I Found Rivian's 2020 Promise of Level 3 Autonomy in the Wayback Machine, Now They Won't Even Upgrade Our Hardware Like Tesla Did

Nothing sobers you up like digging through the Wayback Machine and finding the promises that were not kept. "WE'LL TAKE THE WHEEL, YOU TAKE IN THE SCENERY. Level 3 autonomy will be available on every Rivian vehicle. By allowing you to take your hands off the wheel and your eyes off the road, you’ll get to see more of the world as you cruise through it." Sounds dreamy, right? A vision of road trips kissed by silicon intelligence, freeing us from the monotony of the daily grind.

But for early Rivian adopters, the diehards who braved the pre-order purgatory and bought into a vision rather than a product, this quote hits differently. It feels less like a promise fulfilled and more like an artifact from a parallel timeline.

Revisiting the Lost Vision of Level 3 Autonomy

And now, here in 2025, the road ahead looks a little different. Tesla owners, disillusioned by Elon Musk’s increasingly erratic behavior, are defecting to Rivian in droves. The clean-sheet startup, once the fresh-faced antidote to Tesla's techno-cult theatrics, is now soaking up those disenchanted buyers like a sponge. The cabins are quieter, the design is crisper, and the vibe is refreshingly free of Dogecoin memes.

But with that influx comes a convenient amnesia about what Rivian once promised. Before Elon became a walking PR disaster, Rivian was pitching something bold, Level 3 autonomy baked into every vehicle. Not a dream, not a roadmap, a guarantee. And now, early buyers are left holding the bag.

Disillusionment, Defections, & the Future of EV Autonomy

Roll the clock back to 2020. Pandemic panic was just beginning, supply chains were coming apart at the seams, and Rivian’s tech page was still humming with ambition. That autonomy pitch wasn’t just a tagline, it was a declaration of intent. But as forum veterans will tell you, the R1T and R1S that showed up on driveways a year or two later weren’t equipped with the hardware that would make Level 3 autonomy possible.

“There were supply chain issues due to COVID,”

one owner noted.

“Rivian couldn't put in the cameras and tech they wanted to because it was either too expensive or unavailable due to the reduced production and factory shutdowns.”

A fair excuse, if we hadn’t all seen other automakers face the same chaos and at least try to make things right.

Rivian.. From Sports Car Dreams to Electric Adventure Vehicles

• The company initially aimed to produce a sports car but pivoted in 2011 to electric adventure vehicles, aligning with changing market demands. ​
• In 2017, Rivian acquired a former Mitsubishi plant in Illinois, dedicating time to retool and modernize the facility for electric vehicle production. ​
• Rivian invested years in designing and rigorously testing its R1T pickup and R1S SUV to ensure they met high standards for performance and durability.

The Pandemic’s Impact on Rivian’s Ambitious Autonomy Pitch

Tesla, for all its circus act of PR disasters, managed to handle this particular issue with a surprising degree of foresight. When hardware shortages hit, Tesla retrofitted early vehicles with new sensors at no cost to owners. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a gesture. Rivian, by contrast, has largely stayed silent. Their Driver+ system, still marketed with flourish, doesn’t come close to fulfilling that original promise. No retrofit programs. No transparency. Just a polite shrug, as if the pandemic swept away not just the supply chain but also the marketing copy that got people to click “Pre-Order” in the first place.

Tesla’s Rapid Response vs. Rivian’s Silent Stance: A Comparative Look at Hardware Shortages

One owner recently resurrected that 2020 promise via the Wayback Machine and posted it in the forums, sparking a fresh wave of frustration:

“I love my Rivian overall,” they wrote, “but I just found this in the Wayback Machine and wanted to revisit and show some of the newcomers that we were.

In fact, promised much more advanced autonomous driving in Gen 1 vehicles than what was ultimately delivered… Step it up Rivian!!!”

It's not bitterness, it’s a quiet, simmering betrayal. Early adopters weren’t just beta testers, they were believers. And now, they’re being asked to accept that a core part of the product pitch was simply a casualty of circumstance.

How Rivian Reacted to Covid 

• In March 2020, Rivian proactively ceased operations across all its facilities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, temporarily halting progress on the R1T and R1S production schedules. ​
• The pandemic-induced global supply chain crisis led to significant shortages of critical components, notably semiconductor chips. This scarcity disrupted Rivian's manufacturing timelines for the R1T and R1S models, causing delays in production and delivery schedules. ​
• Facing supply chain constraints, Rivian had to adapt its production strategies, including temporarily halting the production of Electric Delivery Vehicles. These challenges underscored the need for Rivian to refine its supply chain management to meet the demand for its R1T and R1S vehicles.

Resurrecting the 2020 Promise and the Call for Accountability

Of course, some will say, “What’s the point of bringing this up now? There’s nothing that can be done.” That’s one perspective. However, in this industry, acknowledgment is everything. If Rivian simply stood up and said, “Yes, we missed the mark, we’re working on a solution,” the temperature would drop significantly. Whether it’s a discounted retrofit, a loyalty credit, or even just a roadmap for future updates, there’s a way to keep good faith alive. But right now, Rivian’s stance reads like indifference, and that’s more damaging than any hardware delay.

Customer Remediation as the Key to Restoring Trust

Make no mistake: the future of autonomy is still very much on the horizon. Tesla, Mercedes, and even legacy manufacturers are inching toward hands-off, eyes-off driving. And Rivian? It’s still in the game. The engineering chops are there.

The brand goodwill, at least for now, is still salvageable. But they’re skating on thin ice. Broken promises are easier to forgive than forgotten ones. The OG Rivian crowd isn’t asking for miracles. Just some acknowledgment. Some accountability. And a reminder that for all the buzzwords and renderings, trust is the one component you can’t retrofit.

Image Sources: Wayback Machine, Rivian Media Center and rivianforums.com

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.