Rivian (RIVN) is tightening its relationship with Google (GOOG, GOOGL), leaving Apple (AAPL) and CarPlay out in the cold.
Rivian said today that it is incorporating Google Maps natively into its infotainment system, meaning Google routing, time of arrival, traffic, and satellite imagery will be “seamlessly integrated” into Rivian’s navigation system.
Using Google’s Automotive SDK for Maps, Rivian can build its own custom navigation system on top of Google Maps. This will give drivers the freshest mapping and traffic data, along with updated ETA info and “arrival range” at destination, a critical piece of information for users, directly within Rivian navigation.
Charging information, such as where to stop, user preferences, and the location’s overall score, will be included, as well as locations for the bespoke Rivian Charging Network.
The addition of Google Maps is welcome news for Rivian owners, with one owner saying the prior system “always” suggested longer routes compared to Google Maps, for example.
Rivian’s embrace of Google Maps comes as other manufacturers like GM (GM) push ahead with deeper integration of Google products. GM’s EVs, for example, no longer have Apple CarPlay compatibility, though its gas-powered vehicles do.
This has been a huge issue for customers who have come to live with CarPlay as the de facto standard for car connectivity. Apple says more than 800 vehicles globally support CarPlay; Apple has also said in the past that 79% of new car buyers insist that the vehicle is CarPlay compliant.
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A third-party McKinsey study found that the percentage is closer to roughly a third of buyers insisting on CarPlay, but nonetheless, consumers are making their preferences heard.
“Like most corporate decisions, this one is driven by revenue in the hyper-subscription world we now occupy,” industry analyst Karl Brauer of ISeeCars.com told Yahoo Finance back when GM ditched CarPlay for its EVs.
By keeping Apple out, GM can charge users for services offered through its native UI systems, like the automaker’s SuperCruise semiautonomous software. Tesla has been offering subscription services for years now, with “enhanced connectivity” for some features and subscription pricing for its full self-driving (FSD).
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GM would also prefer to keep all the data coming from its customers, which it can remarket in a number of ways (but not all), and not have to pay a license fee to Apple for CarPlay.
Rivian is likely making the same bet. And as a tech-forward company that makes its own software, Rivian does not want to cede its entire design language and user experience to Apple. However, Rivian does point out that it does include Apple Music, and in the future Apple EnergyKit integration will be coming for home smart charging – but no CarPlay.
Rivian owners have been clamoring for CarPlay in forums like Reddit, so a smaller move like Google Maps integration, following Rivian’s prior Google inclusions of Search, Cast, and YouTube, for example, may give its owners some of the functionality they desire.
Tesla famously does not allow Apple CarPlay or Google’s Android projection software in its infotainment system, and never has. Thus far, the lack of CarPlay hasn’t hurt Tesla EV sales over the past few years, or at least that hasn’t been a cited reason for declining sales in recent quarters.
Pras Subramanian is the lead auto reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on X and on Instagram.
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