CarCast+Edmunds - Talking Rivian R2, autonomous cars and more with Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe

The Toyota Tacoma is a midsize pickup truck known for off-road capability and durability. It’s commonly chosen by people who want a truck that can handle dirt roads, trails, and everyday driving.

The Toyota Grand Highlander is a larger three-row SUV positioned above the standard Highlander. It’s designed for families who need more passenger and cargo space while still using Toyota’s mainstream comfort and reliability focus.

ZipRecruiter is an online hiring platform that matches employers with job candidates. This segment is an ad and not directly about cars, but it’s part of the podcast audio listeners hear.

This is the website for Bioproteintech, referenced as part of an ad read. It’s not an automotive company, but it’s a brand mention that listeners may want to recognize as the sponsor behind the “CarCast” promotion.

The iX3 (G08) is BMW’s electric SUV variant built on the X3 family’s underpinnings. The podcast notes BMW’s “new design language” and says they’ve seen it with the iX3, then connects that to other BMW EVs. That makes it relevant as an example of how BMW is updating both styling and EV direction.

The BMW i3 is a compact electric car that helped establish BMW’s early approach to EVs. In the podcast, it’s referenced alongside other BMW EVs as part of a broader point about the brand’s evolving lineup and design direction. That makes it a useful historical reference when discussing how BMW’s electric strategy has progressed.

“Kidney grills” are BMW’s signature grille shape, named for their distinctive kidney-like openings. In this segment, they’re discussing how prominent grille styling can look different depending on whether the car is a sedan or an SUV.

The steering wheel is the driver’s primary control input for steering angle. In this segment, the host is highlighting a design choice that changes the wheel’s spoke layout to stand out visually and ergonomically.

A head-up display (HUD) projects key driving information onto the windshield so you can keep your eyes on the road. The host compares the small top-of-dash strip to HUD-like functionality, suggesting it’s meant to show primary data without forcing a full glance to the center screen.

Lincoln is Ford’s luxury brand, and the host is comparing its screen strategy to the vehicle being discussed. The key idea here is how luxury EVs/modern cars use large, integrated displays—sometimes one big screen, sometimes multiple stacked screens.

A frunk (front trunk) is a storage compartment in the front of a vehicle, typically made possible by packaging an electric drivetrain. The host notes the frunk is small but useful for items like charging cables.

A “stop sale” is an order to halt sales of certain vehicles due to a safety or compliance issue. It’s often followed by a recall and a fix once the problem is identified and a remedy is ready.

A recall is the formal process where an automaker notifies owners and performs a remedy for a safety defect or noncompliance. The speaker notes Hyundai will do a recall after the stop sale while they work on a fix.

The Hyundai Palisade is a three-row midsize SUV that competes directly with vehicles like the Kia Telluride. In this segment, it’s mentioned alongside the Telluride as part of a test, likely to compare how the two SUVs behave or how their systems perform.

The Kia Telluride is a three-row midsize SUV that’s often compared against other family-oriented crossovers. Here it’s referenced because the hosts were running a test involving the Telluride and the Hyundai Palisade, suggesting a comparison of real-world behavior or features.

Rivian R2 is the next-generation, smaller electric SUV that Rivian is positioning as a more accessible step in its lineup. In this segment, it’s mentioned in the context of Rivian launching the R2 at South by Southwest (SXSW).

Tesla Model Y is Tesla’s compact electric crossover/SUV and a key benchmark for pricing, packaging, and target customers. The speaker uses it as the comparison point for how R2 is similar in size/value positioning but aims to be meaningfully different in customer appeal.

“0 to 60” is shorthand for acceleration time from 0 mph to 60 mph, a common performance metric. The speaker uses it to argue that R2 accelerates strongly for an SUV, even though it’s positioned as a mainstream EV.

Neural nets are machine-learning models inspired by the brain that learn patterns from large datasets. In autonomy, they’re commonly used for perception (seeing lanes/objects) and prediction (what other road users might do).

“Transform based encoding” refers to using transformer-style neural network methods to represent and process driving-relevant information. In autonomy, this can improve how the system learns from data and generalizes to new situations.

Foundation models are large, general-purpose AI models trained on broad data, then adapted for specific tasks like driving perception or planning. The speaker contrasts this approach with more traditional “real space” methods, suggesting faster progress and better generalization.

Tesla FSD refers to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software suite, which uses onboard sensors and AI to provide increasingly automated driving functions. The speaker uses it to discuss AI-based autonomy approaches and compares them to other systems.

“AI based” here implies autonomy systems that rely heavily on machine-learning models (rather than only rule-based logic) for perception and decision-making. The speaker claims these AI-based approaches can improve the rate of progress and how well the system generalizes.

EVs are electric vehicles, and the segment shifts to why adoption has slowed or “pulled back” despite the push toward electrification. The discussion ties EV adoption to policy, infrastructure, and public perception.

Electrification is the industry shift from internal-combustion powertrains to electric propulsion. The speaker suggests many automakers pursued it due to external pressure and expectations rather than purely enthusiastic internal demand.

AI (artificial intelligence) is central to modern EV and robotics work, especially for perception, planning, and learning-based systems. The speaker ties AI to robotics efforts like model architectures and training infrastructure, implying similar AI-driven approaches could influence future vehicle capabilities.

Edmunds is an automotive media and car-shopping resource known for reviews, comparisons, and pricing guidance. Here it’s used as a stand-in for how traditional evaluations focus on powertrains, fuel economy, and driving feel.

Autonomy refers to a vehicle’s ability to drive itself using sensors, cameras, radar, and onboard computing. In the podcast, it’s framed as the potential “game change” because it can change how people use their time while driving.

Cameras are a key perception sensor for driver assistance and autonomy, providing visual information for lane detection, object recognition, and traffic understanding. They’re often used alongside radar and lidar (when equipped) with AI to interpret scenes.