Rivian Universal Hands-Free Is Rolling Out in 2025.46, What It Can and Can’t Do

Rivian Universal Hands-Free

Rivian’s Universal Hands-Free is officially rolling out starting today as part of the 2025.46 software update for Gen 2 R1T and R1S. Universal Hands-Free lets you drive without your hands on the steering wheel for extended periods, as long as you’re paying attention and looking at the road. This is not full self-driving, and Rivian is very clear about that,…

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Video – Rivian Unlocks Hands Free Driving and Digital Key in 2025.46 Update

Rivian 2025.46 Review Video Thumbnail

Rivian just rolled out a huge December software update, and if you own a Gen 2 vehicle, this one is packed with good stuff. The headline feature is Universal Hands-Free, which enables hands-free driving across more than 3.5 million miles of roads in North America. You also get Digital Key with Ultra-Wideband support, plus new Driver Display customization options including…

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Clearing Up the Confusion Around Rivian R2 and LiDAR

Rivian R2

There’s been a lot of mixed messaging and confusion around how Rivian plans to launch R2, so I want to clearly lay out what we know today and how this rollout is actually going to work. Rivian will launch R2 in early 2026 with Gen 2 autonomy hardware. This is the same autonomy stack that’s currently shipping in today’s Gen…

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Why Rivian’s Ground Truth Fleet Matters More Than Any Single Feature

Rivian R2 Ground Truth Fleet

During Rivian’s Autonomy & AI Day, James Philbin dropped one of the most important lines of the entire event, and it was easy to miss. When the Rivian R2 launches with LiDAR, every vehicle on the road becomes a ground truth vehicle. That one statement quietly explains how Rivian plans to scale autonomy far beyond a small internal test fleet.…

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Why Rivian’s R2 LiDAR Timeline Risks the Osborne Effect

Rivian R2-D2

With Rivian confirming that LiDAR is coming to R2 in late 2026, but also making it clear that R2 deliveries begin in early 2026 without it, there’s an interesting business dynamic worth talking about, the Osborne effect. The Osborne effect is a classic concept in tech. It happens when a company announces a future product or major upgrade too early,…

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