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Jose Castillo Founder and Editor
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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.

R2 Borealis

The Rivian R2 Options You Can’t Get at Launch

R2 is launching as a Performance Launch Edition only, and a chunk of what got shown at SXSW isn't available at launch. Some configurations are coming later in 2026, others slip into 2027, and a few combos like Borealis on the single motor Standard aren't ever going to exist.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe

RJ Scaringe Is the Most Underrated CEO in Automotive

The gap between what RJ Scaringe has actually shipped in the last eighteen months and how anyone is talking about him feels wider than it should be. Here's the case for why he might be the most underrated CEO in automotive right now.

Rivian Normal, IL Factory Expansion for R2

Rivian Confirms EF-1 Tornado Hit Normal Plant, Operations Resuming This Week

Rivian has now put out an official statement confirming that an EF-1 tornado touched down at the Normal Plant Friday night, damaging Building 2 which houses R2 assembly. No injuries, and the company expects to resume operations in that building this week. Operations elsewhere on the campus continue as normal.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Rivian Factory Damage April 2026

Rivian’s Normal Plant Takes Damage from Overnight Storms [Update]

Severe weather through Central Illinois last night reached Rivian's Normal plant, with early photos showing a section of roof caved in on Building 2, the newer addition tied to R2 assembly. The extent of the damage isn't clear yet, and we're holding off on speculation until Rivian or the town puts out something official.