As essential as issues like touchscreens and software program are to the trendy automotive expertise, we seldom cease to ask why the whole lot appears to be like so ugly.
Your common automobile’s touchscreen and menus seemingly have all of the performance of a Palm Pre, with the aesthetic enchantment and creative worth of a Fort Price outlet mall. Their menus and controls usually really feel haphazardly designed and look completely forgettable. That is true even after greater than a decade of in-car display dominance and a future we’re continually instructed is centered round over-the-air updates and smartphone-like tech options.
So when Rivian got down to fully overhaul its in-car software program expertise, its designers declared that issues don’t need to be this fashion.
The electrical startup’s newest infotainment setup options cel-shaded depictions of its vans and SUVs, offset by animated depictions of various landscapes, vivid colours, velocity strains such as you’d discover in a Japanese manga comedian and tons of “Easter eggs” within the backgrounds. New updates even give the software program “costumes” impressed by traditional TV exhibits and flicks like Again to the Future and Knight Rider.
Once I requested Rivian’s Chief Design Officer Jeff Hammoud why his workforce went this route, one phrase got here up time and again: “Optimism.”
“We felt it was a chance to have somewhat little bit of enjoyable and create a persona across the automobile,” Hammoud mentioned in a current interview. Greater than that, he mentioned, the brand new software program interfaces mirror a philosophy inside Rivian. “We would like all of it to look inviting,” Hammoud mentioned. “Our autos have a pleasant look and that’s a part of our model… that optimism round what we’re making an attempt to do by electrification and defending the world for our youngsters.”
Picture by: InsideEVs
2025 Rivian R1S and R1T Graphics
Rivian’s new interface language went reside this summer season on the closely up to date 2025 R1S and R1T fashions and through software program updates to earlier vehicles. They offer house owners an animated illustration of their car that spins and transforms as they modify issues like experience peak settings and the assorted driving modes.
On one other automobile, switching to sport mode may imply a brand new set of gauges on the central show or shifting the menus to a crimson coloration scheme. However on an R1S or R1T, a cartoon depiction of the automobile zooms onto what appears to be like like a race monitor as its glowing taillights fade right into a red-and-white background. As an alternative of pop-ups to substantiate you’re in “Snow Mode” or some off-road setting, Rivian presents a shift to an enthralling winter panorama or the car perched atop a rocky mountain. Clouds, windmills and birds transfer about within the backgrounds and all of those visuals tackle a distinct character at evening as properly.
Picture by: InsideEVs
2025 Rivian R1S and R1T Graphics
None of that is very important for a automobile to operate correctly, in fact, and it’s extremely unlikely that these animated graphics will likely be a make-or-break promoting level. However they add a ton of one thing intangible—character—to Rivian’s vehicles, they usually flip one thing that was once an afterthought at greatest into one thing you truly stay up for utilizing. And Hammoud mentioned {that a} ton of effort went into devising how this ecosystem ought to appear and feel.
“We used this concept of manga-style [or] Studio Ghibli movies, these actually optimistic films the place you’re feeling such as you’re in one other world, and actually taking that into a mode the place we may create the totally different worlds of the drive modes,” Hammoud mentioned. He’s in fact referring to the famed Japanese animated classics from Hayao Miyazaki and different creators like Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Supply Service and, most lately, The Boy and the Heron. All of these are landmark animated movies launched to worldwide acclaim. However Hammoud mentioned additionally they share the overall vibe Rivian goes for today.
Picture by: InsideEVs
2025 Rivian R1S and R1T Graphics
“You have a look at one thing like Akira, versus Studio Ghibli,” he mentioned, referring to the Eighties comedian and landmark animated movie a couple of dystopian future. The latter is “somewhat bit extra optimistic and on the pleasant aspect of that. We need to talk energy and dynamism with the car, however we nonetheless needed to have this form of, ‘sitting down Sunday morning watching cartoons together with your youngsters’ vibe with it as properly.”
That stands in stark distinction with one other eye-catching electrical car designed that has a distinctly apocalyptic vitality: exhausting angles, allegedly bulletproof chrome steel, a “Bioweapon Protection Mode.” Whereas Hammoud didn’t point out it by title, he made clear that he, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe and their design groups didn’t share the identical philosophy.
Picture by: InsideEVs
2025 Rivian R1S and R1T Graphics
“While you have a look at vans, their faces are very aggressive, very indignant, just like the entrance ends may eat young children,” Hammoud mentioned. “Purposely, we’re like, ‘All proper, properly, we do not want an enormous grill.’ We would like it to look inviting. Take a look at our headlight shapes. Our autos have a pleasant look.”
A lot of this was afforded by the facility of the Unreal Engine, a 3D graphics software program system made well-known in video video games that’s now making its solution to the automotive world. This allowed Rivian’s artists and designers to “scale” all these new pictures simply with out having to attract each individually.
“It was actually essential to us that no matter automobile you’ve gotten, it’s the proper set of wheels and it is the proper coloration [on the screen], in order that approach we’re is definitely consultant of your car,” Hammoud mentioned. “If we needed to create, which is what we did up to now, a picture for each single [Rivian color or option], that’s hundreds and hundreds of pictures.”
With the Unreal Engine, Hammoud mentioned, “You place within the specs of the car, like if it is a Forest Inexperienced automobile with 22s, you simply put that into the code, and increase, it is rendered and it updates.”
Picture by: InsideEVs
2025 Rivian R1S and R1T Graphics
Rivian isn’t alone in making an attempt so as to add a extra distinctive look and character to its software program expertise in addition to its exterior designs. Mini lately added a cartoon canine to its infotainment programs as an AI-powered digital assistant, and several other Chinese language automakers are taking related approaches. And as with these vehicles, Rivian’s method goes past mere visuals; these capabilities signify new methods for drivers to work together with their vehicles and management their options within the software-driven car period.
So does it work? Primarily based on a current check of a 2025 Rivian R1S, I believe the reply is usually sure. It’s pretty straightforward to seek out the capabilities you need and the massive, vivid shows signify novel methods of presenting info to the motive force. That’s essential since Rivian famously—or maybe infamously—eschews most bodily buttons and Apple CarPlay in its EVs. It additionally goals to do extra with voice controls, though it has a methods to go there to match many opponents.
However this method to software program does present what Rivian’s manufactured from, and why a conventional conglomerate just like the Volkswagen Group sees such worth in what the corporate does. That 2025 R1S obtained higher whereas I had it, receiving an over-the-air software program replace that improved the vitality and effectivity gauges (and put them consistent with the remainder of the automobile’s new creative language) whereas correcting some points with the stereo and including the Halloween-themed visuals.
And till Rivian can get the upcoming R2, R3 and R3X fashions on the highway, it’s obtained extra in retailer for its present vehicles each by software program updates and extra tweaks—although Hammoud was cagey about what precisely is coming subsequent.
“We have now some new updates which are coming subsequent 12 months on R1 that I am excited to share, some particular editions,” Hammoud mentioned. “I will go away it at that.”
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