Self driving update: Gen 2 and Gen 3 Autonomy on R2 should be similar for a "couple of years"

[mkhuffman]

So it's going to be at least a year before it can even come close to replicating what a Comma unit does now.

Very true, and they are years behind Tesla.

I am encouraged that in a update or two A+ will finally be worth $50 a month. The smoothness improvements in the last OTA are noticeable to me. It is slowly getting there.

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[CharonPDX]

Aligns with what RI said in recent interviews that L4 which comes with RAP1 and LiDAR is late 2020s to early 2030s so the two years is pretty much the minimum time and could be much longer.

Depending on your definition, "late 2020s" is already here.

Now take your Advil and go get your colonoscopy.

 

[Riviot]

<insert long and grumpy early R1 adopter response here>

 

[rbdavis808]

You may as well wait to 2029 and get RAP2 with that philosophy. There will always been hardware improvements. The current planned setup covers most people to strong L3 autonomy and updates for many years.

I think there are many buyers who must wait until very late '26 or early '27 for soooo many non-Gen3 reasons anyway, e.g., too far down the reservation queue, want Premium or Standard, light interior, purple/forest paint (wife wants purple, I want blue, forest a possible compromise). I am in all of these wait sets. If I then have to wait another month or three for Gen3, that's a complete no-brainer.

Glad to see Rivian is assuring early buyers that Gen2 will provide reasonable autonomy support -- presumably that's true and shame on them if not. I want them to sell every '26 Gen2 they build for the sake of their own finances and hence long-term security of support for the R2 I buy and plan to keep for many years, and I expect that they will.

 

[Just Passing By]

If I then have to wait another month or three for Gen3, that's a complete no-brainer.

This touches on a point I haven't seen discussed - How does Rivian introduce the RAP1/LIDAR to production, or perhaps more specifically, does Rivian give any advance notification to customers?

My guess is that they just start fitting the hardware when ready and then announce it after they have largely or completely sold out the vehicles using the older R1 platform. This avoids any hiccups in demand if they announce in advance, which may cause customers to then decide to defer purchase in order to wait for the new platform because its only a month or two away.

This wouldn't work if, as some have suggested, Rivian want to charge a premium for the RAP1/LIDAR platform. But I don't see Rivian doing that since the main benefit for them is getting LIDAR out to as many customers, as quickly as possible, to accelerate Autonomy+ development. This is not only important for their consumer customer base sales but also for their UBER agreement.

 

[DuoRivian]

Depending on your definition, "late 2020s" is already here.

Now take your Advil and go get your colonoscopy.

From RJs comments it was like late 2028 (not merely just passed half way in the decade and being now where near FSD) through to 2032. So most likely several years away.
No sure about your other comments, seem irrelevant and unnecessary.

 

[rinconryder]

A+ isn’t even close to ready for prime time. I was driving home late the other night after getting . I was on a soft bend on the 101 when it disengaged with a failure alert (I can’t recall the exact wording) and the car quickly pulled to the right. If there had been a car to my right I would have crashed for sure. Frankly it really pisses me off. I love the Rivian but it’s borderline criminal to offer the A+ to users and even worse that they want to charge for it. Similar to Tesla - I am sure it will come around but it’s a long ways away as of today.

 

[Riviot]

Now take your Advil and go get your colonoscopy.

No sure about your other comments, seem irrelevant and unnecessary.

Let me simplify this for you

 

[DuoRivian]

Let me simplify this for you

Thanks for explaining even if a) I am not old and b) was irrelevant to the comment based on RJs comments and the commentator being obtuse.

 

[mkhuffman]

Define "old".

 

[CharonPDX]

Define "old".

One year older than my current age.

 

[mkhuffman]

One year older than my current age.

Sounds about right. Perspective is critical.

 

[Riviot]

Thanks for explaining even if a) I am not old and b) was irrelevant to the comment based on RJs comments and the commentator being obtuse.

You're the not fun @DuoRivians , huh? I always confuse y'all. One is playful, the other gets butthurt. And it depends on the subject which is which.

Either way, we love you! Time heals all colonoscopies.

 

[Zorg]

Gen2 ADAS is really good right now. Handled drive through the mountains flawlessly.

 

[Electron]

Rivian really can’t afford to create a situation right now that introduces an Osborne effect.

We already saw something similar with Tesla. A lot of owners held off waiting for HW5, only to find out HW4 is likely here to stay for consumer vehicles because Tesla considers it more than capable for their autonomy goals. Meanwhile, HW5 appears to be focused more toward Optimus, robotaxis, and other future platforms.

The Model YL is another good example. Any official announcement about a North American release too early could potentially hurt current Model Y sales from buyers wanting more space.

With Rivian, the situation is even more delicate because their autonomy stack still isn’t as mature. They’re improving quickly, but they’re also clearly behind Tesla in that area. So for people constantly chasing the “next big thing,” they may end up waiting forever instead of enjoying what’s available today and what Rivian already does extremely well.

At the end of the day, there will always be waves of early adopters who buy immediately, others who prefer to wait, and people who stay on the sidelines chasing whatever comes next.

If your priority is the best autonomy experience today, buy a Tesla. If you want the best alternative with an amazing overall ownership experience, buy a Rivian and enjoy the journey.

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