Comma AI/OpenPilot Update -- Watch it in Action on Gen1 Rivian (Video)

[scottf200]

Remember when Rivian promised hands free driving for Gen 1? I do. With Openpilot I get it now with the ability to use the assistance on every road. To me, it’s well worth the cost of the hardware. The current Gen 2 hardware will never be eyes off.

I think OpenPilot is a great option for Gen 1 (and Aptera).

I don't think highway driving is nearly as big of deal for 'eyes off' for most roads. City is extremely different.

The hardware is *significantly* different in Gen 2. The computer power for AI and the AI/ML systems are *significantly* different in the past couple years. I'm not sure you both have paid a lot of attention to the China cars or the latest versions of Tesla FSD. The possibilities have changed dramatically with way way more knowledge about what is possible now.

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[CTRedCanyon]

I think OpenPilot is a great option for Gen 1 (and Aptera).

I don't think highway driving is nearly as big of deal for 'eyes off' for most roads. City is extremely different.

The hardware is *significantly* different in Gen 2. The computer power for AI and the AI/ML systems are *significantly* different in the past couple years. I'm not sure you both have paid a lot of attention to the China cars or the latest versions of Tesla FSD. The possibilities have changed dramatically with way way more knowledge about what is possible now.

lol they said all that when gen 1 was released. Only the gullible are buying it. Tesla or the Chinese are a different story.

 

[scottf200]

Here is the person in charge with significant experience. Started with Rivian Oct 2022.

 

[scottf200]

lol they said all that when gen 1 was released. Only the gullible or buying it. Tesla or the Chinese are a different story.

Again the world has changed in the past few years. Hardware WAY diff. Model building WAY different.

You are ignorant about this aspect that I follow very closely for several years and have experienced first hand.

 

[CTRedCanyon]

Again the world has changed in the past few years. Hard WAY diff. Model building WAY different.

You are ignorant about this aspect that I follow very closely for several years and have experienced first hand.

Rivian severely burned their gen 1 customers with false autonomy promises. I'm hopeful they will catch up to at least companies like Comma in terms of capability, although I have my doubts. They can put up or shut up as far as Im concerned. I paid $90000 for an 2023 Rivian R1S that was promised to have basically the most advanced suite of sensors and cameras on the market, only to completely underdeliver and abandon the Gen 1 platform for an upgrade a year later...

 

[cwcwcw]

Yes, it will slow on curves. I think they added that with longitudinal control a few years back.

I’ve got the openpilot installed on my Rivian and while it’s an amazing upgrade for my Gen 1 R1S, it still relies on Rivian’s ACC for speed control, which means that when I went into a roundabout it tried to maintain speed which was wayyyy too fast. If Openpilot can get the longitudinal working for Rivian, then I imagine this will be fixed; but until then, it doesn’t slow down around curves any more than what Rivian ACC does.

 

[CTRedCanyon]

I’ve got the openpilot installed on my Rivian and while it’s an amazing upgrade for my Gen 1 R1S, it still relies on Rivian’s ACC for speed control, which means that when I went into a roundabout it tried to maintain speed which was wayyyy too fast. If Openpilot can get the longitudinal working for Rivian, then I imagine this will be fixed; but until then, it doesn’t slow down around curves any more than what Rivian ACC does.

Some branches like Sunnypilot do slow for curves. These arent supported on the Rivian yet. Keep in mind if you have access already, you are a development tester.

 

[drstancpa]

Rivian severely burned their gen 1 customers with false autonomy promises. I'm hopeful they will catch up to at least companies like Comma in terms of capability, although I have my doubts. They can put up or shut up as far as Im concerned. I paid $90000 for an 2023 Rivian R1S that was promised to have basically the most advanced suite of sensors and cameras on the market, only to completely underdeliver and abandon the Gen 1 platform for an upgrade a year later...

This. I love my R1T…I’m actually at the factory service center right now getting an alignment. But when I bought it in June 2022, Rivian was still promising lane change assistance (not shutting off is NOT what they meant, I’ll never believe that) and talking about $15,000 of subscription and upgrade revenue potential to their shareholders for features like level 3 ADAS. I’m shocked how few of us have expressed outrage over the lack of an upgrade path, and that they’ve not had significant shareholder litigation from some institutional investors since that Rivian now says that’s impossible for the 70,000+ G1s they sold.

Now, as I sit here and think about the potential to move to a G2, it feels like I’d be going back to my abuser. Yeah, that’s harsh, and honestly I may well buy another Rivian because I love the product overall, but I won’t buy based on promised features again.

And don’t get me started on the “we’ll tow it to the service center if we can’t fix it in your driveway” promise. That one would have been a dealbreaker for me, 2.5 hours from the service center.
Oh well, still love my truck!

 

[CTRedCanyon]

Whose ready for their Gen 2 R1S and R1T to be obsolete next year too! lol ?‍

 

[dekeen]

Rivian severely burned their gen 1 customers with false autonomy promises. I'm hopeful they will catch up to at least companies like Comma in terms of capability, although I have my doubts. They can put up or shut up as far as Im concerned. I paid $90000 for an 2023 Rivian R1S that was promised to have basically the most advanced suite of sensors and cameras on the market, only to completely underdeliver and abandon the Gen 1 platform for an upgrade a year later...

They most definitely mislead gen1 owners. Autonomy was was of my primary criteria when putting the deposit on my R1S in 2019.

 

[LiamM]

This. I love my R1T…I’m actually at the factory service center right now getting an alignment. But when I bought it in June 2022, Rivian was still promising lane change assistance (not shutting off is NOT what they meant, I’ll never believe that) and talking about $15,000 of subscription and upgrade revenue potential to their shareholders for features like level 3 ADAS. I’m shocked how few of us have expressed outrage over the lack of an upgrade path, and that they’ve not had significant shareholder litigation from some institutional investors since that Rivian now says that’s impossible for the 70,000+ G1s they sold.

Agree. I don't buy their excuse either which paraphrased from my understanding is "we thought we could do it and integrate the other cameras with the Mobileye system but it's a closed system we can't make that work". from my experience dealing with IT vendors this is ridiculous, When Rivian bought/licensed that system Mobileye would have laid out what can be done either it's open enough that they can integrate other cameras and functionality or it's not, if Mobileye said it's not and insisted it's a closed system why would Rivian have been attempting to do that likely in violation of their purchase agreement/licensing terms. Or it actually is and they just said screw G1 owners they should upgrade to a G2 we're giving up on doing the thing we promised. I mean give me another option. They either bought Mobileye as an open system or a closed system it can't be both.

Maybe Rivian should just officially port Openpilot to the G1 firmware with a liability waiver. Then you could leverage more cameras and sensors. I'd love to run it but running more unsightly wires and yet another screen is not on my to do list.

 

[sacramentoelectric]

OpenPilot on the Rivian: A Game-Changer

After spending eight hours driving with OpenPilot on my Rivian, I can confidently say that it’s just short of magical. It has completely transformed my driving experience, and I will never buy another vehicle without it. Compared to Rivian’s Driver+ system, OpenPilot is in a league of its own—it’s hard to overstate just how much better it is.

I now leave OpenPilot on almost all the time while driving. Disengagement works differently than traditional driver-assist systems: you can always override the steering with a gentle input to nudge the model in your desired direction but that doesn't force the system to disengage. It continues to assist after your input or you can take full control with more force or by using the brake. This makes driving incredibly smooth and relaxed, perfectly aligning with OpenPilot’s slogan: “Making Driving Chill.” Whether you’re on a road trip or just running errands, it enhances every drive and best of all, it works on every road. I used it on a ski trip yesterday and it had no problem accurately following the correct driving line even when there were no visible lines on the road due to snow and grit. In my usage so far, it has never once disengaged because of road conditions. It just works.

I had the chance to meet with the developer working on the Rivian port, and I deeply admire the effort he has put into this project. I honestly can’t believe how much better OpenPilot is than Rivian’s stock system. It’s easily the best money I’ve ever spent on a car, and I consider it a must-have for any G1 Rivian owner. I assume they'll get it eventually working on G2 but for now, G1 is the model you want.

Current State of OpenPilot on Rivian

Right now, OpenPilot only handles steering inputs, while Rivian’s active cruise control manages acceleration and braking. However, there’s an experimental branch that also attempts to handle longitudinal control. The challenge is that the developer is still working on deciphering Rivian’s set speed signals. I'm going to meet with the developer again soon to see if we can find where the signals are logged. If this functionality is improved, OpenPilot-enabled vehicles will be able to combine camera data with radar, significantly reducing issues like phantom braking. Even if no further improvements are made, OpenPilot is already an incredible product—but better longitudinal control would make it even more powerful.

Installation Insights

For those considering installation, CTRedCanyon has a helpful video on YouTube. However, be aware that you’ll also need a 13mm socket to remove a nut so you can shift a plastic piece to get access to the plug. The installation process is somewhat tricky—getting the plug seated deep under the passenger footwell isn’t the easiest task. Expect a scraped knuckle or two, along with some curse words, but it’s entirely doable, and the whole process is easily reversible. I'm confident I could get it done in under 15 minutes if I had to do it again.

Final Thoughts

For anyone on the fence about OpenPilot, I give it my full recommendation. I can’t say enough good things about this project and its software. It’s truly magical. CommaAi is going to fold the Rivian branch into the main build and you should be able to order harnesses pretty soon. I don't know the timeline but it shouldn't be long before you can just order everything from their website. If you want it now and are willing to tinker a bit with experimental builds, you can contact the developer on discord and order the prototype harness.

Just so there's not confusion, this is not autonomous driving. It's a driving assistance feature. You still have to pay attention. It just makes driving easier and more relaxing.

 

[Doc]

That sounds super! I think they are having their "hack-a-thon" this weekend (or next). Does anyone know if they're trying to incorporate any of the recent AI advancements reported in the media (chips, models, etc.) into the Comma and OpenPilot...OR are they just focusing on getting the existing units to be "compatible"/play nice with the Rivian??? I'm not a tech person, so I'm looking at this as the Comma being analogous to a computer (hardware) and the OpenPilot as analogous to a computer program that runs on Comma....this may NOT be a correct way to look at things. Any chip upgrades to Comma....or just tweaking OpenPilot to be compatible with Rivian? Thanks.

 

[JeromePowell]

I think OpenPilot is a great option for Gen 1 (and Aptera).

I don't think highway driving is nearly as big of deal for 'eyes off' for most roads. City is extremely different.

The hardware is *significantly* different in Gen 2. The computer power for AI and the AI/ML systems are *significantly* different in the past couple years. I'm not sure you both have paid a lot of attention to the China cars or the latest versions of Tesla FSD. The possibilities have changed dramatically with way way more knowledge about what is possible now.

So different it is still not "feature complete" or whatever other stupid Tesla buzzwords one might use. The point is, it don't work like that yet and it might never work like that (how RJ said it will).

 

[scottf200]

So different it is still not "feature complete" or whatever other stupid Tesla buzzwords one might use. The point is, it don't work like that yet and it might never work like that (how RJ said it will).

Do you think this guys knows what he is doing and the direction being taken?
Philbin - Autonomy & Al at Rivian (link) - He has some serious history.

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