Rivian Recap: 05/22/2026
Hey there,
Here's your weekly Rivian Recap for May 22nd, 2026.
Wassym does a Reddit AMA for R2, Rivian Assistant quirks, Rivian extended stays, and potentially some Gear Guard issues with 2026.15?
Let's dive in!
Quick note: I've been doing these newsletters for about a year now. Can you hit reply and tell me what the most valuable part is to you?
I want to make sure I double down on the best parts going forward.
Software
First up, we had the software head honcho himself deliver us a Reddit AMA focused on the R2. You can read the full thread here, but I've got you covered with the software highlights below (hardware notes separated):
Valet/Teen Mode
A new mode to reduce some of the other worldly power in your Rivian for new drivers, or ones you wouldn't want ripping in your vehicle.
ETA: Early 2027
Amazon Music / YouTube Music
With Rivian Assistant replacing Alexa, the middling Amazon Music support went away entirely. A native Amazon Music solution is in the works.
Unfortunately, YouTube Music is not being actively developed (big miss, imho).
General App and/or 3rd Party Development
Since Rivian wants to curate the software experience, this leads to missing gaps and functionality that people expect with CarPlay and Android Auto.
Many users requested their favorite app to be natively supported, or things like group messaging which is not really supported in Rivian Assistant today.
It's worth noting that traditional solutions (CarPlay and Android Auto) support group messaging because they hand off the tasks directly to your phone.
However, the general answer is: Rivian is going to control *everything*, so if your desire isn't aligned with their roadmap or ability, it isn't happening.
As a software founder for many years, I kind of get this. But it also feels shortsighted to completely cut off millions of apps your core customers have in their pockets and already use every day.
Weather Data In-Vehicle
Starting with R2 and Rivian OS 2.0 (coming to R1 later this year), your vehicle will directly display weather, AQI, and other factors.
They are actively working on weather radar data integration, seemingly to overlay on the map similar to the way Tesla does.
R2 & Gen2 Point-To-Point
Consistent with messaging, Launch R2 is in the same boat as current Gen2 owners, and point-to-point is expected in the next 6-ish months.
(This is most at risk for missing the projected timeline, in my opinion.)
General Autonomy+ Progress
R2 is shipping to customers in a matter of weeks with the same feature set we have on Gen2 R1 today. Stop sign and stop light control has been running in apprentice mode since the start of the year.
Prior to point-to-point, we will get 'Lane Change on Command' for surface streets (read: anywhere with lane lines), as well as stop sign/light control.
Auto parking is still expected in 2026 for 1-tap parking.
Negative Arrival Charge Level
Those with a higher risk tolerance (like OutOfSpec), who often push vehicles to their charge limits, will eventually have an accurate negative projection shown vs a floor of 0%.
Pet Mode / Pet Cam
The improved RGB driver monitoring camera (vs infrared in Gen2 R1) will enable a "Pet Cam" mode to see your pet. Similar to Tesla, but only available for R2 due to the hardware changes until a future version of R1 gets upgraded.
R2 Audio Quality (Many Questions!)
Wassym brought up the theoretical benefits of force canceling woofers.
This was one of the most underwhelming responses in the AMA, unfortunately.
I did my best to push on the reply, but it didn't get fully addressed.
Unfortunately, when it comes to audio, Rivian really needs to SHOW us vs tell us. They've claimed progressive steps across hardware generations, but the reality is we've only seen less and less capable audio systems, not better.
Proximity Unlock Behavior
The 2nd weakest response in the AMA was related to proximity key behavior.
My experience, and that of countless others I've talked to, seem to indicate that when two keys are competing it just picks alphabetically.
Tesla with Bluetooth only was a far more consistent experience than the ultra-wide band solution currently from Rivian. (Newer Tesla's are even better.)
For example: My wife and I have a 14"+ height difference, but her name comes before mine in the alphabet, so the car routinely picks her for position.
Legacy auto solved this decades ago, so this feels like an unacceptable daily paper cut for a vehicle this advanced.
Rivian Assistant Future
Generally, I think it's fair to say that Rivian Assistant has been well received.
I've found it to do some dumb AI things still, such as not understanding what "tomorrow" is (skipping 2 days ahead), and choosing the wrong UPS store as opposed to the one I was 2 blocks away from when asking about open times.
However, Wassym underscored what I already had felt. The in-car experience powered by XMM3 for R2 may be a bigger deal to more drivers than the Gen3/LiDAR stack.
The new infotainment is ~2x as powerful for inference (AI tasks) and has additional RAM to power more requests in-vehicle. Having fewer requests bouncing to the cloud should be a major improvement in response latency.
Here's hoping we see XMM3 powering R1 vehicles for the 2027 model year in the coming months. The sooner we get more vehicles shipping with this updated infotainment processor, the better for long term customers.
A bit of a (potential) PSA:
I noticed earlier this week that on both of our vehicles which were update recently to 2026.15 had their various Gear Guard features disabled.
We certainly didn't do that, so I can only assume the update did.
I'd suggest checking your settings again so you don't get caught with a hit & run like I did, but instead be missing the key footage.
Hardware
I've been getting questions from viewers/readers about how to best leave your Rivian for extended periods of time without nuking the battery.
Times like leaving your Rivian at the airport, trailhead, or multi-month storage.
So I worked with Chad over at Rivian Roamer to pull some fleet data to deliver real numbers... not just vibes.
My goal was to give you the reason why some people have wildly different outcomes, exactly what you can do to control it, and my point-by-point recommendation for each primary use case.
Continuing from our "Redditor in Chief", I've collected the hardware focused highlights from the AMA here for you:
Coastal Cloud Signature on Launch R2 Models
In short - confirmed. If you're willing to wait until later in 2026 for an R2 Performance with Launch Package sporting the white interior. That's coming.
R2 Rear Wiper Cold Performance
As many of us had questions about the "well" that the rear wiper sits down in for Premium and Performance trims we have additional details.
R2 ships with a heater in the wiper well, and has an option in software to make it kick up so it doesn't get buried in solid ice under poor conditions.
HVAC Improvements in R2
Based on the overall design and from reports, I had heard that thermals may finally be truly solved with R2. That seems to be supported by the answers around heat pumps and thermals.
Every R2 trim comes with a much beefier heat pump, and a far more effective thermal design for the battery cells.
Perhaps those 100+ degree temps won't destroy charge sessions and will no long present a safety risk for pets in Pet Comfort Mode. Hooray!
Improved Serviceability
The additional cut lines and simpler design should make the R2 less prone to issues, and when they do arise, they should be both easier and less costly to do. After those $40k+ fender bender nightmares, this is very welcome.
V2H Solutions
As suspected, Rivian is wanting to have their bi-directional charging product out before fully supporting V2H. While not explicitly said, I fear R2 may get a significant head start on support here due to AC output.
This is despite Rivian talking about V2H in R2 since the first 2022 models.
Lockable Gloveboxes!
Both gloveboxes in R2 are software lockable. This will be terrific for security, and a future valet style mode to keep your belongings secure.
A bit of a random drop in the Gear Shop this week with vehicle covers.
Available for both the R1S and R1T, these (premium) covers will protect your vehicle if they are outside for long periods or in a garage.
(Funny easter egg, when these first dropped, the URL slug for the T was "r1s-outdoor-car-cover-copy" lol)
Community
The legend of Sad Mike has reached the Rivian Assistant.
This one was particularly funny. It got so many details right!
The only nuance is that I took the photo, Katie took a different one earlier in the trip that was "Happy Mike".
AI hallucinated yet again...
Fun little things like this and the sense of humor is one of my favorite parts of the community at large.
Plus, the 3D printed badges earned some money for charity. Win/win.
Rivian Roamer launches a sweet new feature!
Chad continues to ship, and the improvements compound over time.
This weather enriched feature dropped in his weekly email update, and it has to be one of my favorites in the past 6 months.
You can check it out for a month on me. Good work Chad!
I love getting photos from those of you who have gotten your stickers, shirts, and sweatshirts out in the wild. Thanks for the support, John! (Sticker Discount)
Worth Checking Out - VION
While I've been using the first version of the VION shades for Rivians for almost a year now, the new 3 row and light variants that just dropped are great.
I installed the 3rd row version in the R1S this week as we are finally warming up a bit and our black lab already seems pleased with the results.
As a subscriber to the Rivian Recap, you can get 10% off anything site wide with code "TRAVIS", on what is already a stellar product for the price.
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
May offers are quickly coming to a close if you plan to get a vehicle with the lower interest rates by the cutoff, or want the lease deal on a dual standard.
Here's what's sticking out for deals this week:
Get 1.99% for 60 months on these builds:
Dual Large w/Performance [Lease vs Buy Example]:
2026 R1S Dual-Large w/Performance (Premium Audio)
2026 R1T Dual-Large w/Performance (Premium Audio, Utility V2 Tonneau)
[Only the Dual Max/Performance also qualifies for $3k lease bonus]
Dual Max w/Performance [Lease vs Buy Example]:
2026 R1S Dual-Max w/Performance (Premium Audio)
2026 R1T Dual-Max w/Performance (Premium Audio, Utility, V2 Tonneau)
Tri-Max [Lease vs Buy Example]:
*If you need to chat with a sales advisor and want a direct introduction, I'm happy to make that happen, just reply and I'll get you in touch.*
All referrals also get 3 months of free charging on the Rivian Adventure Network.
I hope enjoyed this weeks edition of the Rivian Recap. Let me know what you'd like to see more of in future editions!
Even if you just want to say hi, hit reply – I'd love to get to know you 👋
Stay curious ✌️,
Travis Ketchum
P.S. Thinking about buying a new Rivian?
Make sure you use a referral code. A friend, a neighbor, or someone who has helped you along the way.
Here's mine: TRAVIS4699411
P.P.S. Here are some tools and resources you may find useful: