#rivian-r2

#rivian-r2

Rivian is rolling out its AI-powered in-vehicle voice assistant with the automaker's latest software update. It will be available to all Rivian Gen 1 and Gen 2 owners paying for the company's Connect+ cellular subscription service, which costs $15 a month or $150 a year, or are in the middle of an active trial. The assistant will also be available on Rivian's upcoming R2 mid-size electric SUV that has recently started production.

There are two types of electric car companies in the world: ones that slap parts wherever they fit, and others that apparently run computational fluid-dynamics simulations over the most mundane features to squeeze every last ounce of range out of their cars. Guess which one Rivian decided to be when designing the upcoming R2 SUV. One of the tiny features that Rivian's engineers obsessed over when designing the truck was the rear wiper.

Besides making cars, what do Rivian and Toyota really have in common? I'd say that they share an unfortunate sense of bad timing. It's not their fault, either. But both companies picked a rough year to launch crucial new electric-vehicle products, now that EV tax credits are gone and the U.S. government has largely soured on electrification from a policy perspective.

First off, the front doors open from the inside in the same way as in the existing R1 vehicles. There is an electronic button that opens the door, and there's a manual door-release latch tucked into the front part of the interior handle. The rear doors also have an electronic button, as well as a change to the rear manual release.

Rivian started producing "manufacturing validation builds" of the R2 at its plant in Normal, Illinois, on Thursday. It's a big step toward full-scale production. The R2 will start around $45,000, and Rivian reiterated plans for customer deliveries to start in the first half of this year. The Rivian R2 is one of the most anticipated electric vehicles of 2026 and a make-or-break product for the startup.

The Rivian R2 SUV will be powered by a new type of battery that can export electricity. The R2's new Energy Management Control Module will allow bidirectional charging. The battery itself will use a new type of cylindrical cell, which offers six times the energy of the 2170 cell used in the R1S and R1T. The Rivian R2, which will have a starting price of $45,000,

"In the early part of next year, we're going to have an R2 event where we'll go through the full portfolio of R2 products," Scaringe said.