Rivian, the American electric vehicle brand, may be working to equip its future models with a ‘steer-by-wire’ system, meaning a steering system with no physical connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels, as well as a rear steering axle.
According to the American outlet “Carscoops,” the information about the development of these new technologies by Rivian emerged after the company published a job opening seeking an engineer to join the Vehicle Hardware Engineering, Chassis, and Product Development team.
The candidate for the job at Rivian will be tasked with the development of products for important hardware components, “chassis steering, ‘steer-by-wire’ system, rear steering axle, and advanced ADAS driving technologies”.
Everything indicates that the American electric vehicle company has only just begun to work on the new technical solutions, which will certainly take some time before the new technologies are integrated into the R1T and R1S models, although both Rivian SUVs have been recently updated. It is also worth noting the R2 and R3 models, which are also candidates to receive the new technologies.
In practice, the ‘steer-by-wire’ system eliminates the traditional steering column. The driver’s commands are transmitted solely through electronics, rather than through a mechanical connection.
The rear steering technology, also known as active steering or rear directional axle, allows the rear wheels to turn, in addition to the front wheels, to improve the vehicle’s maneuverability and stability.
