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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 Validation Build

The Gas SUVs Rivian R2 Is Coming For in 2026

At $45,000 and up, the Rivian R2 is walking into the most competitive segment in the American market and asking gas buyers to switch. The competition is deep. The RAV4 is the best-selling SUV in America. The CR-V Hybrid is the best driver in the class. The Bronco Sport Badlands brings real trail hardware for less money. But none of them make 656 hp, none do 0-60 in 3.6 seconds, and none offer 300+ miles of range with zero gas costs. Here's how every major ICE competitor stacks up against R2 and where Rivian's pitch actually lands.

Rivian R2

Everything Rivian Is Doing at SXSW 2026

Rivian is back as the headline sponsor of SXSW 2026, and this year it's all about R2. From off-road passenger rides to panels with RJ Scaringe and Kara Swisher, here's everything happening at the Electric Roadhouse in Austin from March 13 through 18.

Rivian Adventure Department R2

Everything Changes on March 12 for Rivian and the R2

March 12 isn't just a product reveal. It's the single most important day in Rivian's history since the R1T rolled off the line in Normal, Illinois. We already know the broad strokes, but the real questions, like what the Launch Edition will actually cost and how Rivian structures the configurator and options, are still unanswered. Here's what's really at stake and why this moment is bigger than just a price drop.

Rivian Adventure Department Family Portrait

Rivian Officially Launches Adventure Department (RAD) and Showcases Quad R1S at FAT Ice Race

Rivian has officially launched the Rivian Adventure Department, or RAD, its extreme testing and performance engineering team that feeds real world data directly into production vehicles. RAD Tuner, which debuted in December 2025 with update 2025.46 for Gen 2 Quad owners, is one of the clearest examples of that philosophy in action, and now the team is making its public debut at the 2026 FAT Ice Race in Big Sky, Montana with the new Quad R1S.