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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.

R1T LiDAR Ground Truth Vehicle

Rivian R1T With LiDAR Spotted Testing in Italy

A Rivian R1T rigged with LiDAR and autonomy sensors was spotted this morning on the streets of Bolzano, Italy. It is almost certainly a mapping and ground truth vehicle laying groundwork for the R2 in Europe, not a sign the R1T is heading overseas.

R2 Catalina Cove NACS Port

R2 Fast Charging Test Beats Rivian’s Own 29 Minute Claim

Tom Moloughney of State of Charge ran the first independent 10 to 80 percent charging test on a Rivian R2 and it finished in 26.9 minutes, two minutes ahead of Rivian's official 29 minute estimate. Peak power hit 226 kW, and there is a warning for owners planning to fast charge through an adapter.

Rivian R2 Standard in Esker Silver

Rivian R2 Canada Order Invites Coming First Half of 2027

Rivian just told Canadian R2 reservation holders when to expect their first order invitations, and the answer is the first half of 2027. Still no Canadian price though, since the old $66,500 CAD figure got pulled a while back. Here is what the update actually means if you are waiting up north.

Rivian R1T Service Center

Rivian Care Now Available in 48 States

Rivian Care has expanded again, and the optional protection program is now live in even more states. Here is the full list of where it is available, along with a quick breakdown of what the two coverage options actually include and why buying while your warranty is still active saves you money.