Rivian‘s founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has reaffirmed the EV maker’s commitment to a native operating system where Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integrations are not supported.
Since last year, the chief executive has been defending that the Irvine-based EV maker will focus on a “seamless digital experience” provided by an in-house developed ecosystem, an idea he reinforced in October.
In a new interview with Stratechery, Scaringe said that supporting Apple CarPlay would mean having “two different UIs playing out,” which leads to a “poor user experience.”
Rivian‘s CEO criticized the user interfaces used by most automakers, saying that it is the only reason that people insist on Apple‘s system integration.
“They’re in cars that have such bad UI that the life raft to escape the horrible UI that is embedded in the car is CarPlay,” Scaringe stated.
Tesla CarPlay Report
The chief executive admitted that “if I’m in a non-Rivian or non-Tesla and I get in, it’s like a disaster and I’m like, ‘Oh thank goodness there’s CarPlay.'”
Last month, Bloomberg reported that Tesla is considering the integration of Apple CarPlay, with internal testing having already started.
Up until now, the Elon Musk-led company had refused to support the system. Tesla has neither denied nor confirmed the information.
According to Scaringe, “people that are in Teslas and Rivians that are actually driving it, the number of people that actually complain about it is very, very low.”
Feature Integration
While noting that Apple CarPlay “has some thoughtful UI,” Scaringe said that “the few things that are missing [within Rivian‘s ecosystem] we’ve been adding.”
This includes, for example, Google Maps, which was included in the July software update. According to the CEO, “there’s more mapping platforms that’ll come in over time.”
Additionally, Rivian supports “all the music platforms, including Apple Music, natively integrated.”
The company will also integrate the digital car key for both Apple and Android users before year-end.
However, Scaringe is already thinking ahead, saying that “soon with AI integration, I just think a lot of this fades away because you want a singular layer.”
“That may mean we’re running ChatGPT to do some portions, we may be running Gemini to do other portions, but we get to be the arbiter of all this stuff under the surface,” he added.
CarPlay in Other OEMs
Apple‘s solution is integrated into over 800 models across more than 20 brands, including Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW, BYD, Ferrari, Hyundai, and US electric vehicle maker Lucid Motors (since 2023).
Two months ago, General Motors revealed that support for Apple CarPlay will be removed from its infotainment system, as well as Android Auto, as it transitions to Google-based software.
This Tuesday, however, the Detroit automaker announced that the native Apple Music app will be available for customers in North America.
The automaker will also make the digital key available in the Apple Wallet.
