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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.

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.

Rivian Mobile Service

Rivian Expands Service Network With 150+ Locations Planned

Rivian says its service experience is evolving to be faster, more proactive, and increasingly mobile, with 50+ new Service Centers planned, a major expansion of Mobile Service, and AI powered diagnostics designed to reduce wait times and keep owners out of the service bay altogether.

Rivian R2 Assembly Preview as RJ Scaringe Shares Pilot Line Update

How Rivian R2 Suspension Differs From R1

Rivian’s R2 introduces a simpler semi-active coil suspension system compared to the air suspension setup found in R1, focusing on comfort and control without adjustable ride height. Here’s a straightforward breakdown of what that means and why it matters for everyday drivers.