RJ Says Rivian Will Deliver Point-to-Point Hands-Free Driving by 2026

Back in January 2025, we reported that Rivian was aiming to bring “eyes-off” autonomy by 2026 (read here). Then in February, we followed up with news that hands-free highway driving was launching for Gen 2 R1 vehicles, which did in fact arrive a few weeks later (coverage here).

Now Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe is doubling down. In a recent appearance on InsideEVs’ Plugged-In Podcast, Scaringe said Rivian is on the “precipice” of a more advanced hands-free system that will go beyond highways to work on city streets. By 2026, he says Rivian expects point-to-point driving, where the truck can take you from address to address on its own.

RJ admitted timelines can be fuzzy, but Rivian plans to show progress at its upcoming autonomy day. The long-term vision: evolve from hands-free to eyes-off driving. As RJ pointed out, most cars today are technically Level 2, requiring drivers to stay alert, but people treat them like Level 3 anyway. Rivian’s goal is to stop faking it and actually build a system that can safely take over.

He also credited Tesla’s early autonomy push with helping boost sales, and believes hands-free tech will do the same for EV adoption more broadly by the end of the decade.

Of course, Rivian still has to deliver. Automakers have stumbled on autonomy timelines before. But if Rivian makes good on its promises, it could be one of the first brands to bring true personal autonomy to market.