Rivian Recap: 03/06/2026

Hey there,

Here's your weekly Rivian Recap for March 6th, 2026.

All eyes on are on March 12th for the R2 info drop, some quirky software bugs rear their heads, NACS roll out, autonomy info, and tool updates.

Let's dive in!

Software

With the most important event of Rivians young life coming up with the much anticipated R2 launch, we will finally have concrete details by next week's edition of the Rivian Recap.

I wanted to take a moment to chat about Rivian software in general.

We've seen Rivian software improve dramatically over the past 18-24 months, along with a big expansion of headline features.

So much so that my 1-year review of the R1S really highlighted just how different the vehicle was after a full year of compounding updates.

But, it's not all roses.

And when it comes to a mass market vehicle like the R2?

Buyers are rightfully going to compare it to the market sales leader, the Model Y, and not the legacy OEMs that Rivian is far ahead of.

And as it stands here in March 2026, while improved, I don't think it actually quite clears the bar the team has set out for themselves.

Here's a few of the recent observed quirks:

- Lane centering complaining it's not available, despite the icon that signals it is.

- Two phone key users walk up to the car, and it almost never picks the correct person walking up to the driver door.

(This one is particularly annoying given I'm 6' 4" and my wife is 5' 2", so the car will pick her profile and move to the small position, consistently.)

- Other times, the car DOES recognize the driver changing, but won't move the seat. Or it leaves the set in one profile, while the infotainment, music etc is on the profile for the passenger.

- HVAC failing to properly pre-condition the cabin remotely, despite being able to rapidly when the driver is in the vehicle.

- Streaming audio that crashes or skips like it's a mid-90's portable CD player.

And just last night, I came out to my truck when it had been pouring rain, and somehow all the windows were vented.

How this happened? I have no idea. It's entirely possible that it was use error by accidentally hitting a vent trigger, but I tend to be intentional with my devices and I can't think of a time where this could've happened.

There are other reports of random remote vehicle open/close behavior.

I'm not listing these things off to harp on Rivian from a place of negativity, but I want to highlight that I think the balance of new features vs bug fixes is swung too far to new features.

While not as complex as a vehicle system, I do run my own team of developers and deploy a complex system responsible for billions of emails.

Our customers demand an ultra-reliable appliance.

When we miss that mark, we lose customers and I don't blame them.

When we execute well here, we earn loyal customers who don't even really consider leaving what they are used to.

Compared to legacy auto, Rivian is absolutely crushing it.

The problem is, they aren't in a vacuum and can't compare themselves to the median market experience.

If we agree that Tesla is the software benchmark in terms of reliability, then that's what highly effective teams should be shooting to match, imho.

Rivian has implemented some ideas better than what you get in a Tesla, which they deserve full credit for.

Things like co-steer, in-car hotspot, utility based pricing management.

But they need to stick the landing through improved software QA.

Hardware

The big hardware reveal we're probably all waiting on comes at SXSW in Austin on March 12th, where we should see the Launch Edition trims in the metal.

Including R2 joyrides! ✌️

(Not to mention, finally in color. 💙 )

But it sounds like we will be getting a more complete look of what the R2 lineup will look like overall. From the base $45k RWD to performance specs.

I think it will be useful for prospective buyers to know what kind of price differences exist between the base and a well equipped long range, AWD model. I suspect the value will be strong for the common spec.

Speaking of specs, there's some debate about pricing for Launch Edition.

Chris contributes a ton to the Rivian community, and I see how we got here adding up the slew of price ladders that we see on R1.

However, I think Launch Editions have a real opportunity for value here.

If we compare what the Model Y Launch Series ($59,990) and the current Model Y Performance ($57,490), we start to get a better picture.

The launch series of the new Model Y included FSD, acceleration boost, as well as software upgrades.

Model Y Performance includes lifetime premium connectivity.

Given all that, and what Rivian did for the Launch Edition on the Gen2 Quad where it included lifetime Autonomy+ as well as Connect+, we get a pretty good idea of how this may go.

A dual-motor performance R2 with a few premium hardware upgrades (pain, wheels, interior?), and some software upgrades (performance, autonomy+, connect+) would round out a great package.

But I firmly believe the price for this needs to be in the range of the Model Y examples listed above.

If we see 60+ for a Launch Edition, especially with the delays for Gen3 hardware, I think it would be fair to call it a miss.

Speaking of which, here's the scoop on an under reported delay of the Gen3 computer + LiDAR people should know going into next week 👇

I recently came across another solid (if extremely nerdy) interview with a Rivian hardware engineer about RAP1, with details about the chip design itself and many of the factors they considered for their first silicon.

While most people have been noting the paper specs of RAP1, I still don't think many are seeing this for the huge milestone it really is.

You can check out the video here.

Another hardware change we are starting to see has to do with the Rivian Adventure Network (RAN) fast charging.

We are starting to see more and more sites getting mixed cables retrofitted for partial NACS and partial CCS1 cables.

As noted by multiple community members, including Isaiah, these sites are being retrofitted faster than the map is being updated.

Now that we are nearing a full year of NACS shipping on R1, and R2 will be NACS native, how long do you think it will take for all sites to be at least mixed?

How long until CCS1 cables are phased out entirely?

It will be an interesting time when Rivians will have to use a NACS to CCS1 adapter for model year 2025 and older to charge at a Rivian station as the only option some time in the future.

Given how I've seen Teslas pull up to my local Lynwood, WA RAN without an adapter and have to leave, mixed use as soon as possible makes a ton of sense.

Now if only those prices could come down.

One last tidbit for the nerds, but R2 will have a 5G radio in it for Connect+ and is using a new e-SIM certified for automotive use. My European friends will be happy to see the clear global touches Rivian has put into R2.

Community

Last weekend, my wife was able to get outside of her comfort zone with a day of performance driving at the DirtFish Rally School here in Washington.

This is the same location that Gen2 vehicles went for their demo drives back in 2024, and is commonly used for other automakers such as Ford.

You can even drive around the course in some console driving games.

For this particular event, it was focused as a women's day. But she had a blast and this something I would encourage others to pursue if they have an interest.

Next weekend, this particular location has an event where you can bring your own vehicle for improving your skills within a controlled environment.

It's an off-road Women's Day for just $70 (not affiliated, just a cool opportunity).

More info in about Women's Programs.

Worth Checking Out - VION

I've had our VION sunshades in both our R1S and R1T for months now. They're custom-fit for Rivian's expansive glass roof, and honestly, they can make a big difference on hot days or when the vehicle is parked.

VION sponsored my 1-year review video, and they're offering Rivian Recap readers 10% off anything site wide with code "TRAVIS".

Check out their sunshades, carbon activated air filters, and more:

VION Sunshade // VION Air Filters

My thanks to VION for helping make this newsletter possible.

Latest Deals

A few deals have switched around for early March.

Unfortunately, the 0% finance offers are gone, replaced by 1.99%.

However, we did see the lease deal for the dual-standard improve.

And there's a bonus $500 off through March 16th.

Keeping up with the offers is tough for normal people, but thankfully many thousands of you have used my lease calculator, lease vs buy calculator, or even the range calculator to inform your decision.

Given the volume of usage, I've made several improvements to make this easier for you to track current offers as well as surfacing the best configs.

As you use the tools, you'll see deals surface like this:

They automatically update on a rolling basis from real calculations users are inputting so we can quickly identify shifting deals and spot them for you.

You can now also paste an inventory link to pre-fill some attributes:

I'm able to query the model (R1S/R1T), powertrain (including performance upgrade), as well as MSRP.

Unfortunately, the other attributes aren't available this way.

Lastly, I'm manually curating the known deals to automatically surface relevant ones in the calculators so you can 1-click apply when they fit your config.