Rivian introduces YouTube App and Google Cast video streaming to the R1 infotainment system
American automaker Rivian is upping the entertainment factor for current and future owners of its flagship R1 line of EVs. Today, Rivian shared it is integrating YouTube into its infotainment system, available for streaming on your vehicle’s center display. Additionally, the automaker is adding Google Cast capabilities, giving drivers and passengers the ability to mirror their favorite content in the EV from a smartphone or tablet.
As you’re most certainly aware by now, Rivian ($RIVN) is a relatively young and exciting EV automaker focusing on bringing sustainability and comfort to US customers, whether on public roads or out exploring Mother Nature.
The automaker’s journey to scale its two flagship models, the R1T pickup and R1S SUV, has seen its fair share of bumps, but it appears to have hit its stride at its lone production facility in Normal, Illinois, as it gears up for not one but three additional all-electric models in its pipeline.
While Rivian customers are some of the most satisfied in the segment, the infotainment of its current models leaves a bit to be desired. Sure, you can download wellness apps like Headspace and Sleepio or manage your company using Workday, but in terms of entertainment, the second half and ultra-popular word in the central display’s portmanteau, Rivian could do better.
Rejoice R1 owners, for your streaming desires have been met! Rivian has added both YouTube and Google Cast, giving drivers (when parked of course) and their passengers two solid options to get their dopamine fix from the comfort of their electric truck.
Rivian adds YouTube App and streaming from devices
This morning, Rivian shared that its current R1 infotainment system, consisting of a 15-inch touchscreen and “immersive audio system,” will soon support the YouTube App, enabling owners to stream their favorite cat videos or montages of some of the best Vines (man, I miss that app).
Additionally, Rivian is adding Google Cast capabilities, meaning you will soon be able to project Cast-enabled apps directly from your Apple or Android smartphone or tablet directly to the R1’s center display.
To begin, the EV must be parked for safety. Then, connect any phone or tablet to the vehicle’s WiFi hotspot and tap the Google Cast icon (seen in the featured image above) on your device’s screen. From there, you simply tap “Rivian” on the screen to begin the casting session, which will play your selected app’s video on the vehicle’s screen and across its sound system.
You’ll then be able to control playback directly through the R1’s display while still being able to access other apps from your phone. However, if the vehicle is shifted into Drive mode, the video will pause automatically to ensure driver and passenger safety.
Rivian says the native YouTube App and Google Cast capabilities will come via an over-the-air (OTA) update that is “coming soon,” but we do not have a confirmed date yet. Stay tuned.
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Paris’ bike-share system, Vélib has long been considered one of the shining success stories of urban micromobility. With a massive fleet of over 20,000 pedal and electric-assist bicycles around Paris, the service has helped millions of residents and tourists get around the City of Light without needing a car or scooter. But lately, a growing problem is threatening to knock the wheels off this urban mobility marvel: theft and joyriding.
According to city officials and the service operator, more than 600 Vélib bikes are now going missing every single week. That’s over 30 bikes a day simply vanishing from the system – some stolen outright, others taken on “joy rides” and never returned.
“At the moment we’re missing 3,000 bikes,” explained Sylvain Raifaud, head of the Agemob company that currently operates the Velib system. That’s nearly 15% of over 20,000 Vélib bikes across Paris.
The sticky-fingered culprits aren’t necessarily professional thieves or organized crime rings. Instead, they’re often regular users who treat the shared bikes like disposable toys.
The city estimates that many people have figured out how to pry the bikes out of the system’s parking docks, unlocking one for a casual cruise and then ditching it somewhere far from a docking station.
Once pried free, the bikes are technically usable for the next 24 hours until their automatic locking feature kicks in. At that point, the bikes are often simply abandoned. Some end up in alleyways. Others get tossed in rivers. A few just disappear completely.
And since the bikes are intended to be parked at their many docking stations around the city, they don’t have GPS chips, further complicating recovery of “liberated” bikes.
The issue started small but has grown into more than an inconvenience – it’s beginning to undermine the entire purpose of the service. With bikes going missing at such a high rate, many Vélib docking stations are left empty, especially during rush hours.
Riders looking for a quick commute or a convenient hop across town are increasingly finding themselves without available bikes, or having to walk long distances to find a functioning one.
That kind of unreliability chips away at user confidence and threatens to drive potential riders back into cars, cabs, or other less sustainable forms of transport at a time when Paris has already made great strides to dramatically reduce car usage in the city.
The losses are financially painful, too. Replacing stolen or vandalized bikes isn’t cheap, and the resources spent on tracking down missing equipment or reinforcing anti-theft measures are stretching thin. Vélib has faced theft and vandalism issues before, especially during its early years, but this latest surge has officials sounding the alarm with renewed urgency.
Officials acknowledge that there’s no easy fix. Paris, like many cities with bike-share systems, walks a fine line between accessibility and accountability. Part of what makes Vélib so successful is its ease of use and widespread availability. But those same features make it vulnerable to misuse – especially when enforcement is limited and the consequences for abuse are minimal.
The timing of the problem is especially unfortunate. In recent years, Paris has seen impressive results in reducing car traffic, expanding bike lanes, and promoting cycling as a key part of its sustainable transport strategy. Vélib is a cornerstone of that plan. But if the system becomes too unreliable, it risks losing the very people it was designed to serve.
Meanwhile, as Parisians increasingly find themselves staring at empty docks, the challenge for the city and Vélib will be to restore confidence in the system without making it harder to use. That means striking the right balance between freedom and responsibility, between open access and protection against abuse.
In a city where cycling is supposed to be the future of mobility, losing thousands of bikes to joyriders and sticky fingers isn’t just frustrating; it’s unsustainable.
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