’s Power Reserve feature – meaning you can still tap your phone to unlock your truck for up to five hours after your battery dies.

Rivian is also bumping the limit from four to eight digital keys per vehicle, so the whole family can have access. And it’s not just for Apple users; full compatibility is coming for Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet, too.

Rivian
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Why This Matters

This is a massive maturity moment for Rivian. If you drove a Gen 1 vehicle, you know the struggle of relying on the Rivian app’s Bluetooth unlocking. It worked, but it wasn’t on the same level as the seamless experience offered by BMW or Tesla. It lacked that native wallet feel, the precision, and definitely didn’t work if your phone died.

This move to true Digital Key support bridges that gap. It finally aligns Rivian with the industry gold standards – specifically leveraging Apple’s CarKey framework – and actually utilizes the upgraded hardware built into the Gen 2 platform.

Why You Should Care

Ideally, this just makes life easier and less stressful. You can genuinely leave the bulky key fob at home without worrying about being stranded if your phone battery hits 0%.

It adds a layer of safety and redundancy that wasn’t there before. Plus, being able to share access instantly via text message is a game-changer. If a friend needs to borrow the truck or grab something from the trunk, you can send them a key in seconds without needing a physical handoff.

Rivian
Unplash

What’s Next

Look for the .46 OTA update to hit vehicles later this month. While Gen 2 owners get the full package immediately, Gen 1 owners might be out of luck for the full experience since they lack the newer UWB hardware.

Rivian says this is just the start for the Gen 2 platform, signaling a broader push to make the car feel more like a piece of high-tech software and less like a traditional vehicle.

Rivian elects Cohere’s CEO to its board in latest signal the EV maker is bullish on AI

Posted on by faz_business


Aidan Gomez, the co-founder and CEO of generative AI startup Cohere, has joined the board of EV maker Rivian, according to a regulatory filing. The appointment is the latest sign that Rivian sees promises in applying AI to its own venture while positioning itself as a software leader — and even provider — within the automotive industry.

Rivian increased the size of the board and elected Gomez, whose term will expire in 2026, according to the filing.

Gomez has had a long career as a data scientist and AI expert. He launched Cohere in 2019 with co-founders Nick Frosst and Ivan Zhang with a focus on training AI foundation models for enterprises. The generative AI startup sells its services to companies such as Oracle and Notion.

Prior to starting Cohere, Gomez was a researcher at Google Brain, the deep learning division at Google led by Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton. Gomez is also known for “Attention Is All You Need,” a 2017 technical paper he co-authored that laid the foundation for many of the most capable generative AI models today.

Gomez’s skill set could be particularly useful for Rivian as the EV maker navigates a new $5.8 billion joint venture with Volkswagen Group to develop software. Under the joint venture, Rivian will share its electrical architecture expertise with Volkswagen Group — including its many brands — and is expected to license existing intellectual property rights to the joint venture.

It’s possible the joint venture will sell its tech to other companies in the future.

Rivian has also been working on an AI assistant for its EVs since 2023, Rivian’s chief software officer, Wassym Bensaid, told TechCrunch during an interview in March. The AI work, which is specifically on the orchestration layer or framework for an AI assistant, sits outside the joint venture with VW, Bensaid mentioned at the time.

Gomez’s expertise in AI and as a data scientist is clearly attractive to Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe, who
noted in a statement that his “thinking and expertise will support Rivian as we integrate new, cutting-edge technologies into our products, services, and manufacturing.”

Rivian targets gas-powered Ford and Toyota trucks and SUVs with $5,000 ‘electric upgrade’ discount

Posted on by faz_business


Rivian is offering discounts up to $5,000 on its EVs — and a year of free charging — to customers willing to trade in their gas-powered trucks and SUVs.

The deal, which kicked off April 22, is aimed directly at some of the best-selling and most ubiquitous gas-powered trucks and SUVs on the market today, including the Ford F-150, Toyota Tacoma and Jeep Wrangler. Rivian is even going after German automakers Audi and BMW. The price cut varies between $1,000 and $5,000 depending on the model. Rivian is offering discounts on three R1T pickup truck trims and one R1S SUV model.

The company promoted Monday the “electric upgrade offer” in an email to prospective customers as well as posts on social media. The discounts come as demand for premium and luxury EVs has softened across the industry, prompting automakers such as Ford, Lucid and Tesla to reduce prices. Faced with uncertain demand, many legacy automakers have also pared down plans to shift their portfolios to only battery-electric vehicles. Gas-powered vehicles and hybrids are back en vogue, thanks to the steady sales and profit margins they provide.

Rivian, which is only expected to produce about 57,000 EVs in 2024, won’t unseat the best-selling trucks on the market. But the approach could help it win over a new batch of customers.

Only owners of specific gas-powered vehicles will be eligible for the trade in. Those include 2018 or newer Ford F-150 trucks, Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition and Bronco, with the exception of the Bronco Sport. Other eligible trade-ins are 2018 or newer Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra, Toyota Highlander, Toyota 4Runner Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator. The Audi Q5, Q7 and Q8 as well as the BMW X3, X5 and X7 also qualify.

The deals applies to customers who want to lease or buy a vehicle, although they must take delivery by June 30. Rivian is also throwing in a year of free charging at any Rivian-owned charger in the United States as an added sweetener. Rivian fast-chargers, which are branded the Rivian Adventure Network, are not nearly as plentiful as the Tesla Supercharging network. The company has installed 433 fast-chargers at 71 stations, including in Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and along the East Coast. Rivian has also installed 482 Level 2 chargers (called Waypoints) at 180 lives sites throughout the United States.