Rivian Taps Google To Bring Custom Maps Into Its Evs And App

For 18 months, Rivian and Google engineers worked together. Today, they’re showing disconnected their work.

Rivian is pushing retired a package update that will bring a unsocial type of Google Maps into its EVs. It’s nan latest measurement successful Rivian’s continued effort to separate its vehicles pinch package — an effort that has helped it onslaught up a associated task pinch 1 of nan world’s biggest automakers, Volkswagen.

This isn’t a emblematic nan Google Maps integration and it’s dissimilar nan tech company’s different collaborations successful nan automotive sector. For years, Google has pushed into automotive done its smartphone projection app called Android Auto arsenic good arsenic Google built-in, an Android Automotive operating strategy that integrates Google services straight into nan conveyance and is utilized by automakers for illustration Volvo.

The collaboration pinch Rivian is neither. Instead, Rivian customers who usage nan in-car navigation will nary longer spot nan Mapbox-based maps. Now, they’ll spot Google Maps, but pinch a batch of Rivian DNA radiated connected top, including its travel planner, personification interface and design, and EV charger locations, according to Rivian’s main of package Wassym Bensaid.

“We evidently intimately watch customer feedback, and I deliberation 1 of nan areas wherever we had immoderate level of disapproval was navigation,” Bensaid said. The institution could person tried to incrementally amended its existing in-car navigation. Instead, it started moving pinch Google to motorboat a caller product.

Rivian’s challenge: it didn’t conscionable want nan default Google Maps application.

“Google really wanted to clasp a caller exemplary of collaboration pinch a much unfastened integration down to nan API levels for Google Maps, and that required moving pinch a tech partner connected that travel to merge some solutions, and I deliberation we’re really ace happy pinch nan consequence of this collaboration,” he said.

The caller maps characteristic will see estimated clip of arrival, postulation updates, spot information, and outer imagery from Google Maps, each of which is integrated into Rivian’s navigation system. The in-car navigation will besides see tappable points of interest.

Carrying complete Rivian’s travel planner is important arsenic it showcases EV scope estimates and charging extremity selection, each powered by A Better Routeplanner. Other Rivian features for illustration its “range connected arrival,” charging stops and preferences, and nan EV maker’s charging score, which gives a standing for individual charging sites based connected plug-in information from Rivian vehicles, person besides been folded into nan Google Maps.

The caller Google-based maps will commencement to rotation retired coming via a package update successful Rivian vehicles and its mobile app.

The updated Rivian mobile app will see further travel readying features arsenic well. Rivian said it added spot photos, spot descriptions and outer position (with a Connect+ subscription), arsenic good arsenic nan expertise to spot postulation and postulation incidents successful nan app. Users tin besides proceed to stock destinations and trips from nan Rivian mobile app to their vehicle.