Rivian introduces the new ‘Universal Hands-Free’ driving feature.

Rivian’s new second generation R1 EVs have been received update today This brings the new ‘Universal Hands-Free’ driving software, which the company unveiled last week at its first ‘Autonomy & Artificial Intelligence Day’.

The company says the new feature allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel on more than 3.5 million miles of roads in the United States and Canada, including a mix of freeways and surface roads, as long as lane lines are visible.

Owners will still have to supervise the driving system and, crucially, it “will not stop or slow down for traffic lights or stop signs.” Universal Hands-Free will also not turn or follow navigation. (Rivian says the software will reactivate if a driver uses the turn signal and handles the turn manually.)

It’s a major step forward for the company, which aims to make its vehicles capable of full autonomy in the coming years. But it also comes with risk: Rival automakers with similar systems like Tesla and Ford have experienced multiple accidents and deaths, many related to drivers being distracted by driver assistance systems. These crashes led to investigations and lawsuits.

The updated software greatly expands the driver assistance features previously available to Rivian owners. Before the update, Rivian’s hands-free driving system only worked on 135,000 highway miles. Rivian detailed plans at last week’s event to eventually allow its vehicles to drive themselves “point-to-point,” though that feature won’t ship until 2026.

Rivian is developing a new autonomy computer with custom silicon for its R2 SUV (debuting in 2026) that, combined with a roof-mounted lidar sensor, will one day be able to make the company’s vehicles fully autonomous, CEO RJ Scaringe said last week.

The software update released Thursday brings a few other features unrelated to Rivian’s driver assistance system. There’s a new version of its digital key that owners of second-generation R1 vehicles can add to digital wallets on iPhones, Apple Watches, Google Pixels and Samsung phones. Owners of all-wheel-drive variants of Gen 2 R1 EVs also get the “Kick Turn” feature, as well as the customizable “RAD Tuner” driving modes.