Mammoth / US 395 Driving Assist gaps

[hayduke]

Anyone else who does the US 395 trip to Mammoth have reports on where there Driving Assist (automatic steering)?

In my experience, it starts for the first time at Toms Place, continues until the first Crowley Lake exit, cuts out for half a mile , then is available for about another mile and a half, and that’s it.

Southbound, it’s fairly similar, I think it also cuts out for a little bit around Crowley but just has this one 5 mile stretch spottily covered but that’s it.

In 2022 I thought this was maybe expected - new car, new feature, it’d be improved over time. But 3 years later, it’s exactly the same, always cutting out at the same spots and it occurred to me maybe it’s an issue with my truck. I’m also wondering why they’d bother to have driving assist available for just a few miles not near any other driving assist roads (none until CA-14 on the way to LA)..

Curious, do other mammoth travelers have the same experience as me?

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[RWerksman]

While I don't have experience on that particular road, I can confirm this is extremely common. It seems like every highway, regardless of how commonly used, the length of time it's been in place, or even construction status has 'missing' areas just like your describe. It could be not available for a few hundred feet, a mile, or more.

It's absolutely infuriating, and absolutely not acceptable anymore. Hands-on systems should be available anywhere that has good lane markings. Hands-free systems should be the ones only limited to mapped highways.

Rivian, sadly, appears both risk averse and unwilling or unable to constantly flag entire highways, which hasn't changes since the first trucks were delivered in autumn of 2022.

 

[Captain JB]

I make at least 3 trips up 395 from hermosa Beach per year and found the same thing. I figure it just does not know its exact location well enough so the system is being extra safe. I am no expert though. I also prefer hands on when it is a single lane.

 

[elatrickWheels]

The consolation is that driving (in the active, full-engagement sense) on 395 can be one of life’s great pleasures, and it can be truly appreciated in a Rivian.

 

[MysterG]

In the hope of adding momentum to better Driving Assist, I can contribute (perhaps) some additional insight into the current implementation (and limitations) of where things "work" and where they don't.
I regularly travel from the Bay Area (Oakland) to the mid-Willamette Valley in Oregon, 560 miles - most of which is on I-5, which is well covered with charging options and Driver Assist. The nasty weather last week made me choose to take US 101 from the Bay Area to Crescent City, where I crossed back to and from I-5. US-101 takes many forms during those hundreds of miles - 12 lanes, limited access to 2-lane twisting highways with infrequent passing lanes and turnouts. Driving Assist was predictably unavailable EXCEPT on areas of US-101 which were "flagged" Freeway, primarily around Eureka but extending northward from there and some random sections way north of Crescent City. My experience in trying to maximize the use of the feature led to the discovery that it would kick off Driver Assist during those (sometimes extended) sections of the "Freeway" where there was no barrier separating the lanes of traffic - a sometimes sketchy "feature" of CA-DOT highways. Sure enough, it would kick me off DA+ during those (admittedly harrowing) sections where it might be liable for really quick high-speed interactions with nothing much to get in the way. I don't have nearly as much experience on 395, but I'm pretty sure it has some sections that might have that "feature".
In any case add me to the list who is frustrated by the unavailability of DA+ on secondary roads which are not limited access, at least significant highways (101, 50, 395, 99, 66, ...). Where can I sign up to help get these roads supported if there is any way to make this happen?
At the very least would you please tell us drivers why you are kicking control of the car back to us? I can be better prepared to take over while zipping down the eastern slope of the Rockies on I-70 through those pesky construction zones where the lane striping is aspirational at best.
Best of luck! And if the dead spots line up with 395's non-median areas I'd be happy to know.
(apologies for the long post)

 

[EastSider]

I drive my 2025 R1S between Bishop and Mammoth several times a week. What I have noticed while driving with (adaptive) cruise control is that the car slows down from 70 to about 67 just before reaching an intersecting road along 395. It won't slow down for proper on ramps but it does slow at McGee just N of Crowley and at Mustang Mesa a few miles N of Bishop. It is maddening, so now I switch back to manual before approaching those cross-streets. Could that be the problem you are experiencing?

 

[Mathme]

I've also seen Highway assist cancel on freeways when there are cross roads between exits. Namely, this happens a lot in the agricultural section of Hwy 101 between Salinas and Paso Robles.

It's sort of annoying when driving through, but I also get it in that the software is naturally conservative as a safety feature (see Tesla slamming into semi trailer stopped across highway in a similar situation).

 

[mkg3]

Anyone else who does the US 395 trip to Mammoth have reports on where there Driving Assist (automatic steering)?

In my experience, it starts for the first time at Toms Place, continues until the first Crowley Lake exit, cuts out for half a mile , then is available for about another mile and a half, and that’s it.

Southbound, it’s fairly similar, I think it also cuts out for a little bit around Crowley but just has this one 5 mile stretch spottily covered but that’s it.

In 2022 I thought this was maybe expected - new car, new feature, it’d be improved over time. But 3 years later, it’s exactly the same, always cutting out at the same spots and it occurred to me maybe it’s an issue with my truck. I’m also wondering why they’d bother to have driving assist available for just a few miles not near any other driving assist roads (none until CA-14 on the way to LA)..

Curious, do other mammoth travelers have the same experience as me?

I've done this exact drive couple of times in our R1S. The thing is, I don't use cruise control, let alone Driver+.

I have tried Drover+ and is meh. Have to touch the steering wheel too often and is annoying. And yes, there are bunch of disabled sections of the freeways.

 

[tjrivian]

I drove 395 from socal to/from Tahoe. Driver+ basically doesn't work at all on the entire route. Sure, maybe there are a few miles here and there where it works, but that's pretty useless on a drive thats hundreds of miles long.

It shouldn't really be surprising that it doesn't work there though. Driver+ is only advertised as working on "certain divided or controlled-access highways". 395 doesn't meet that criteria.

While 395 doesn't officially meet that criteria, in an ideal world - the fact that it has a stoplight or a road crossing once every 20 mile would not diqualify from driver+ from working. Rivian is taking an extremely conservative approach on this issue. I don't know any other manufacturers that would restrict their "TACC + lane_keeping" system from working on a road like 395.

 

[ksurfier]

I've also seen Highway assist cancel on freeways when there are cross roads between exits. Namely, this happens a lot in the agricultural section of Hwy 101 between Salinas and Paso Robles.

It's sort of annoying when driving through, but I also get it in that the software is naturally conservative as a safety feature (see Tesla slamming into semi trailer stopped across highway in a similar situation).

seen the same, anything resembling a intersecting cross-road and the Driver+ taps out…another interesting thing I noticed is that the WiFi/hotspot settings can also impact whether Driver+ will work, it will say “unavailable on this road” and the. Toggling WiFi will make it work…very strange

 

[Captain JB]

I am good with it as safety is the highest priority. Many places it is a signal lane road on 395 which should be 100% focus

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

The consolation is that driving (in the active, full-engagement sense) on 395 can be one of life’s great pleasures, and it can be truly appreciated in a Rivian.

395 is a wonderful drive. Though I would argue it’s best with doors and roof off.

 

[POLAR1S]

yea it goes on and off on the 395... actually everywhere...
either way top speed on driving assist is 85 so I don't use it so often while on the 395.

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