Rivian CEO says CarPlay isn’t going to happen

Despite Apple’s claims that astir consumers will only see purchasing vehicles that support CarPlay, Rivian says it still doesn’t person immoderate plans to adopt nan iPhone mirroring system. Talking to The Verge EIC Nilay Patel successful today’s section of Decoder, Rivian laminitis and CEO RJ Scaringe likened Rivian adopting CarPlay to Apple choosing to usage Microsoft’s Windows operating systems alternatively of processing its ain in-house iOS and macOS alternatives.

“We person a awesome narration pinch Apple,” he said. “As overmuch arsenic I emotion their products, there’s a logic that ironically is very accordant pinch Apple ethos for america to want to power nan ecosystem.” CarPlay isn’t “consistent pinch really we deliberation astir really creating a axenic merchandise experience,” Scaringe said.

One illustration fixed by Scaringe includes CarPlay’s inability to “leverage different parts of nan conveyance experience,” which would require Rivian customers to time off nan app successful bid to do things for illustration unfastened nan vehicle’s beforehand trunk. “We’ve taken nan position of nan integer acquisition successful nan conveyance wants to consciousness accordant and holistically harmonious crossed each touchpoint,” said Scaringe. Instead, nan Rivian CEO says nan institution will yet adhd CarPlay’s astir desirable features “but connected an à la carte basis.”

Rivian isn’t unsocial successful snubbing Apple CarPlay. Tesla has ne'er adopted nan feature, and General Motors made nan controversial determination past twelvemonth to driblet support for CarPlay and Android Auto connected its early EV models. Mercedes-Benz besides gave akin reasons earlier this twelvemonth for not adopting CarPlay. Meanwhile, Porsche and Aston Martin will beryllium nan first companies to debut nan full-screen “next-generation” CarPlay experience.

Scaringe says that excluding CarPlay will let nan institution to beryllium much selective astir features for illustration routing and mapping charging points, noting that Rivian had acquired way readying app shaper Iternio past twelvemonth to facilitate that.

“We admit that it’ll return america clip to afloat seizure each characteristic that’s successful CarPlay, and hopefully, customers are seeing that. I deliberation it often gets much sound than it deserves,” Scaringe said successful nan interview. “The different point beyond mapping that’s coming is amended integration pinch texting. We cognize that needs to come, and it’s thing that teams are actively moving on.”