Rivian will introduce version 2.0 of its operating system (OS) with the upcoming R2 SUV, scheduled to debut on March 12.
Chief Software Officer (CSO) Wassym Bensaid stated on Wednesday that the major overhaul will also be deployed to R1 vehicles later this year, following speculation from several social owners about its availability on the R1S and R1T models.
Bensaid was replying to a post praising the software team’s work on the UI design, which was reviewed for the first time in the first R2 videos published on Tuesday.
“I can’t wait to get our Rivian OS 2.0 in the hands of R2 customers,” the software head wrote, adding that it “will also roll it out to R1 later in the year.”
The refreshed interface was first seen in a CNBC documentary released late last week, in which founder and CEO RJ Scaringe showcased a pre-production R2 unit.
After the video was published, several Rivian enthusiasts spotted several changes in the quick menu in the center screen.
According to X user ‘RivianUpdates,’ the “clearest takeaway” from last week’s video was “Rivian’s R2 UI, which shows a lot of differences compared to the current R1 infotainment, especially given its smaller size compared to R1.”
“It looks like we are still getting the rear trunk window to roll down and the rear windows to still vent like shown at unveil,” he said, though these were previously expected to be in-screen buttons in the quick menu.
Images of an R2 build published during the weekend confirmed that the model will feature a rear drop glass, allowing the window to fold down independently of the tailgate.
Return to Physical Knobs
Last week, ‘RivianUpdates’ also noticed that there are “multiple switches at the ceiling of the R2 next to the caution and SOS buttons,” which are new.
There has been a lot of discussion regarding the comeback of physical buttons on Rivian vehicles.
Car and Driver reported in late January that a new patent filed with the USPTO showed the company intends to independently power the tailgate on a facelifted R1S model as well as the R2 SUV.
The patent application included illustrations of the dashboard which included a row of buttons under the screen.
Emergency Manual Door Releases
Wassym Bensaid was also active on the main Rivian subreddit, where he addressed a discussion regarding the emergency manual door releases.
The issue was first noticed by Zack Nelson, known on YouTube as ‘JerryRigEverything.’
A 30-second clip from Nelson’s video was shared on r/Rivian, showing that the R2’s four doors feature digital electronic latches but differ in their emergency manual releases.
The driver’s door has a simple physical latch that only needs to be pulled, while the rear doors include an emergency lock that requires “popping this out and then pulling a cord.”
“Adding complexity in emergency isn’t my favourite thing, so I wish they had physical latches on all four doors,” Nelson stated.
The comments come just a week after a new wrongful-death lawsuit was filed against Tesla, alleging that its electronic door handles failed to open during an emergency.
According to Bloomberg, 15 people have been affected by similar incidents in the United States.
The NHTSA is currently investigating the door handles on several Tesla models. In China, electronic door handles have been banned.
Responding to the concerns pointed out in the subreddit, Bensaid wrote that Rivian has “architected our system differently than competitors, granting that the electronic door system is always powered even in the case of an emergency.
E-Latch System
“We provide FULLY redundant and fault-isolating power across the vehicle (between high-voltage and 12V batteries) in the event of a crash,” the CSO wrote.
According to him, the e-latch system chosen for both Gen 2 R1s and the R2 offers “higher safety capabilities and more intelligent features than a purely mechanical door.”
Bensaid highlighted child lock integration as an example, as the e-latch system unlocks doors automatically in the event of an emergency, allowing rear passengers to exit freely.
“In a traditional vehicle, if child locks are engaged, the rear doors are physically disconnected from the inside handle — meaning in an accident, rear passengers cannot exit without help from the outside,” he wrote.
The original poster refocused on the complexity mentioned by Zack Nelson, stating that their concern is that “remembering where/how to remove the hidden panel and pull on the cord might be too much” during an emergency.
However, Wassym Bensaid remains confident on the e-latch system, saying that the manual release “is only intended to be used by our Service team during specific service operations.”
