Rivian software Q&A w/ Wassym Bensaid (talks dashcam, bed camera, turn signal camera, etc.)

[moosehead]

Good list and suggestions, thanks @teddyang.

Please interweb Rivian folks, add basic tire configuration ability via owner and main driver info functions to center dash real estate. The surrounding auto and pedestrian indicators are baffling and take up ground zero.

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[kylealden]

And this is a concrete, real world example of "CarPlay solves a real problem for customers"

But they don't care because they don't get to slurp their sweet, sweet data.

This "data mining" conspiracy theory really needs to die. If Rivian's only reason for not adding carplay was wanting to mine driving data... they'd add carplay and just mine the data silently. They still own all the vehicle systems and instrumentation and could easily pipe back whatever telemetry they want.

It's clear they don't want to be beholden to a third party for a central part of the user experience and capabilities (streaming video, dashcam, etc. are great examples of things CarPlay can't do). I get that some people would be satisfied with "floating window"-style CarPlay integration on top of the existing UI, and maybe they'll add that someday.

But you don't need to invent any more elaborate excuse than "Rivian wants complete control over the customer experience." It's the same reason Apple won't let you install a third party launcher on an iPhone.

 

[Taco Corp]

I'm not a huge fan of Wave, but I'll say using RivGPS in last few days has done some crazy things 1) it guided me to a house, the backyard that has no street and not down the street where the house is. 2) there is an on ramp where it's much easier to take 3 rights and loop onto the freeway, gps guides me to take a Uturn at a busy intersection with a light and get on the "closer" entrance probably by a few feet. I just took delivery 2 weeks ago so have very limited experience so far. I'm hoping it will learn the streets better with some OTAs

Ahh yes, the "let me guide you behind the address feature", I was getting that constantly. That and being sent to the wrong side of the street. I pretty much gave up on the Rivian Navigation other than setting DC fast charge spots so the battery pre-conditioning works.

 

[Dark-Fx]

This "data mining" conspiracy theory really needs to die. If Rivian's only reason for not adding carplay was wanting to mine driving data... they'd add carplay and just mine the data silently. They still own all the vehicle systems and instrumentation and could easily pipe back whatever telemetry they want.

It's clear they don't want to be beholden to a third party for a central part of the user experience and capabilities (streaming video, dashcam, etc. are great examples of things CarPlay can't do). I get that some people would be satisfied with "floating window"-style CarPlay integration on top of the existing UI, and maybe they'll add that someday.

But you don't need to invent any more elaborate excuse than "Rivian wants complete control over the customer experience." It's the same reason Apple won't let you install a third party launcher on an iPhone.

why can't I install android apps onto my iPhone damnit!

 

[Smithery]

This "data mining" conspiracy theory really needs to die. If Rivian's only reason for not adding carplay was wanting to mine driving data... they'd add carplay and just mine the data silently. They still own all the vehicle systems and instrumentation and could easily pipe back whatever telemetry they want.

This statement misunderstands what CarPlay (v1) is.

To implement CarPlay, a vehicle manufacturer provides the phone a window where it can stream video to the screen, and hands back touch events to the phone with coordinates.

That is it

They literally know *nothing* about what is displaying on the screen, what app the user is using, what personal data the user has, etc.

It's clear they don't want to be beholden to a third party for a central part of the user experience and capabilities

That's their public PR line and - while I'll grant them benefit of the doubt and say there might be some truth to it - the real reasons almost certainly are the conspiracy theory ones. Such as:

1 - If the user is doing things on their phone that overlap with services you provide (Maps, music, etc) then you can't directly make money off them via subscriptions, now or in the future.
2 - If the user is doing things on their phone that overlap with services you provide, you can't mine data on their usage to indirectly make money off them.
3 - If your companies current existence is as a direct result of $$$ from one of the platform vendors (e.g. Amazon) then your contracts with them probably exclude playing well with another platform vendor (e.g. Apple and Google)

#1 is not theoretical. Rivian has already stated we'll be paying subscriptions for services at some point, and see the PR disaster that is GM stripping CarPlay from future EVs for subscription revenue

#3 is kinda probably a forgone conclusion.

But if you think #2 is some completely unfounded conspiracy theory then you don't truly grok the state of the tech economy over the last ~20 years.

I get that some people would be satisfied with "floating window"-style CarPlay integration on top of the existing UI, and maybe they'll add that someday.

This is literally what CarPlay v1 is

It is all anybody is asking for right now.

MAYBE some people want Rivian to do next-gen CarPlay, but AFAIK no car has shipped with next gen CarPlay yet. The people who miss CarPlay from their previous cars in their Rivian are only talking about adding a CarPlay view.

But you don't need to invent any more elaborate excuse than "Rivian wants complete control over the customer experience."

The reasons they won't implement it all boil down to $$$.
They want complete control over the customer experience in so far as it means $$$ - Even at the expense of the experience the customer actually wants.

 

[Smithery]

Customers just like inventing their own problems.

I mean... If you don't want Waze on the screen in your car, then I agree you don't have this problem.

But if an individual does want Waze on their screen, isn't their inability to have it... a problem?

 

[Dark-Fx]

I mean... If you don't want Waze on the screen in your car, then I agree you don't have this problem.

But if an individual does want Waze on their screen, isn't their inability to have it... a problem?

Did I disagree with you? Lots of people like waze because it lets them have another idea of where cops might be hiding on the freeway. Totally unimportant information to have if you are following the law.

 

[HJP1]

Hopefully Waze never gets integrated as the official nav. I know some people love Waze. In my experience, while the traffic notifications in Waze is cool, the nav directions randomly suck. I've had Waze do completely inexplicable things on multiple occasions i.e. exit an Interstate and get back on at the next interchange with absolutely no traffic impediments. Route me in a full 10 mile square instead of 1 mile direct. Never had these issues with Apple or Google Maps......

As an avid Waze user I have never had those issues and if fact Waze has saved me time and tickets on many occasions, just saying....

 

[camaroz1985]

The loss of the driver monitor camera seems like a big hit to the hand-free Driver+ possibility. That is a big disappointment to me. I don't need or want FSD (ala Tesla), but hands-free on highway like Blue Cruise or SuperCruise is what I thought (and was told by CS) we would be getting eventually. Maybe they will still have another way to accomplish this.

 

[Lhhaus]

People really just want the police notification. You can get it in google maps too, but Google isn't willing to sell this data to Rivain for ala-carte use.

I think the routing is far better in Waze -I have to run it separately on my phone - just did for long trip and Waze rerouted to save me 30 minutes something google maps never does

 

[pc500]

Hopefully this means the camera will also be available when not towing but tailgate is down.

As for the towing update, I really hope they implement some of the things available on the Lightning - Drivers+ usage while towing, adjustment of blind spot detection for trailer profile/length, and I'm not sure if it's possible but some sort of hitch assistance. I wouldn't normally need it but the current rear view camera on the R1T is just terrible for hitching up.

Some can be done but is hard work, like the trailer and backup items. Other stuff is easy. Some stuff may never happen like driver+ for safety reasons. When towing very large trailers it's much a feel and react to maintain control.

I think the routing is far better in Waze -I have to run it separately on my phone - just did for long trip and Waze rerouted to save me 30 minutes something google maps never does

I'm surprised as they are supposed to have largely integrated the technology and data between the two platforms. ROuting itself is actually a fairly solved science, but what Waze did is brought data to the equation (IE: congestion) to make more aggressive decisions, and favored some off-arteria routes at a societal cost (IE: routing via a subdivision).

 

[zymolysis]

Hopefully Waze never gets integrated as the official nav. I know some people love Waze. In my experience, while the traffic notifications in Waze is cool, the nav directions randomly suck. I've had Waze do completely inexplicable things on multiple occasions i.e. exit an Interstate and get back on at the next interchange with absolutely no traffic impediments. Route me in a full 10 mile square instead of 1 mile direct. Never had these issues with Apple or Google Maps......

Rivian's navigation does odd stuff on a regular basis. Google Maps (and probably Waze, too) is much better. I hope that Rivian makes improvements rapidly. Having to run Google Maps on my phone and Rivian navigation on the main screen is just bass ackwards.

 

[Brewbud]

There are some good things listed. I hope they include a load camera view and not just when towing. Good news on the Apple watch as a key but I hope they do it for Samsung/Android watches too.

 

[zymolysis]

Re: reconfigurable
I'd love to be able to move the blinker indicators to a point on the screen where I can see them (currently they are hidden behind the steering wheel), and I'd love to be able to move the time display (and enlarge it), so that it could be useful (trying to read it where it's at is an accident-in the-making).

 

[zymolysis]

There are some good things listed. I hope they include a load camera view and not just when towing. Good news on the Apple watch as a key but I hope they do it for Samsung/Android watches too.

Samsung should pay Rivian to add Samsung/Android watches as a key (or loan some s/w personnel to help implement it). I'm sure it would sell a lot of watches. I would consider buying one, if I could use that it as a key.

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