Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Early 2026 R2 use Gen 2 autonomy with no LiDAR, later 2026 models get Gen 3 with LiDAR, and there’s no upgrade path between them.

riviantrackr.com/news/clearin...

Clearing Up the Confusion Around Rivian R2 and LiDAR

There’s been a lot of mixed messaging and confusion around how Rivian plans to launch R2, so I want to clearly lay out what we know today and how this rollout is actually going to work. Rivian will la...

riviantrackr.com

December 17, 2025 at 5:22 PM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

Rivian has released a new 22" Winter Wheel and Tire set on the Gear Shop. This includes either the 22" Sport or 22" Range wheels with Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV tires starting at $4,261.

gearshop.rivian.com/products/22-...

22" Winter Wheel and Tire Sets

Prepare for the snow with our winter wheel and tire sets. Designed to grip, perform and keep you moving with confidence. These 22" Sport or 22" Range Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV tires come mount...

gearshop.rivian.com

December 16, 2025 at 6:56 PM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

Rivian says the R2 with LiDAR will turn every vehicle into a ground truth car, massively scaling how autonomy learns in the real world.

riviantrackr.com/news/why-riv...

Why Rivian’s Ground Truth Fleet Matters More Than Any Single Feature

During Rivian’s Autonomy & AI Day, James Philbin dropped one of the most important lines of the entire event, and it was easy to miss. When the Rivian R2 launches with LiDAR, every vehicle on the road...

riviantrackr.com

December 16, 2025 at 5:01 PM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

We all win when we have different options for electric vehicles. The Ford Lightning was a great vehicle for a lot of owners and it’s quite sad to see Ford discontinue it. Ever single Lighting owner I met loved their truck.

December 16, 2025 at 2:14 PM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

Rivian Confirms Launch Mode and Apple Watch Support Coming to Gen 1 Vehicles Early Next Year

riviantrackr.com/news/rivian-...

Rivian Confirms Launch Mode and Apple Watch Support Coming to Gen 1 Vehicles Early Next Year

Wassym just shared a quick but pretty meaningful update on Reddit, and there’s some good news for Gen 1 owners. Launch Mode is officially coming to Gen 1 Quad and Dual Performance vehicles early next ...

riviantrackr.com

December 15, 2025 at 5:18 PM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

Rivian is tossing in the All-Terrain Package for free this December on select 2025 R1.

riviantrackr.com/news/rivian-...

December 14, 2025 at 4:43 PM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

With LiDAR coming to R2 in late 2026 but deliveries starting earlier, Rivian’s announcement raises a classic Osborne effect question, do buyers jump in early or wait for what’s next?

riviantrackr.com/news/why-riv...

Why Rivian’s R2 LiDAR Timeline Risks the Osborne Effect

With Rivian confirming that LiDAR is coming to R2 in late 2026, but also making it clear that R2 deliveries begin in early 2026 without it, there’s an interesting business dynamic worth talking about,...

riviantrackr.com

December 13, 2025 at 3:53 PM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

Rivian’s 2025.46 update is a solid drop, with Gen 2 getting big autonomy and hands-free upgrades, while Gen 1 sees practical improvements to navigation, charging, and overall stability.

riviantrackr.com/news/whats-c...

What’s Coming In Rivian Software 2025.46

Rivian’s 2025.46 update is a meaningful release for both Gen 1 and Gen 2 R1 vehicles. Gen 2 is clearly the focus this time, introducing Rivian’s most advanced driver assistance features to date, while...

riviantrackr.com

December 12, 2025 at 11:48 PM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

Alright, I’ve gathered my thoughts and here’s what I think about Rivian’s first ever Autonomy and AI Day!

youtu.be/93K6WsB0b-c

My Thoughts on Rivian's First Autonomy and AI Day

YouTube video by RivianTrackr

youtu.be

December 12, 2025 at 4:13 PM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

Rivian Assistant Demo, A First Look at Rivian’s Future AI
youtu.be/wPRlxzD4duk

Rivian Assistant Demo, A First Look at Rivian’s Future AI

YouTube video by RivianTrackr

youtu.be

December 12, 2025 at 6:39 AM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

Rivian’s Autonomy & AI Day finally clarified which autonomy features, hardware, and AI tools are coming to R1 and R2 vehicles, and more importantly, when owners can actually expect them.

riviantrackr.com/news/rivian-...

Rivian Autonomy & AI Day Breakdown: What R1 and R2 Vehicles Get and When

Rivian dropped a ton of autonomy and AI news, so here’s the simplified version of what matters and how it breaks down by vehicle. R2 launches in early 2026 using the same Gen 2 Autonomy Computer found...

riviantrackr.com

December 12, 2025 at 6:29 AM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

Rivian just kicked off its AI era with custom RAP1 silicon, Gen 3 autonomy compute, R2 LiDAR roadmap, Universal Hands Free for Gen 2, and the new Rivian Assistant arriving in 2026.

riviantrackr.com/news/rivian-...

Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 LiDAR Roadmap, Universal Hands Free, and Its Next Gen Autonomy Platform

RJ opened the first ever Autonomy and AI Day explaining why Rivian believes it is positioned to lead in this next phase of the industry. The company is leaning hard into compute, custom hardware, larg...

riviantrackr.com

December 11, 2025 at 5:27 PM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

I Visited ALSO to Test the TM-B and It Did Not Disappoint

riviantrackr.com/news/i-visit...

I Visited ALSO to Test the TM-B and It Did Not Disappoint

I spent the day with the team at ALSO to ride their TM-B electric bike and get a full behind the scenes look at how this thing comes together. They walked me through the tech, the design choices, the ...

riviantrackr.com

December 11, 2025 at 2:12 PM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

I Didn’t Expect Tesla FSD V14 to Be This Good

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xH3...

I Didn’t Expect Tesla FSD V14 to Be This Good

YouTube video by RivianTrackr

www.youtube.com

December 10, 2025 at 3:09 AM

Jose | RivianTrackr

@riviantrackr.com

A Reddit post from longtime Rivian owners is getting people talking, calling out some lingering R1 software annoyances and questioning how much attention those fixes are really getting right now.

riviantrackr.com/news/why-som...