Rivian CarPlay
Rivian has made a name for itself in the growing EV segment with its uniquely designed vehicles and supporting software. However, some R1T or R1S drivers are complaining about the lack of Apple CarPlay on Rivian. While the door to CarPlay integration was only slightly ajar, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe seems to have closed it for good.
American automaker Rivian ($RIVN) continues to make strides toward becoming a serious contender in the SUV market. After (finally) hitting its stride in producing battery-electric vehicles in Normal, Illinois, Rivian has begun reporting encouraging sales figures and growing demand for its unique, outdoor-focused models.
To date, the automaker has only launched a delivery van, the R1T pickup, and the R1S SUV, but has already publicly unveiled three impressive new models as an encore: the R2, R3, and rally-inspired R3X.
In addition to offering impressive electric vehicles, Rivian develops its own software and infotainment technology in-house, which is no easy feat. As a result, Rivian has never offered the wildly popular Apple CarPlay as an infotainment option. While the automaker has since added apps like YouTube and Apple Music, CarPlay isn’t offered… nor is it on Rivian’s center console.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe must be tired of questions about CarPlay integration by now, and has often had to justify why the company continues to forgo the API that seamlessly connects a driver’s iPhone to the vehicle.
In a recent interview with Nilay Patel on The Verge Decoder In his podcast, Scaringe denounced Apple CarPlay’s plans for good, and his reasoning is completely understandable.
Rivian CarPlay
Rivian’s current user interface for R1 and CarPlay / Source: Rivian
Rivian wants to control its own user interface, not Apple or CarPlay
At its core, Apple CarPlay is a universal user interface for automakers that can’t or haven’t yet developed viable infotainment software. Some automakers have embraced it, while others, like Tesla, have shied away from it from day one.
Over the past year, we’ve seen legacy automakers like GM abandon CarPlay, while others like Mercedes-Benz continue to shun it in favor of their own technology. According to RJ Scaringe’s interview, Rivian will continue to blaze new trails in the EV market without the customer appeal (for some) of Apple CarPlay.
Instead, Scaringe expressed confidence in the American automaker’s in-car user interface and compared the adoption of CarPlay to Apple using Microsoft Windows instead of developing its own operating system – something that will NEVER happen. According to Scaringe:
We have a great relationship with Apple. As much as I love their products, there’s a reason that ironically is very consistent with Apple’s ethos, which is that we want to control the ecosystem. (CarPlay) is not consistent with how we think about creating a true product experience.
It’s admirable to hear that Rivian prefers to control its own destiny in terms of user experience. From what we’ve seen so far, the company has the development experience in its software department to deliver an even better user interface for its electric vehicles.
Rivian’s CEO cited the multiple manipulations CarPlay would force its drivers and passengers to endure to use both Apple’s API and its own software and said CarPlay can’t “leverage other parts of the vehicle experience.”
Scaringe would prefer to keep all UI software development in-house in order to deliver a product specifically tailored to the rest of its proprietary EV technology. It will take time and effort to match or even surpass a software giant like the brains at Apple, but the company is continuing those efforts as it looks to R2 and beyond. According to Scaringe:
We recognize that it will take time to fully leverage all of the features of CarPlay, and we hope customers realize that. I think it often gets more hype than it deserves. The other thing that’s coming, beyond mapping, is better integration with SMS. We know that needs to happen, and it’s something the teams are actively working on.
Rivian recently announced that its upcoming R2 SUV has garnered over 100,000 pre-orders and sales continue to climb. From what we’ve seen of this Rivian model, it looks like a real winner, but don’t expect it to support Apple CarPlay.
FTC: We use income generating automatic affiliate links. More.
.jpg)
.webp)
0 Comments