Rivian Recap: 09/05/2025
Hey there,
Here's your weekly Rivian Recap for September 5th, 2025.
Rivian has a fresh new time of use charging feature coming in the next over-the-air update, R2's best new feature no one is talking about, patents and more.
Let's dive in!
R1
Wassym (head of Rivian software) is back at it again with a new feature slated for Rivian's next OTA update.
This time they are taking aim at helping Rivian owners optimize their home charging costs for both time of use and cleanliness of charging from the grid.
With this new feature, owners will spend less money and produce less emissions charging their Rivian when at home based on their local utility.
Remember the awesome R1T camp kitchen that never shipped to customers?
Instead we got the briefcase style camp kitchen that can work on R1T, R1S and the future lineup of R2, R3 and beyond.
I mean, just look at how cool this thing was:
(P.S. The closest thing now is this kitchen from Thunderbolt Adventure.)
Well, Rivian has just been awarded a patent for a similar design that would be centered around entertainment.
What do you think?
Is this something you'd be willing to give up gear tunnel space for?
I was super excited for the kitchen, but now that I own an R1T I find the gear tunnel to be one of the most useful spaces in the truck.
Maybe Rivian was on to something with the trimmed down design after all, even if it is seemingly way overpriced.
R2 + Beyond
This week I spent time delving into one of the R2 features that I don't see anyone else talking about.
Here's the full video breakdown.
TLDW; There are fundamental differences between R1 and R2 that should make the R2 twice as good at charging to 80% vs R1.
A combination of thermal design, a simplified battery pack and different priorities on battery chemistry will make all the difference.
This all compounds by the fact that the smaller, lighter and likely much more efficient R2 should use less energy per mile.
Based on my experience during my 5,230 mile road trip this summer, thermals stuck out as the sore thumb Rivian can't seemingly fix with an OTA update. Fingers crossed this part will be as good as promised. 🤞
Rivian was awarded a patent for their (now defunct) plans to have removable headrests and foldable front seats. This would've enabled a shockingly large flat area for car camping in the much smaller R2.
Here's a post from Chris Hillbert about the patent.
As someone who is 6' 4", this is one of the features I'm going to miss from the production R2 based on the prototype reveal.
More cost cutting in order to hit their production timeline and margin targets, unfortunately.
Autonomy
Last weekend I spent 3 days in a row putting down some decent miles on I-5 going to and from the same location, much of which was using Rivian Autonomy Platform+ with build 2025.26
I continue to be impressed with the improved performance of the traffic aware cruise control, but the lane positioning and lack of freedom for centering anywhere it can see lane lines continue to be the Achilles heel.
The latest version does allow you to auto-lane change across solid lines (such as the carpool lane) though, which is certainly new behavior.
Meanwhile, Waymo has announced an expansion of their true Level 4 autonomous fleet to Denver, Colorado and Seattle, Washington.
It looks like Seattle is going to be further off for actual deployment, but as soon as it rolls out here I'll be sure to make some videos around it's performance. It will be interesting to see how it compares to the approaches from both Tesla, Rivian, and others.
Will more permissive assistance win in the long run? Probably.
But today, the rigid operating domain is making Waymo win at actually deploying market ready Level 4 autonomy.
Community
This week I have a treat from you from Zach, who is flying his drone again around the Normal, Illinois plant. The plant is currently shut down as they integrate the R2 expansion with the R1 line.
It looks like the progress is coming along really nicely, be sure to check out the full thread of photos to see how rapidly things are advancing.
Thanks for sharing, Zach!
Latest Deals
Things were simplified a bit this week on the incentives front, with the trade-in bonus expiring being the the biggest move.
The 2025 tri-motor and 2026 dual-standard configurations are the best deals right now in my humble opinion.
Note: Current offers require you to lease by September 15th to qualify.
Here are some of the unique/best incentives:
- 2025 Tri-Motors have "stealth" discounts. Things like paint color and wheel upgrades have been zeroed out. One of the better builds now if you were planning on a fancy color and off-road wheels!
- Score a free camp speaker when you do a demo drive or fill out a trade-in request form (but seemingly don't need to do a trade-in) and order the same day. Offer expires September 15th.
Here are the supported builds with offers + my recommended upgrades on audio, tonneau, etc.
2025 Tri-Motor R1S <- Stealth deals (free paint and wheel upgrades)
2025 Tri-Motor R1T <- Stealth deals (free paint and wheel upgrades)
2026 Dual-Max Performance
- 2026 Dual-Max Performance R1S
- 2026 Dual-Max Performance R1T
2025-2026 Dual-Standard (an excellent entry value)
I would highly encourage everyone to lease so you can claim the incentive, even if you plan to buy out immediately.
Here's my video about lease vs buy to help better understand the numbers.
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