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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.

High Gas Prices

Trump Rolls Back CAFE Fuel Economy Standards as Gas Hits $4.47

The Trump administration finalized new CAFE standards that drop the 2031 fleet target to about 34.9 mpg, down from the 50.4 mpg the previous rules called for. It's another hit to EV adoption, and it lands while gas prices sit more than a dollar higher than a year ago.

Comma AI

NHTSA Investigates Comma AI Openpilot After Fatal Crashes

NHTSA is investigating Comma AI's aftermarket driver assistance devices after five crashes involving stopped vehicles left three people dead. Openpilot officially supports the Gen 1 R1S and R1T, so plenty of Rivian owners are running this hardware right now.

Rivian R2

Rivian R2 Hits 2030 Carbon Goal Four Years Early

Rivian's new R2 cuts its lifecycle carbon footprint in half compared to the R1S Launch Edition, hitting the company's 2030 target four years ahead of schedule. The new impact report also covers recycled materials, smart charging, and Rivian's growing factory footprint.

GEELY EX5

Rivian’s RJ Expects Chinese EVs in the U.S.

RJ Scaringe told The New York Times that Chinese automakers will likely be able to sell in the U.S. eventually, and that tariffs are what's keeping things balanced until then. He also sees robotics as the other way American manufacturing closes the cost gap.