Rivian has recently added support for matrix headlights in their vehicles, letting the vehicle’s headlights adapt to road environments and keeping high beams on longer without blinding other vehicles.
Matrix headlights are headlights composed of a matrix of LED lights, which can be turned off and on at a software level. This enables a vehicle to instantly adapt the headlight beam to suit the road ahead. This lets the vehicle keep its high beams on for certain parts of the road and darker them or turn them off completely for other regions of the road that may include a person or oncoming vehicle. This drastically increases safety by illuminating the road better for the driver while also reducing bright lights or glare for other vehicles.
Since 2022, the U.S. has allowed manufacturers to include adaptive headlights that adapt to other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and road conditions in their vehicles.
Lighting Manufacturer
Matrix Headlights Requirements
In August 2024, Rivian enabled its matrix headlights with software update 2024.27.30. This is only applicable to Rivian Gen 2 vehicles with matrix headlights, model years 2025 and later.
Several vehicle manufacturers include matrix headlights, but manufacturers have only recently started enabling them after NHTSA’s 2022 ruling. In Canada, adaptive headlights have been allowed since 2018.
How to Tell if You Have Matrix Headlights
Rivian’s matrix headlights are available on their Gen 2 vehicles. Sadly, Gen 1 vehicles do not have Matrix headlights installed, even though they look similar. You can tell Gen 1 and Gen 2 vehicles apart in a few ways.
Gen 2 vehicles are model year 2025 and newer – Gen 1 vehicles are model year 2024 and older – which makes the process straightforward. Other ways to tell the vehicles apart is by opening up either of the front doors and looking at the top of the B-pillar. Gen 1 vehicles have a Rivian logo stamped onto the metal pillar.
Gen 2 vehicles also have a different light bar in front of the vehicle. Instead of being flat from one side of the vehicle to the other, there’s an indentation at the bottom, which allows the vehicle to show its state of charge.
You can also go to the Vehicle Info tab in the vehicle and check the vehicle’s model year.
Matrix Headlights in Action
Take a look at these videos from @murphybre96 and @aethervisor on X to see the new Matrix Headlights in action. Pay attention to how the lit area of the road changes as the vehicle drives along and encounters other vehicles. The transitions are smooth and help prevent blinding other drivers and while also brightening the road for the driver. It’s an amazing system and one of the big additions Rivian added to their Gen 2 vehicles.
The @Rivian R1S matrix headlights are SO cool! They make driving at night so much fun! Watch as the headlights follow my steering patterns. I love driving this car at night! The ambient lighting around the car is so cool as well! Well done Rivian! pic.twitter.com/N5oc0P554Q
When purchasing a new Dual Motor Rivian, you might have considered the Performance option, which was offered as a $5,000 upgrade at the time of ordering. However, Rivian is now offering the Performance upgrade as an in-app or in-car purchase for Dual Motor R1S and R1T owners.
The Performance upgrade boosts the vehicle’s horsepower and torque, while also introducing new driving modes.
Features
The Dual Motor Performance upgrade adds additional features to the R1S and R1T vehicles, with the most notable being a major performance boost.
This upgrade increases both horsepower and torque, reducing the 0 to 60 mph time from 4.5 seconds to an impressive 3.4 seconds.
In addition to the power boost, the upgrade introduces new driving modes: Sport, Soft Sand, and Rally. Each mode adds specialized capabilities—Sport for track performance, Rally for off-road adventures, and Soft Sand for tackling sandy terrains.
The Performance upgrade is available for Gen 1 and Gen 2 vehicles.
Config
Dual Motor
Dual Motor Performance
Horsepower
533 hp
655 hp
0-60 mph / 0-100 km/h
4.6 seconds
3.5 seconds
Torque
610 lb-ft
829 lb-ft
Launch Mode Reserved for Tri and Quad
Even if you’re familiar with the roller-coaster-like feeling of launching an EV, the performance upgrade is going to be a big step up, and it’ll be a useful upgrade for off-roading too. The noticeable increase in horsepower not only helps you launch with more power but also makes crawling over rocks or pushing through water more effortless.
However, for owners hoping to take their R1 series vehicles to the track, there’s something to keep in mind—this upgrade, just like buying a Dual Motor Performance model, doesn’t include Launch Mode. That feature is only reserved for the Tri and Quad configurations.
Price
If you’re craving a bit more power or want to relive the thrill of launching your Rivian for the first time, the Performance upgrade is likely a great choice. It adds over 120 horsepower, giving you about a 25% boost in performance.
The upgrade costs $5,000 USD / $7,000 CAD, whether purchased over-the-air or at the factory. If you own a Dual Motor Rivian, you can easily buy it through the app or the vehicle itself, available with software update 2024.06 or later.
If your Rivian is experiencing odd issues or the screen has become frozen or unresponsive, a reboot of the infotainment system may fix the issue.
There are several ways to reboot the computer that powers all of Rivian’s screen, including the rear display for passengers in the back. It doesn’t matter which Rivian you have, as these reboots are applicable to both Gen 1 and Gen 2 vehicles.
Fix Frozen Display - Infotainment Reboot
Rebooting the infotainment unit is the simplest reboot and should be your first choice when you encounter an issue with your Rivian. Infotainment reboots, also known as the “two-finger salute,” involve holding the far left and far right buttons on the steering wheel down. These are the outermost buttons located next to the scroll wheels on the steering wheel. Press them and down them down for 15 seconds to reboot the computer.
The vehicle will beep, and a graphic will be displayed on the driver’s display. Continue holding the buttons down until the screens flash to black. Once the screen goes dark, you can let go of the buttons and the infotainment unit will reboot. The whole process takes about 30-45 seconds, and you’ll soon see the displays come back on with the Rivian logo.
While this reboot can also be done while driving, we don’t recommend it, as you’ll lose access to key vehicle information during the reboot.
This reboot should be your first step when encountering an issue, especially if it’s due to the display being unresponsive or frozen. Other reboot types focus on restarting specific vehicle subsystems, so if a particular feature isn’t functioning correctly, a different reboot method may be necessary.
Sleep Reboot
Begin by unplugging everything from your vehicle, including any USB cables, devices, and the Rivian Guard USB drive. Remember to disconnect any items plugged into the Utility Panel and ensure the Gear Guard Cable Anchor (if applicable) is detached.
Next, unbuckle all seatbelts and remove any child seats or heavy items from the vehicle. If the vehicle is plugged in, disconnect it, then lock the doors. Make sure to keep all keys—including phone keys—away from the vehicle for at least 30 minutes.
This sleep reboot is simple and effective, although it could be more of a hassle, especially if you have car seats installed.
Full Reboot (1 Hour)
The full reboot resets all of the vehicle’s systems, essentially rebooting everything from the ground up. Important: Rivian support advises against performing this procedure multiple times in a short time period. You must wait at least an hour between full reboots to ensure all systems initialize correctly. Attempting back-to-back reboots may result in some vehicle systems not fully starting, which could require a service visit.
To initiate a full reboot, hold down the far-left button on the steering wheel and the emergency flasher button near the ceiling for 15 seconds. This will reset all vehicle systems. While it’s possible to drive immediately after the reboot, Rivian recommends letting the vehicle sit for at least an hour before resuming your journey to ensure everything is functioning correctly.
