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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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Toxic Pennsylvania mineland is about to become a big solar farm

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Toxic Pennsylvania mineland is about to become a big solar farm

Rush Township supervisors in Centre County, Pennsylvania, voted this week to greenlight a key permit for the Black Moshannon Solar project – a large solar development that would turn toxic former mineland into a major source of clean power.

If built, the Pennsylvania solar project would generate 265 megawatts of electricity – enough to power about 200,000 homes annually – on nearly 2,000 acres of toxic mineland. Developers deliberately chose the site, as the project is designed to reclaim land left behind by mining and fold environmental cleanup into the solar buildout.

According to project plans, the site would be restored with pollinators and pollinator-friendly ground cover planted beneath the solar panels. Developers have also committed to ongoing water quality and soil testing during construction and operations, along with soil improvements such as applying lime to help neutralize mining-related contamination and support vegetation growth.

Beyond the environmental cleanup, the project is expected to deliver a financial boost to the region. Black Moshannon Solar is projected to generate more than $5 million in tax revenue for the Phillipsburg-Osceola Area School District, along with more than $700,000 in direct tax payments to Centre County.

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Environmental and energy advocates praised the township’s decision. David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment, called the vote a model for other communities across the state. “We are hopeful that other local government officials across Pennsylvania will follow Rush Township’s lead and implement similar, much-needed solar projects all across the Keystone State.”

Jim Gregory, executive director of the Conservative Energy Network-Pennsylvania, also applauded the approval. “In 40 years, their forward-thinking decisions will be recognized as catalysts for environmental protection, public health improvements, and economic prosperity.”

Read more: Trump admin OKs $1B loan for Three Mile Island nuclear reboot


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Genesis GV90 leaks as breathtaking ultra-luxe SUV with coach doors [Video]

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Genesis GV90 leaks as breathtaking ultra-luxe SUV with coach doors [Video]

Genesis is gearing up to launch the stunning new flagship SUV. Ahead of its official debut, the GV90 leaked during an internal presentation, revealing our first look at the ultra-luxe electric SUV.

Genesis GV90 leak reveals coach doors and more

The GV90 is arriving as the largest, most luxurious Genesis SUV to date. Based on the Neolun Concept, the new flagship SUV will sit above the GV80 as Genesis expands into new segments.

As Genesis calls it, the “ultra-luxe, state-of-the-art SUV” stole the spotlight at the New York Auto Show last March.

It wasn’t the stunning, reductive design inspired by Korea’s moon-shaped porcelain jars or the premium Royal Indigo and Purple silk materials that caught most people’s attention at the event, but the B-pillarless coach doors.

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The SUV was showcased with Rolls-Royce-like coach doors, offering a new level of luxury for Genesis. Although we’ve seen the GV90 spotted out in public testing a few times now with coach doors, we wondered if they would make it to the production model.

Genesis-GV90-leak-coach-doors
The Genesis Neolun electric SUV concept, a preview of the GV90 (Source: Genesis)

After the full-size SUV reportedly leaked during an internal presentation, it looks like we’ve found our answer. The Genesis GV90 leak reveals two versions: a standard model and a coach-door model.

The leaked images from our friends at ShortsCar offer our first look at the production version in full. Earlier this month, a GV90 prototype was spotted out in public with the coach doors wide open, providing a sneak peek of the interior.

From what was shown, the cabin will feature a similar layout to the concept, with high-end purple and indigo materials. The GV90 was also caught with an all-black interior, which is expected to be the standard version.

A new video from the folks over at HealerTV offers a closer look at the breathtaking interior ahead of its official debut.

The GV90 appears to retain the gear selector located near the top of the steering wheel from the Neolun concept.

Another report, from TheKoreanCarBlog, confirms the new gear selector after the first interior spy shots surfaced.

From what we’ve seen so far, the GV90 is shaping up to be a near replica of the ultra-luxe Neolun concept. Genesis has yet to announce a launch date for the GV90, but it is expected to make an official debut by the end of the year with sales starting in mid-2026.

Prices and final specs, like driving range, will be revealed closer to launch, but the Genesis GV90 is rumoured to be the first vehicle to ride on Hyundai’s new eM platform.

Hyundai said the new platform will deliver a 50% improvement in range compared to its current E-GMP-based EVs, such as the IONIQ 5. It’s also expected to offer Level 3 autonomous driving as well as other advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features.

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Battery storage hits $65/MWh – a tipping point for solar

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Battery storage hits /MWh – a tipping point for solar

Turning cheap daytime solar into electricity you can actually use at night just got a lot cheaper. A new analysis from energy think tank Ember shows that utility-scale battery storage costs have fallen to $65 per megawatt-hour (MWh) as of October 2025 in markets outside China and the US. At that level, pairing solar with batteries to deliver power when it’s needed is now economically viable.

Battery storage costs have fallen dramatically over the past two years, and the decline continues. Following a steep decline in 2024, Ember’s analysis indicates that prices continued to fall sharply again in 2025.

The findings are based on real-world data from recent battery and solar-plus-storage auctions in Italy, Saudi Arabia, and India, as well as interviews with active developers across global markets.

According to Ember, the cost of a whole, grid-connected utility-scale battery storage system for long-duration projects (four hours or more) is now about $125 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) as of October 2025. That figure applies to projects outside China and the US. Core battery equipment delivered from China costs around $75/kWh, while installation and grid connection typically add another $50/kWh.

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Those lower upfront costs have pushed down the levelized cost of storage (LCOS) to just $65/MWh. Ember’s calculation reflects real-world assumptions around financing costs, system lifetime, efficiency, and battery degradation.

Cheaper hardware isn’t the only reason storage costs are falling. Longer battery lifetimes, higher efficiencies, and lower financing costs, helped by clearer revenue models such as auctions, have all contributed to the sharp drop in LCOS. Ember has published a live calculator alongside the report, allowing users to estimate LCOS using their own assumptions.

Why this matters comes down to how solar is actually used. Most solar power is generated during the day, so only a portion needs to be stored to make it dispatchable. Ember estimates that if half of daytime solar generation is shifted to nighttime, the $65/MWh storage cost adds about $33/MWh to the cost of solar electricity.

With the global average price of solar at $43/MWh in 2024, adding storage would bring the total cost to about $76/MWh, delivering power in a way that better matches real demand.

As Ember global electricity analyst Kostantsa Rangelova put it, after a 40% drop in battery equipment costs in 2024, the industry is now on track for another major fall in 2025. The economics of battery storage, she said, are “unrecognizable,” and the industry is still adjusting to this new reality.

“Solar is no longer just cheap daytime electricity; now it’s anytime dispatchable electricity. This is a game-changer for countries with fast-growing demand and strong solar resources,” Rangelova added.

Together, solar and battery storage are increasingly emerging as a scalable, secure, and affordable foundation for future power systems.

Read more: EIA: Solar + storage soar as fossil fuels stall through September 2025


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