Rivian: VW partner does it like Tesla - CarPlay not planned
Rivian, following GM and Tesla, also declines Apple's iPhone integration
Rivian-Cockpit.
(Image: Daniel AJ Sokolov)
Alongside Tesla, US competitor Rivian is considered to be particularly innovative in the construction of electric cars - for example with the R1T pick-up. However, anyone hoping for CarPlay integration in order to integrate their iPhone into the vehicle will be disappointed: the company has no plans to do this in the near future. Rivian boss RJ Scaringe has now confirmed this in a podcast interview.
Own ecosystem
He told IT blog The Verge that there are reasons for this- and was open and honest about it. "There's a reason that, ironically, is very consistent with Apple's own ethos: we want to control the ecosystem." In other words, Rivian (also) sees the vehicle operating system and interface as a key selling point and the opportunity to sell services at a later date. In doing so, the company is aligning itself with what Tesla is already doing. They also refused to support CarPlay from the outset - not to mention CarPlay 2.0, which can take over the entire vehicle UI.
This usually annoys users. They often see Apple's iPhone vehicle integration as a better interface than what car manufacturers offer. However, Tesla and Rivian do not rely on an off-the-shelf OS, but invest a lot of time and money in their systems. Traditional car manufacturers are also trying to do this, but have - at least it feels like - less success, even if companies like VW are highly innovative and are now even bringing ChatGPT into the car (although this doesn't always work well). General Motors (GM), on the other hand, also wants to do completely without CarPlay in its e-cars, but gets a lot of flak from its customers for doing so.
Apple Music is available
Scarings emphasized that the aim is to offer customers a seamless and well-integrated "digital experience". It's a bit like Apple having its own operating systems like iOS and macOS instead of using Windows. In addition, CarPlay cannot (yet) control "other parts of the vehicle experience", such as opening the trunk. The user experience in the Rivian should remain "consistent and holistically harmonious".
It is also about "digital real estate", i.e. the central place in the car, which Rivian does not want to give up. "That's something we want to keep." The company wants to solve problems that Rivian has with navigation and charging card functions, for example, itself, even if CarPlay can do this better in some cases. Rivian has also purchased its own service provider for this purpose. However, Rivian wants to integrate media content from Apple, for example via an Apple Music app that can even handle Dolby Atmos audio. In the meantime, there were even rumors that Apple could allegedly cooperate with Rivian after the end of its own car project. However, the company now has other partners, including Volkswagen.
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