Rivian Shifts to Google Maps, Uber Partnering With Lucid and Nuro on Autonomous Fleet, Tesla’s Awful 2Q25 Delivery Figures
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We will wrap up the week in the automobile space.
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Rivian Shifts to Google Maps
Here’s TechCrunch:
“For 18 months, Rivian and Google engineers worked together. Today, they’re showing off their work.
Rivian is pushing out a software update that will bring a unique version of Google Maps into its EVs. It’s the latest step in Rivian’s continued effort to distinguish its vehicles with software — an effort that has helped it strike up a joint venture with one of the world’s biggest automakers, Volkswagen.
This isn’t a typical Google Maps integration and it’s unlike the tech company’s other collaborations in the automotive sector. For years, Google has pushed into automotive through its smartphone projection app called Android Auto, as well as Google Built-In, an Android Automotive operating system that integrates Google services directly into the vehicle and is used by automakers like Volvo.
The collaboration with Rivian is neither. Instead, Rivian customers who use the in-car navigation will no longer see the Mapbox-based maps. Now, they’ll see Google Maps, but with a lot of Rivian DNA sprinkled on top, including its trip planner, user interface, and design, and EV charger locations, according to Rivian’s chief of software, Wassym Bensaid.”
This news didn’t receive too much attention as Rivian is a niche EV manufacturer (~130,000 vehicle sales to date). In addition, Rivian isn’t shifting from Apple to Google which would have led to a wave of sensational headlines. Instead, Rivian is moving from its own in-house mapping solution to a highly customizable Google Maps solution.
On some levels, this shift looks like Rivian coming up
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