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Rivian is rolling out one of its most significant software updates to date starting this evening. We’ve been driving the R1S version around for the better part of two weeks and can take you through what’s new and what it is like to use.

The Rivian 2023.38 software leaked almost two weeks ago, and shortly after, Rivian offered to let us try it ahead of launch. Were we doing beta testing for them? If so, we are happy to report almost no flaws.

We weren’t able to test out the towing or the specific updates that were made for the R1T, like the bed-view camera. The R1T and stuff to tow weren’t available to me in short order. Also, this update changed the drive mode UI and added a new gauge view, but there are no new drive modes here.

Towing:

As I said, I don’t have a trailer to tow, but it’s pretty easy to see how the interface works. It is certainly a less daunting UI than Ford’s towing package with the Lightning. Here’s a quick video from Rivian:

The list of features:

  • The new Drive Modes app now lets you choose the optimal drive mode while towing, based on the environment, behavior, and current road conditions.
  • Near the Drive Mode tabs, a new Trailers tab provides three profiles for different trailers. Each Trailer Profile tracks the trailer’s range impact, estimated weight, and trip data.
  • Trailer Profiles now remember the Trailer Brake Gain for each trailer.
  • Improved Range Estimation when towing. When you connect a trailer, the vehicle now continuously learns and stores the efficiency during the trip and provides feedback to the driver about the range estimate on the instrument cluster and the range on arrival estimate in navigation.
  • While the vehicle is towing or parked, the Rivian mobile app 2.3.0 or later now displays an updated vehicle visual.

Gauge View:

Rivian describes the new Gauge view UI as such:

  • The all-new Gauge view, on the right side of the screen, provides real-time data visualization of the vehicle, allowing you to discover more about how your vehicle works.
  • To access the Gauge view, swipe left from the main image on the selector screen. See real-time data from the vehicle, such as steering direction, direction of travel, pitch, roll, tire pressure, elevation, motor and battery temperatures, as well as trip data that includes distance, speed, duration, efficiency, and total energy used.

I liked the high contrast for ease of use while driving gauge view, and when not mapping or changing my music, this is my go-to screen. I can see this expanding out and being widget-ized, allowing users to pick what gauge they want and where.

Drive Modes:

This page has been totally reimagined for the better.

  • The Drive Modes selector is now redesigned with a focus on accessibility and usability.
  • The Drive Modes selector brings various controls for drive modes together under a single tab, closer to the driver. New tabs on the left side of the screen let you choose between Drive Modes and Trailers. For Quad-Motor vehicles, the Drive Modes app groups drive modes into On-Road and Off-Road.

For Rivian R1T Pickup owners:

The rear bed camera is now enabled allowing you to see what’s going on in the bed of your truck, and more importantly, this update allows you to see how your trailer is doing. It can also be used as a wider-view rearview mirror. Rivian describes:

From the app, you can use the camera view icon to cycle through the front, reverse, and truck bed views. When you open the app, it remembers and displays its last view. Also, you can view the truck bed while the vehicle is in Reverse.

To turn on this feature, go to Settings > Driver+ > Automatic cameras, and choose Show bed view in Reverse when tailgate is down.

Rivian notes the following additional improvements:

  • While in Car Wash mode, the door handles are now present when unlocking from exterior sources such as a key card, key band, or key fob.
  • Increased the accuracy of charging data and improved the resolution of the charging graph display in the Rivian mobile app.
  • Fixed a rare issue in which the Rivian app reported incorrect vehicle locations for some customers.
  • Reduced likelihood of distorted audio coming from overhead speakers.
  • Reduced active grille shutter noise from the front of the vehicle when the vehicle wakes from sleep.
  • Fixed a rare issue that caused the Media app to crash when navigating to the search tab.
  • Fixed a rare issue that caused the climate panel to appear blank.
  • When pumpkins light their glowing eyes,
    For the season of Halloween,
    Look where you go to customize,
    To find the secret theme.

Electrek’s Take:

This free update via software is solid in all respects but not life-changing for me. The towing stuff will be a big deal for those who tow, and access to the rear bed camera will be important for R1T owners.

The gauge cluster and drive mode UI are both nice software improvements and worked well in my testing.

Importantly, I wasn’t able to find the Halloween Easter Egg. ?

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Day 1 of the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025 [Gallery]

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Day 1 of the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025 [Gallery]

Today was the official start of racing at the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025! There was a tremendous energy (and heat) on the ground at NCM Motorsports Park as nearly a dozen teams took to the track. Currently, as of writing, Stanford is ranked #1 in the SOV (Single-Occupant Vehicle) class with 68 registered laps. However, the fastest lap so far belongs to UC Berkeley, which clocked a 4:45 on the 3.15-mile track. That’s an average speed of just under 40 mph on nothing but solar energy. Not bad!

In the MOV (Multi-Occupant Vehicle) class, Polytechnique Montréal is narrowly ahead of Appalachian State by just 4 laps. At last year’s formula sun race, Polytechnique Montréal took first place overall in this class, and the team hopes to repeat that success. It’s still too early for prediction though, and anything can happen between now and the final day of racing on Saturday.

Congrats to the teams that made it on track today. We look forward to seeing even more out there tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some shots from today via the event’s wonderful photographer Cora Kennedy.

Stay tuned for more!

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Tesla sold 5,000 Cybertrucks Q2, Optimus is in chaos, plus: the Infinity Train!

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Tesla sold 5,000 Cybertrucks Q2, Optimus is in chaos, plus: the Infinity Train!

The numbers are in and they are all bad for Tesla fans – the company sold just 5,000 Cybertruck models in Q4 of 2025, and built some 30% more “other” vehicles than it delivered. It just gets worse and worse, on today’s tension-building episode of Quick Charge!

We’ve also got day 1 coverage of the 2025 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix, reports that the Tesla Optimus program is in chaos after its chief engineer jumps ship, and a look ahead at the fresh new Hyundai IONIQ 2 set to bow early next year, thanks to some battery specs from the Kia EV2.

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

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Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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Tesla launches Oasis Supercharger with solar farm and off-grid batteries

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Tesla launches Oasis Supercharger with solar farm and off-grid batteries

Tesla has launched its new Oasis Supercharger, the long-promised EV charging station of the future, with a solar farm and off-grid batteries.

Early in the deployment of the Supercharger network, Tesla promised to add solar arrays and batteries to the Supercharger stations, and CEO Elon Musk even said that most stations would be able to operate off-grid.

While Tesla did add solar and batteries to a few stations, the vast majority of them don’t have their own power system or have only minimal solar canopies.

Back in 2016, I asked Musk about this, and he said that it would now happen as Tesla had the “pieces now in place” with Supercharger V3, Powerpack V2, and SolarCity:

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All of these pieces have been in place for years, and Tesla has now discontinued the Powerpack in favor of the Megapack. The Supercharger network is also transitioning to V4 stations.

Yet, solar and battery deployment haven’t accelerated much in the decade since Musk made that comment, but it is finally happening.

Last year, Tesla announced a new project called ‘Oasis’, which consists of a new model Supercharger station with a solar farm and battery storage enabling off-grid operations in Lost Hills, California.

Tesla has now unveiled the project and turned on most of the Supercharger stalls:

The project consists of 168 chargers, with half of them currently operational, making it one of the largest Supercharger stations in the world. However, that’s not even the most notable aspect of it.

The station is equipped with 11 MW of ground-mounted solar panels and canopies, spanning 30 acres of land, and 10 Tesla Megapacks with a total energy storage capacity of 39 MWh.

It can be operated off-grid, which is the case right now, according to Tesla.

With off-grid operations, Tesla was about to bring 84 stalls online just in time for the Fourth of July travel weekend. The rest of the stalls and a lounge are going to open later this year.

Electrek’s Take

This is awesome. A bit late, but awesome. This is what charging stations should be like: fully powered by renewable energy.

Unfortunately, it will be much harder to open those stations in the future due to legislation that Trump and the Republican Party have just passed, which removes incentives for solar and energy storage, adds taxes on them, and removes incentives to build batteries – all things that have helped Tesla considerably over the last few years.

The US is likely going to have a few tough years for EV adoption and renewable energy deployment.

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