The R2 will launch without several software features R1 owners use regularly, including Rivian Assistant, Climate Hold, and Pet Mode, with Rivian indicating some will not arrive for at least the first month of ownership.
Quick heads-up for R1 owners, the 2026.15.01 (Gen 1 R1) and 2026.15.30 (Gen 2 R1) hotfix is out, and Rivian patched something a little odd with it. Some privacy settings had been toggling on and off on their own. Location, the Autonomy stuff. The settings you set once and forget about. Rivian is calling it rare but I know that…
A new Rivian software update is in testing and rolling out soon. Version 2026.15.30 is a hotfix aimed almost entirely at Rivian Assistant, with cleaner calling and messaging, smarter climate and navigation, quieter chimes, and a language-based availability change that finally opens the assistant up to owners in Quebec. Coming to both Gen 1 and Gen 2 R1T and R1S.
Rivian software chief Wassym Bensaid went on Decoder, and it's the clearest look yet at the VW deal, why Rivian's software culture is the real asset, and what RV Tech means for every future EV from Audi to Scout.
Rivian's software and autonomy leads jumped into a Reddit AMA and ended up spilling more concrete R2 detail than we've gotten in a while. Wassym handled most of it, with James stepping in for the self driving questions. From point to point autonomy timelines and the edge compute bet to the heat pump, the charging mat retrofit, and why the premium audio actually works, here's everything worth knowing.
