Rivian Has A Different Take On Autonomous Cars - CleanTechnica

Rivian founder R.J. Scaringe envisions a unique approach to autonomous vehicles, emphasizing practical and customer-centric features rather than full self-driving or robotaxi ambitions. He foresees Rivian cars autonomously performing everyday tasks such as dropping owners at the airport, picking up children from school, and running errands. Additionally, Scaringe highlights a self-servicing capability where vehicles can drive themselves to service centers and return home after repairs, eliminating the inconvenience currently experienced by Tesla owners and others. At its December 2025 AI Day, Rivian announced it would develop its own custom autonomous driving chips, manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, rather than relying on external suppliers like Nvidia. These new chips will power the Autonomy Compute Module 3, delivering four times the performance of the current system. Starting in 2027, Rivian vehicles priced around $45,000 will feature windshield-mounted lidar sensors, which Scaringe argues are now cost-effective and aesthetically unobtrusive compared to