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Rivian’s R1 vehicles are getting a gut overhaul — here’s what’s new

The R1 vehicles may look the same, but everything’s changed.

Rivian’s first-gen R1 platform relied on a domain architecture, in which over a dozen ECUs — small devices that control and monitor various systems, like airbags to braking to parking assistance — were spread throughout the vehicle. In terms of improved capabilities, Rivian’s Driver Plus system will now enable enhanced blind spot detection and automatic lane changing, and the company hopes to offer hands-free driving by the end of the year. “While I think it’s bad for the world that there’s going to be less choice and you have a lot of OEMs that have dramatically pulled back on the electrification efforts,” Scaringe said, “I do think it creates more of a need for pure-play mission-oriented electric vehicle manufacturers to exist.”

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