Here's your Forbes Daily Briefing bonus story of the week.

Today on Forbes, Rivian is adding self-driving capability to its EVs, starting with the R2SUV.

Rivian, the electric vehicle maker created and led by RJ Scouringe, is jumping into the self-driving

tech race with plans to add new hardware and

software to enable hands-free Azov driving starting next year with its new R2 model.

The company already offers limited hands-free driver assist features in its R1 pickups and

SUVs. But speaking at a briefing in Palo Alto, California, Scringe said that the

functionality will increase significantly with better cameras, radar, and a laser-lider sensor

from late 2026. He said that a new in-house design chip and computing system is also being

added, and future upgrades could allow Rivians to operate as robotaxies.

He said, quote, starting in 2026, we'll begin rolling out point-to-point capabilities in which the

vehicle can drive from address to address. What that means is you can get into the vehicle at your

house, plug in the address where you're going, and the vehicle will completely drive you there. While our initial focus will be on personally owned vehicles, which

today represent a vast majority of the miles driven in the United States, this also enables

us to pursue opportunities in the ride share space. Rivian remains the most promising U.S.

Tesla rival since entering the market five years ago

with the R1 models and its electric delivery vans, though sales have fallen short of initial goals.

The new R2, due in early 2026, is to have a base price of about $45,000, tens of thousands of

dollars less than the R1S and R1T.

Scorinj is counting on it to dramatically increase Rivian sales volume, though the loss of

federal tax credits is already dampening U.S. EV demand. Adding self-driving capability,

paired with far more powerful sensors than Tesla uses,

...