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Rivian partners with Meridian Audio for premium sound in its EVs

Credit: Rivian and Meridian Audio

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Electric vehicle company Rivian has chosen British audio pioneer Meridian Audio to provide branded audio systems for its electric vehicle platform. The two companies began their partnership more than a year ago, but it became public after the two companies announced the partnership on Tuesday, March 2nd.

Rivian is planning to launch its first vehicles in just a few months, with its first deliveries scheduled for June 2021. With its all-electric R1T pickup truck heading to customers in such a short period of time, Rivian has finally chosen a premium sound supplier for its vehicles in Meridian. Meridian has been around since 1977 and has a reputation for delivering premium quality sound systems in both residential, commercial, and automotive settings.

The two companies have been in collaboration for over a year, according to a press release from Meridian. Rivian and Meridian have been working on designing, engineering, and turning high-performance audio systems that will “embody Rivian’s ambitions to rethink mobility and shape the way people live, work, and play for the better.” Rivian is the first all-electric automaker to come forward that primarily focuses on the outdoor experience with its vehicles. While other automakers focus on the luxury segment, Rivian is delivering vehicles that will fit the bill for someone who plans to spend their time in the wilderness and in the great outdoors, where the company’s all-electric powertrains will thrive in nearly any setting thanks to its quad-motor powertrain.

The partnership is welcomed by John Buchanan, CEO of Meridian, who had high praise for Rivian’s mission to promote all-electric passenger transportation while keeping sustainability and environmental consciousness in mind.

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Buchanan said:

“We were thrilled to have won the opportunity to work with such an exciting new company and to have been selected to engineer the in-car audio experiences for Rivian’s electric vehicles, Meridian is demonstrating itself to be the premium audio brand and technology partner of choice for automotive brands seeking market-leading sound solutions. Rivian’s goal to redefine expectations in the automotive industry through the human-centric and nature-conscious application of innovation and technology makes Meridian the perfect partner for them. We are delighted that the renowned Meridian sound experience now extends to the Rivian R1T and R1S electric vehicles, and we are excited about the future with Rivian.”

Credit: Rivian and Meridian Audio

Meridian’s design for Rivian’s vehicles is set to ensure that the audio will actually enhance the entertainment experience for every occupant within the vehicle. “Meridian has designed an audio system that provides both the driver and the passengers with a truly immersive listening experience,” Buchanan said. Meridian developed certain technologies that are tailored for the future automotive market, which could be filled with electric vehicles within the next decade. Among the key features of Meridian’s powerful audio systems, four specific technologies are tailored for the R1T and R1S specifically.

Meridian Digital Precison

Meridian Digital Precision technology ensures that all the finest details and emotions of the performance are delivered, regardless of the format used.

Meridian RE-Q

Meridian RE-Q is a Cabin Correction technology that removes unwanted cabin resonances, preserving the natural rhythm and timing of the performance. Bass becomes smooth, deep, and balanced.

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Meridian Horizon

Meridian Horizon is an upmixing technology providing immersive multichannel audio from two-channel stereo content, configured for any loudspeaker layout. Providing a truly enveloping and immersive listening experience.

Meridian Intelli-Q

Meridian Intelli-Q is Data-Driven Equalisation that optimizes audio playback within the cabin based on data available from the vehicle such as speed, window state, occupancy, and audio source. This ensures all occupants in the vehicle enjoy optimal audio experience at all times.

Meridian’s full press release announcing its official partnership with Rivian is available here.

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Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla looks to upgrade Matrix Headlights with new features

According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.

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Credit: @jojje167 on X

Tesla is looking to upgrade its Matrix Headlights, a unique and high-tech feature that is available on several of its vehicles. The headlights aim to maximize visibility for Tesla drivers while being considerate of oncoming traffic.

The Matrix Headlights Tesla offers utilize dimming of individual light pixels to ensure that visibility stays high for those behind the wheel, while also being considerate of other cars by decreasing the brightness in areas where other cars are traveling.

Here’s what they look like in action:

As you can see, the Matrix headlight system intentionally dims the area where oncoming cars would be impacted by high beams. This keeps visibility at a maximum for everyone on the road, including those who could be hit with bright lights in their eyes.

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There are still a handful of complaints from owners, however, but Tesla appears to be looking to resolve these with the coming updates in a Software Version that is currently labeled 2026.2.xxx. The coding was spotted by X user BERKANT:

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According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.

Finally, the new system will prevent the high beams from glaring back at the driver. The system is made to dim when it recognizes oncoming cars, but not necessarily objects that could produce glaring issues back at the driver.

Tesla’s revolutionary Matrix headlights are coming to the U.S.

This upgrade is software-focused, so there will not need to be any physical changes or upgrades made to Tesla vehicles that utilize the Matrix headlights currently.

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Elon Musk

xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report

Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations. 

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Credit: xAI

Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.

Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.

Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations. 

The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards. 

Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD. 

Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible. 

The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper

“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

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Credit: Starlink

Elon Musk has pushed back on claims that Starlink’s recent price reductions are tied to Amazon’s Kuiper project.

In a post on X, Musk responded directly to a report suggesting that Starlink was cutting prices and offering free hardware to partners ahead of a planned IPO and increased competition from Kuiper.

“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “The lower the cost, the more Starlink can be used by people who don’t have much money, especially in the developing world.”

The speculation originated from a post summarizing a report from The Information, which ran with the headline “SpaceX’s Starlink Makes Land Grab as Amazon Threat Looms.” The report stated that SpaceX is aggressively cutting prices and giving free hardware to distribution partners, which was interpreted as a reaction to Amazon’s Kuiper’s upcoming rollout and possible IPO.

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In a way, Musk’s comments could be quite accurate considering Starlink’s current scale. The constellation currently has more than 9,700 satellites in operation today, making it by far the largest satellite broadband network in operation. It has also managed to grow its user base to 10 million active customers across more than 150 countries worldwide. 

Amazon’s Kuiper, by comparison, has launched approximately 211 satellites to date, as per data from SatelliteMap.Space, some of which were launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Starlink surpassed that number in early January 2020, during the early buildout of its first-generation network.

Lower pricing also aligns with Starlink’s broader expansion strategy. SpaceX continues to deploy satellites at a rapid pace using Falcon 9, and future launches aboard Starship are expected to significantly accelerate the constellation’s growth. A larger network improves capacity and global coverage, which can support a broader customer base.

In that context, price reductions can be viewed as a way to match expanding supply with growing demand. Musk’s companies have historically used aggressive pricing strategies to drive adoption at scale, particularly when vertical integration allows costs to decline over time.

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