Rivian boss says Level 4 autonomous driving is "much closer than people think", but Tesla is struggling to convince its own employees that the technology is reliable

Date:
Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Description:
Rivian's boss hypes up the company's self-driving systems, while Tesla's own employees claim the tech isn't ready

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Rivians boss believes we will have eyes-off driving within 18 months It will be the most disruptive feature weve seen, according to RJ Scaringe But a new report suggests Tesla engineers and staff dont trust the technology Rivians boss and CEO, RJ Scaringe, believes that we will see increasing levels of autonomous driving arriving in the coming months.

Speaking to Top Gear during a test drive of the upcoming R2, which the
company hopes will be its first electric SUV with true mass appeal, Scaringe revealed that he thinks we will move from level two to three, which includes hands-off and eyes-off autonomous driving, within the next 18 months. He also went on to state that he believes we will reach true Level 4 autonomous driving by the end of the decade. At that point, vehicles will be able to handle all driving tasks within geofenced zones. Latest Videos From Watch
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Human passengers are relieved of duties because Level 4 autonomous vehicles should be capable of reaching a safe state in the event of a system failure. It is the level that most fully autonomous robotaxis currently operate in,
but it is not something that has been made commercially viable to date.

Teslas CEO, Elon Musk, has regularly stated that the companys autonomous driving technology is capable of allowing those behind the wheel to text and drive" , as well as engage in other distracting side tasks.

But a recent Reuters report seemingly counters this, claiming that even those who work closely with the systems dont trust them.

Speaking with nine former Tesla data labelers, a former self-driving
engineer, and 11 traffic-safety researchers, the Reuters report found that seven of the former data labelers said they wouldnt trust FSD to drive them. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our
trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

We have all seen it fail, one said. Another said he wouldnt ride in a Tesla robotaxi if you f****g paid me.

One veteran self-driving engineer, who reviewed Tesla crash data for years, called its safety claims bullsh*t.

The report goes on to state that Tesla's FSD crash reporting is confusing and misleading, refuting its claims that the technology is "10 x safer than a human". What to read next I took a ride in an Nvidia-powered autonomous Mercedes at GTC 2026 - and survived Tesla's massive Spring update splits opinion as it leaves older cars behind Teslas new AI5 chip won't improve Full Self-Driving anytime soon Analysis: hype isnt helping (Image credit: Tesla) The data labelers that Reuters spoke to have the unenviable job of reviewing footage from eight exterior cameras on Tesla vehicles using Full Self-Driving (FSD).

You could argue that they only see the bad sides of FSD, but most of those interviewed confessed to regularly seeing the technology fail at basic tasks, such as pulling over for emergency vehicles, leaving enough room for motorcyclists and cyclists, and even avoiding construction zones.

Whats more, a specialized group, known internally and informally as the
trauma team, said it focused on near-misses and other dangerous situations.

One person said they saw clips showing drivers manually taking over at the last second when FSD failed to recognize pedestrians in crosswalks.

Two other former employees recalled seeing videos last year of FSD-piloted Teslas nearly hitting children.

Both Rivian and Teslas CEOs feel that improvements in Large Language Models and the microchips that power modern vehicles will speed up the introduction of greater levels of automation in passenger vehicles, but its way more complicated than that, involving driver education, legislation, and more.

Many feel that to allow motorists to engage in side tasks and effectively
hand over driving duties to the vehicle means the technology has to be
perfect , not just safer than a human driver.

Overinflating the technology's capabilities has previously led to confusion and complacency among users, which, in Teslas case at least, has already resulted in myriad court cases and ongoing regulatory scrutiny. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vehicle-tech/hybrid-electric-vehicles/rivian-boss-sa ys-level-4-autonomous-driving-is-much-closer-than-people-think-but-tesla-is-st ruggling-to-convince-its-own-employees-that-the-technology-is-reliable


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