Rivian LiDAR and RAP1: What We Know So Far

Rivian put up a new LiDAR and RAP1 support page this week, and the new part is how clearly it spells out what won’t get you the hardware. Pushing your delivery date back or buying Autonomy+ won’t guarantee LiDAR or RAP1, and Rivian says announcements about future R2 hardware don’t set availability for R1T or R1S. That makes it a good time to pull together everything Rivian has said about the new hardware since it was first announced.

What LiDAR and RAP1 are

Rivian first showed RAP1 at its Autonomy & AI Day last December. It’s Rivian’s first in-house processor, a 5nm chip rated at 1,600 sparse INT8 TOPS, and it powers the new Gen 3 Autonomy Computer. At that same event Rivian confirmed LiDAR would come to R2 later in the program and that R2 would launch without it.

The support page describes LiDAR as using laser pulses to build a 3D view around the vehicle. Rivian plans to use it alongside cameras and radar for future autonomy features.

When it’s coming

The original target was late 2026. At the Evercore ADAS Forum in September, James Philbin said RAP1 goes into employee R2s later this year before it reaches customer deliveries next year. A LiDAR R2 test vehicle showed up near Irvine back in July, and the support page says those test cars are collecting data to improve all Rivian vehicles.

Rivian hasn’t given customers a date yet, and the support page is clear that no order date or delivery window is tied to the new hardware until Rivian announces which configurations get it.

What it means for Autonomy+

Autonomy+ is software that runs on the hardware your vehicle already has, so subscribing won’t add LiDAR or swap the processor. Launch Package buyers still get Autonomy+ bundled for the life of the car, and James said in the R2 AMA that those R2s are capable of point-to-point hands-free driving without LiDAR. Point-to-point starts a limited rollout this year, with a broad customer rollout planned for 2027.

Having LiDAR or RAP1 also doesn’t automatically unlock eyes-off driving. Rivian says that still needs supported software and approval for specific conditions, and Philbin has pointed out that every state handles eyes-off differently.

What about current owners

Rivian says it has no plans to retrofit LiDAR to existing vehicles, since an over-the-air update can’t add sensors or replace a processor. Vehicles without LiDAR will keep getting improvements based on their hardware. James said back in May that he doesn’t expect a noticeable gap between LiDAR and non-LiDAR cars for some time, and that the 3D data from LiDAR cars ends up helping train the Gen 2 fleet too.

Rivian’s second Autonomy & AI Day is set for December 9 in San Francisco, and I’d expect that’s where we finally hear which R2 configurations get LiDAR and when customers can order one. I’ll share more with you all as soon as Rivian confirms it.

Jose Castillo Founder and Editor

Jose Castillo is the founder of RivianTrackr and has owned and driven Rivians since early in the brand's consumer history. He currently drives an R1S and an R2 in Florida and uses Universal Hands-Free every day. As a credentialed Rivian journalist, he has covered the R2 First Drive in Park City and SXSW firsthand and has spoken directly with Rivian's software and autonomy leadership.

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