On the grounds of the historic Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles on Monday night, Rivian, a US-based electric vehicle startup, unveiled its first vehicle to a small, quaint crowd. Food was served, and calming music befitting a Four Seasons Hotel serenaded members of the press and the event’s guests, which included social media influencers and even a number of celebrities from Hollywood. Amidst the chill vibe, though, a sense of excitement permeated the air, thanks to the centerpiece of the night’s event — a futuristic, rugged, vehicle that has the potential to disrupt the US’ highly lucrative pickup truck market.
The Rivian R1T, with its large off-road wheels, imposing stance, and adventure-themed design flourishes almost stood as a stark contrast to the unveiling’s quaint atmosphere. Quite unlike Tesla, whose unveiling events feature large numbers of people and a modern, high-energy setting, Rivian’s unveiling event for its R1T pickup truck was composed and almost restrained. The enthusiasm in the air, though, was palpable.
The R1T could be described as a luxury adventure vehicle. The pickup truck is designed from the ground up to be at home both on the pavement and off the beaten path, but the vehicle maintains an air of sophistication nonetheless. While Rivian did not allow test drives during the event, the truck on display was very well put together. It was evident that a lot of thought went into the vehicle’s interior design, from its luxurious seats, its all digital instrument panel, and its unique floormats which were made from a lightweight, thin material that almost seemed like carbon fiber.
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- Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe presents the R1T all-electric pickup truck. [Credit: Teslarati]
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- The Rivian R1T’s interior is plush with technology. [Credit: Teslarati]
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- The Rivian R1T features a functional bed with a number of clever features. [Credit: Teslarati]
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- The luxury aspect of the Rivian R1T is reflected in the vehicle’s seats, which are made of premium materials. [Credit: Teslarati]
Rivian unveils its R1T all-electric pickup truck. [Credit: Teslarati]
Speaking before an audience comprised mainly of Rivian employees, select media and even some A-list celebs, CEO RJ Scaringe presented the R1T’s key features and capabilities. Rivian confirmed that they are using 2170 battery cells for the R1T pickup truck and the R1S SUV, which is set to be unveiled on Tuesday. The company noted that it would not be producing its own batteries at this stage of its operations, though their long-term strategy also includes the possibility of establishing a dedicated battery manufacturing facility like Tesla’s Gigafactory 1. Rivian aims to be a battery manufacturer like Tesla eventually, and it aims to license and sell its cells to other manufacturers in the future.
There’s no question that the vehicle’s target demographic are buyers who love luxury and the outdoors. As such, we were impressed by some of the pickup truck’s features that are aimed at making the ownership experience effortless. Among these were its automatic liftgate, and a thin, black lining that automatically protects cargo on the bed with the press of a button. We also found some of the R1T’s quirks — such as headlights that double as a green progress bar when the vehicle is charging — clever and fun. Finally, we liked the vehicle’s storage options, from its “gear tunnel” to its 11.7 cubic foot (330 liter) frunk, which is larger than those found in other premium electric vehicles like the Tesla Model S and Model X.
Rivian noted that it intends to develop self-driving capabilities for the R1T. As such, the truck is equipped with the hardware necessary to make this a reality. These include a suite of cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radar, high-precision GPS technologies, and even a LiDAR. In the future, the company notes that the vehicle should be able to meet its driver at the end of a hiking trail or river run. The company did not provide details as to how it intends to accomplish this, though considering its focus on the outdoors, there is a good possibility that Rivian could be mapping popular trails across the country.
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- The Rivian R1T has a distinct front fascia. [Credit: Teslarati]
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- Rivian’s “skateboard” for the R1T, which holds the pickup truck’s 2170 battery modules. [Credit: Teslarati]
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- The Rivian R1T all-electric pickup truck has a seating capacity of 5. [Credit: Teslarati]
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- The Rivian R1T’s “gear tunnel,” which is specifically designed to store items like fishing roads and golf clubs. [Credit: Teslarati]
Rivian unveils its R1T all-electric pickup truck. [Credit: Teslarati]
After operating in stealth for the most part of the past decade, Rivian has decided to come out with a bang, renting out one of the most historic landmarks in LA to unveil a vehicle that could very well be equally historic if produced and ramped successfully. The R1T starts at $69,000 for its base trim, which is equipped with four electric motors and a 230+ mile range from its 105 kWh battery. The all-electric truck is still pricier than mainstays of the US’ pickup truck market such as the Ford F-150, which starts at a more affordable $29,650. That said, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe made it clear that the company is going for a very specific niche with its first two vehicles — those that love the outdoors, and those that love luxury. For this niche of buyers, the Rivian R1T might just be the perfect vehicle.
Production of the Rivian R1T is expected to begin in 2020 in the company’s factory in Normal, Il, which it acquired from Mitsubishi in January 2017 for $16 million. The company plans to manufacture the pickup truck’s higher-end variants first, followed by the R1T’s $69,000 version within 12 months from the start of production. Rivian has also started accepting pre-orders for the R1T, with interested buyers being required to place a refundable deposit of $1,000 for the vehicle.
With assistance from Christian Prenzler.
Tesla has reached a notable benchmark in its autonomous driving program after its Robotaxi fleet surpassed one million miles of unsupervised operation. The company made the announcement during its Cybercab event in Austin on September 3.
Tesla Vice President of AI Ashok Elluswamy told attendees he was happy to report the fleet had achieved one million miles of unsupervised Robotaxi operation as a testament to safety.
The new total marked a sharp increase from the 380,000 unsupervised miles Tesla disclosed during its second-quarter 2026 earnings update in late July.
In roughly six weeks, the company added about 620,000 miles. That acceleration followed Tesla’s decision to remove in-vehicle safety monitors from most of its operations outside the San Francisco Bay Area.
Credit: Tesla
Tesla first launched Robotaxi service in Austin in June 2025 with safety drivers present. It later began fully unsupervised rides and expanded into Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. The San Francisco Bay Area remains the exception, where a safety monitor still rides in the vehicle under California permitting rules.
The company has not released a city-by-city breakdown of the one million unsupervised miles.
The milestone arrived as Tesla began offering public Cybercab rides in Austin. The purpose-built vehicle has no steering wheel or pedals and is designed only for autonomous ride-hailing. Production versions joined the existing fleet of modified Tesla vehicles already operating in the service.
Tesla’s unsupervised mileage is growing at a double-digit weekly rate according to earlier company comments, yet its fleet size remains modest compared with established competitors. Waymo has accumulated more than 200 million fully autonomous rider-only miles. Tesla has described its own unsupervised operations as having recorded zero notable incidents in the period leading up to the July update.
The one-million-mile figure reflects Tesla’s shift from supervised testing to broader driverless service in multiple states. It also highlights the company’s strategy of using both existing Model Y vehicles and the new Cybercab to scale its network.
Credit: Tesla
Whether the rapid recent growth continues will depend on further city expansions, regulatory approvals, and the performance of the purpose-built Cybercab in everyday paid rides. Tesla has not specified how many of the latest miles involved the new vehicle versus the rest of the fleet.
The announcement underscores Tesla’s progress toward a larger robotaxi network while illustrating the remaining gap in total autonomous experience relative to longer-operating rivals.
Tesla AI lead Ashok Elluswamy said this week that 24-hour Robotaxi service is close. Replying on X to a rider who wanted Cybercab trips all night, he wrote that the capability would arrive “next month or so” once “the next tech to merge on the v15 plan” is ready.
The comment landed on September 4, one day after Tesla opened public Cybercab rides in Austin. It is the clearest near-term timeline yet for overnight unsupervised operation. Tesla’s paid Robotaxi network currently runs from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week across Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa.
next month or so. the next tech to merge on the v15 plan will enable it.
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) September 4, 2026
That 16-hour window is shorter than the 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. schedule the company used for much of the prior year.
Elluswamy did not name the specific feature or say whether the change would apply first to purpose-built Cybercabs, the existing Model Y fleet, or both. He also offered no city-by-city rollout list. The link to Full Self-Driving v15 is nevertheless significant.
Tesla has described v15 as a step-change architecture with seven parallel improvement tracks and roughly ten times more parameters than earlier builds. Early versions of that software already operate on the Robotaxi fleet and contain about 40 percent of the planned gains.
By July 2026, the unsupervised fleet had logged more than 380,000 miles across six cities in two states with what the company called an impeccable safety record and no notable incidents caused by the vehicles themselves. Tesla has repeatedly argued that camera-based end-to-end neural networks, rather than extra sensors, are the core of the solution.
Overnight service would test that claim in lower-light conditions and would also raise vehicle utilization, a key variable for Robotaxi unit economics. The company has already begun using public Superchargers at night and is building dedicated Robotaxi charging sites.
Riders have asked why software must change if the cars already drive in the dark. The practical answer appears to be reliability and scale: Tesla has held back mass expansion until more of the v15 stack is merged, citing the need for higher confidence before putting thousands of unoccupied vehicles on streets around the clock.
If the next module arrives on the timetable Elluswamy sketched, 24-hour service could begin in October 2026 in at least some markets.
That would mark a shift from a daytime-bounded pilot to a service that can run whenever demand exists, including the late-night hours that have so far remained out of reach.
Tesla is beginning to roll out Full Self-Driving Supervised v14.3.9 with a new active safety layer that can take control even when the driver is operating the car manually.
Tesla AI said the software can activate FSD on the driver’s behalf when an imminent collision is detected and Automatic Emergency Braking may not be enough. It may also engage if the system detects heavy distraction or an accidental FSD disengagement.
FSD Supervised v14.3.9 starting to roll out shortly
This release includes a new active safety feature set: FSD Supervised can now activate on your behalf when an imminent collision is detected and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) may not be enough.
It may also engage if we…
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) September 4, 2026
The capability is essentially Automatic Collision Evasion. However, unlike conventional AEB, which mainly applies the brakes in a straight line, this feature can use steering, braking, and acceleration together if the car calculates that stopping alone will not prevent impact and a safer path exists. The system may change lanes or move toward a shoulder when conditions allow, then continue driving after the immediate threat is handled rather than simply coming to a stop.
The intervention is meant as a last-resort safety net, not a replacement for attentive driving.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3.7 early review: FSD saved me from an accident
Tesla’s own description still frames FSD as supervised assistance. Secondary reports on internal release notes say the feature can fire while the car is being driven manually if cabin-camera monitoring suggests the driver is not sufficiently attentive, such as reaching toward the back seat, or if FSD appears to have been turned off unintentionally.
After the emergency maneuver, the car is expected to alert the driver and request a return to manual control.
The safety case is straightforward. Many collisions happen in the last second because a driver is looking away, fumbles a control, or faces an obstacle that braking cannot fully solve. A system that can both recognize that AEB is insufficient and execute a coordinated evasive path can reduce those remaining high-severity events.
Re-engaging after accidental disengagement also addresses a practical failure mode: a small steering nudge that drops FSD at the worst moment. The advantage is a background safety net that uses the same vision stack already running in v14, instead of leaving the car solely to emergency braking once the driver is no longer in command.
The feature still depends on FSD being enabled and, according to reports, an active FSD purchase or subscription. It does not make the vehicle unsupervised. Drivers remain responsible, and Tesla has not published how often the system is expected to intervene or how it will handle false positives.
If the rollout is conservative and the false-alarm rate stays low, the update is a meaningful step: FSD is no longer only a feature the driver turns on. In the rare moments when disaster is already forming, it can step in.
Tesla crosses major Unsupervised Self-Driving milestone
Tesla Robotaxi will be a 24/7 service: here’s when
