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Jose Castillo Founder and Editor
Rivian Rivian R2 Rivian R1T Rivian R1S
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Jose Castillo is the founder and editor of RivianTrackr, an independent publication he started to cover Rivian from an owner's point of view. He has followed the company since early in its consumer history and has owned and leased several Rivians over the years, including multiple R1T and R1S vehicles. Today he drives an R1S and an R2 in Florida and uses Universal Hands-Free for his daily driving.

Most of his coverage comes from firsthand access rather than press releases. He was at the R2 First Drive in Park City for hands-on time with the production R2 and RivianOS 2.0, and he reported from SXSW when Rivian revealed the full R2 lineup. He has spoken directly with Rivian leaders like Wassym Bensaid and James Philbin about where the company is taking its software and autonomy work.

Before RivianTrackr, Jose worked at Apple as a software developer, which is part of why he follows Rivian's software and autonomy side as closely as he does. He has also helped more than 400 people order their own Rivians through the site. The whole thing stays independent, written by an owner for other owners.

EV Sportline R2 Running Boards

11 Rivian R2 Accessories You Can Buy Now From EV Sportline

EV Sportline's R2 catalog now runs eleven products deep, from flow forged wheels and a 1.6-inch bolt-on lift to precut PPF, DIY tint, and a CarPlay screen that leaves no marks. Here's what's in it and which pieces are actually worth your money.

Rivian Waze Integration

Waze Alerts Coming to Rivian Navigation in 2026.31 Update

Rivian is adding real time Waze alerts to R1 and R2 navigation, starting with speed cameras and police reports in the 2026.31 OTA. It is the same update bringing RivianOS 2.0 to R1, and the screenshot Wassym shared hints at something else worth noticing.

ALSO Closes $150 Million Series D for Autonomous Vehicles

ALSO, the Rivian spinoff behind the TM-B e-bike, closed a $150 million Series D led by Prysm Capital, with the money going toward its autonomous vehicle platform and multiple autonomous form factors at once. TM-B Launch Edition bikes are shipping now, with Performance and Standard deliveries starting this fall.

Rivian R2 Catalina Cove Offroading

Rivian Tells Some R2 Owners To Pause DC Fast Charging

Rivian service is contacting select R2 owners to inspect the DC fast charging connector-to-header joint for gap and thermal abnormalities, and is recommending owners hold off on DC fast charging until the inspection is done. Nothing has been filed with NHTSA.

R2 Forest Green

R2 Forest Green and Coastal Cloud Orders Now Open

R2 buyers are beginning to order Forest Green paint and the Coastal Cloud Signature interior, with owners reporting successful orders and delivery estimates of eight to twelve weeks. Borealis remains on track for September.

R2 Drive Modes

Rivian R2 Drive Modes Explained, All Eight and What They Do

The R2 comes with up to eight drive modes, and how many you get depends entirely on your trim. Rivian also gave me the specifics on what Conserve actually changes on this platform, which works nothing like it does on the R1. Here is every mode, what it does, and which trims get it.