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If you think traffic stinks now with humans intermingling with driverless taxis on the roads, wait until everyone can send their car on an errand all by itself. That is the dream of Rivian CEO R.J. Scaringe.

Scaringe says he hopes this “hands-off everywhere” feature, integrated with a “point-to-point navigation” system, will be in place for Rivian vehicles sometime between 2028 and 2030.

“We believe autonomy is going to redefine how we think about vehicle ownership,” Scaringe told Autonomotive News . “Today, it’s not the driving criteria for a lot of purchasers, but once we get past the phase we’re in today, where most of the systems are assistance systems, but into the world where the vehicles allow you to take your hands off the wheel, and importantly, your eyes off the road.

“That ability to have your time back, to be able to be in the car on the commute, and be on your phone, be reading a book, be resting, and then move even beyond that eyes-off, hands-off environment, but into an environment where the vehicle can operate empty, it dramatically changes your life.”

Elon Musk has been talking about personally-autonomous vehicles for almost a decade

If this all sounds a lot like what Elon Musk has been saying about Tesla for years, that’s because it is. By the way, Musk also says you don’t have to wait to do things like text while operating a self-driving car anymore; you can do it right now! (Just not legally in 49 states.)

“It allows you to pick up your kids, but not have to go drive there yourself to get them,” Scaringe added, pointing out what he believes will be another great benefit.

He says Rivian will share more details about these plans on Autonomy and AI Day on December 11, beginning at 9 a.m. PT.

“The next step is allowing you not to be in the vehicle,” Scaringe said. “Our view is that’s going to happen well before the end of the decade.”

When that happens, you will be able to send your car out to not only pick up your kids and run errands for you, but you might even be able to pimp it out as a driverless taxi and earn you some cash.

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MotorBiscuit Senior Editor

Doug Sheckler

Doug Sheckler is a Senior Editor at MotorBiscuit and BroBible. He began his professional career working for an auto racing sanctioning body, and subsequently founded his own racing series, which remains in operation today. He has since spent the better part of two decades creating, editing, and writing for a variety of websites.

These days, he has a special affinity for hypercars and other exotic vehicles that he will never own. He also enjoys delving into stories about the world of criminals, the more foolish and/or clever the better, and is always up for a good conspiracy theory. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Iowa.

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