Episode 554: Rivian R2 Pricing Revealed

On this week's episode of Ride the Lightning, the Tesla and EV podcast, Rivian announces pricing for the hotly anticipated R2.

Plus, the Model YL comes to another market, and no, it's not the U.S. yet.

Tesla files a patent for some interesting new seats on the next-gen Tesla Roadster and more.

What's happening friends? I'm Ryan McAfrey joining you as I do every single week for Ride the Lightning, the Tesla and EV podcast,

it's episode 554, publishing on March 15th, 2026. I'm recording here in the evening on Friday the 13th, I'm flanked as always by my 2K9 companions, Daisy the Boxer and a snoozing Lily the Silly Labrador.

Well, I will start this week with a little birdies are chirping at me and they say interesting things.

Now this little birdie I will say is a more reliable one than maybe the last time a little birdie tweeted at me or chirped at me, because it wasn't tweet.

But this birdie is someone that's come through for me in the past, so as always take it with a great assault, can't guarantee it with 100% certainty, it's still a second-hand source, it's not something I was directly told myself by anybody with direct access to this stuff.

But here's some rumor for you. The Model YL will arrive in the US in September, that is what my source is currently hearing.

And I'll give you a bonus tidbit, a little bonus chirp from same little birdie, that the Cyber SUV built on the Cybertruck platform is in fact happening.

So that again, that'll remain to be seen, that's certainly a much bigger claim than just the Model YL coming to the US in September.

But if the Cyber SUV is happening, boy that would be awesome because it might honestly kind of reignite some faith that Tesla wants to keep making cars and not just reason-wise and then the occasional Cybertruck and the occasional next-gen Roadster in a couple years.

So a Cyber SUV, boy that I think would really get a lot of people pretty excited. Plus just think about it in pure practical terms.

If it uses HFS, the hard freakin' stainless that also skins the Cybertruck, you would have an SUV, a family SUV, that you just wouldn't have to worry about doordings and the kids scratching it or doing anything.

Just being kids around it, right? So that would be a most welcome vehicle, again particularly in the soon-to-be absence of the Model X, even though a Cyber SUV and a Model X could have coexisted should Tesla make it and had they continued making the X.

They're different enough, but there is room in Tesla's lineup for something like a Cyber SUV.

So those are the rumors that I've heard this week.

Now allow me to speculate for a moment. This is pure 100% speculation on my part. No one has said anything to me.

This is just me. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but just roll with me on this for a second.

What if the Cyber SUV, or as I like to call it, the Cyberbin, which I cannot claim credit for, that was one of you listeners put it to me that way.

Use that name a while ago and I love it, so I'm going to go with it for now, the Cyberbin.

What if the Cyberbin is the one more thing surprise at the new Roadster Reveal, scheduled for April 1st or sometime hopefully in the not-too-distant future if it doesn't happen on April 1st?

Why do I say that?

Well, think about it. If they have it as a one more thing surprise at an event for the supercar, it would go a long way towards heading off the inevitable negative narrative that would probably spring up at the Roadster event or in the wake of it,

Why are they doing this narrative? This is just a toy for rich people, which is not untrue. It is going to be a low volume, high performance, extraordinarily expensive car that doesn't really fit in with Tesla's current trajectory.

But I'm certainly glad they seem to be moving forward with the Roadster, but that's my point is a Cyber SUV, a more mass market vehicle that will be relatively affordable and actually usable and utilitarian for a lot of people, a lot of families,

If you roll that out as a surprise, who knows what the production timeline would be, presumably in the next two years, same as the Roadster, same as the new Roadster.

But I think that could sort of negate or really cut off any negativity around just having the Roadster re-reveal.

Now, we've been told the Roadster re-reveal will include the quote unquote most epic product demo ever, which hopefully will be super cool and people will be really excited about it, but a Cyber SUV would be something that is actually attainable for a lot of people.

Now, plus, again, in the wake of the SNX cancellation, this would be some positivity, and then on top of that, I think the timing could be right because of SNX winding down, right?

If you reveal a Cyberban next month, it's the same quarter that SNX are winding down. In fact, it is possible that new custom orders for SNX will close about the time of the Roadster re-reveal, possibly on April 1st,

because they're probably going to have enough orders to carry them through Q2 and the end of production on those vehicles.

So, if you're going to stop taking orders for SNX pretty soon and you give people something else to spend their money on in that same general category, they might be a lot less upset about not being able to buy a Model S or Model X anymore.

And remember how I was left scratching my head back in November when Elon said at the annual shareholder meeting that the Roadster re-reveal event would be on April 1st?

I was scratching my head because just a couple weeks earlier on this very podcast, Franz von Holsheusen told me that it was the Roadster event was still on track for that year, which probably meant December.

So, my additional speculation here, and I promise I'll move on to actual, concrete Tesla and EV news very shortly, but maybe the reason that the Roadster event was pushed from December to April 1st, in a full three months or more,

is because maybe the Roadster itself is ready to be re-revealed, but the extra three months and change are because that's when Tesla made the call to move ahead with the cyberbin, and thus, Elon told Franz's team,

you've got 90 days to get a prototype ready to show at this Roadster event as the special one more thing.

So again, I'm not saying this will happen, but I think it does make sense, it's plausible, so as always, feel free to bookmark this and give me all the credit if I'm proven right, and none of the blame if I'm wrong.

I'm kidding, you can give me all the blame, I will always hold myself accountable on this stuff, so we'll see what happens, but I always love it when reliable birdies chirp in my ear, it's fun.

Speaking of the Model YL, by the way, it's arriving, whether or not it arrives here in September will ultimately be proven out in the coming months, but it is absolutely 100% arriving in May in Australia and New Zealand.

It has been officially announced, this will probably come as no surprise given that Australia and New Zealand get their vehicles from Giga Shanghai, which is of course, at least for now, the only place the Model YL is currently manufactured.

Tesla Australia said, quote, as with all new Tesla vehicles from the start of 2026, the Model YL will come with a five-year unlimited kilometer vehicle warranty and eight years for the battery.

Now, here's something interesting. You guys know me, you know I love little design things, just little style things on the cars, and I love it when they're unique or they change, I just get a kick out of that stuff.

So, on that note, the interior options on the Model YL for Australia and New Zealand are not black interior or white interior. Instead, you have the option of black interior or zen gray interior.

And it's a very light gray. If you've been following Tesla for a long time, you can reasonably equate it to the old gray interior in the Model S from way, way back in the early Model S days.

In fact, my cousin Pat had a gray interior Model S P85. So, as you guys know, I love this stuff. I think it's super cool of Tesla to offer a unique interior color option on their more upscale Model Y that you can't get on any of the other Model Y trims.

And in fact, silly little trivia, this is the first time any Model 3 or Model Y has ever had an interior color option besides white or black.

So, we're talking about millions and millions of threes and whys over almost nine years at this point. And not to mention that, it's also got a unique exterior paint color as well, paint option of course.

And that color is cosmic silver, only available on the Model YL. And I can't see it in real life yet, there are no pictures of it in real life.

But on the design studio, just clicking back and forth between a quick silver premium Y and a cosmic silver Model YL, the cosmic silver looks to be just a bit lighter in its silver shade than the quick silver is.

You know, I'll finish with this thought. The poor Australians and folks in New Zealand, they always get everything way, way after we do in the US. They had to wait so long for all the cars, SX, 3Y, they still don't have Cybertruck even though those territories really want it.

So you know what, I am very happy for my Australian and New Zealand friends. It's high time that they got a new Tesla before we did. So enjoy it, my friends down in the southern hemisphere, enjoy it.

Now, if and when the L comes to the US, will these two unique options follow it? You can make a case for it either way, we'll see. But regardless, I made the Model YL the subject of this week's Patreon poll.

It was a very simple yes or no poll question this week. Do you think the Model YL will come to the United States this year? So again, you didn't know this when you voted in the poll, but that little birdie chirped in my ear that it's coming in September to the US.

And it turns out almost all of you very much believe that it is coming. 83% of 286 votes as of recording time voted yes. You think the Model YL will come to the United States this year? Just 17% of you voting no.

So you're all with me here, you're all super optimistic about it. And let's hope that we're all proven, all of us, you, me and my source are all proven correct in September.

Next up as I continue to get warmed up this week, the Tesla Oasis in Lost Hills, California will not be the world's largest supercharging location for too long.

Credit goes, as is often the case with supercharger related stories, to our eagle-eyed supercharger watching friend MarcoRP over on X who posted,

Tesla is planning an absolutely massive supercharger expansion in Yermo, California.

Over the course of six phases, Tesla is set to add over 400 V4 stalls in a commercial development known as Eddie World 2.

The first phase, which should begin construction sometime this year, will feature 72 V4 stalls. And yes, if you're curious, there are solar canopies shading the spots and generating power with their solar panels.

Oh, and by the way, this site, it's not a new site. As Marco's original post said, it is an expansion, not a new site.

There are already superchargers at the Yermo location. There are 18 V2 chargers, so they're old ones. They only peak at 150 kW for the V2s.

Also, note that Marco said it's in phases. And in just phase one, 72 V4 stalls adding onto the 18 V2s that are already there.

Just that alone would be a pretty impressive site. That would be 90 total supercharging spots at this location after just that first expansion phase.

But they are going to go up to a total of 400. That's like a mall parking lot back in the good old days when malls were a thing that lots of people went to and there'd be lots of cars in the parking lot.

So that's like a mall parking lot, but all superchargers, all the spots have V4 stalls.

Perhaps like me, your first thought was, well surely there have to be amenities at a site this absolutely massive, and you would be correct.

And we know that because Marco also posted the site plans that are, you know, these are public documents which show a drive-thru coffee place, a McDonald's, a cracker barrel, three more as yet undetermined restaurants with drive-thru, so presumably quick service.

Because they're listed in the plans as E restaurant, F restaurant, and G restaurant.

Also on the plans are three other retail store buildings. Now what businesses they will be specifically, again not listed in these plans, they're just identified by a generic letter here.

So we are heading for a future, and I don't know how long it'll take for us to get there. As we've learned over the years, the progress of the EV movement isn't and hasn't exactly been linear.

But we are heading for a future where stuff like this, a 400 stall site at a retail complex, a commercial complex, it'll be completely benign and 100% normal. That's the future we're heading for.

And I look forward to that day. That's gonna be cool. And by the way, last thing on this, if you are wondering where Yermo is, which I was, I live in California but I had no idea where it is, it is just northeast of Barstow on the way to Las Vegas if you're coming from LA.

So this is gonna be an LA Vegas corridor supercharger site.

If other companies out there, both in the auto industry and just whoever else, were to take as much initiative, take half as much initiative as the Tesla charging team does, and that team deserves a ton of credit for continuing to make these big things happen and continuing to top themselves over and over again.

Another appetizer as I get going this week, working towards the main stories, a quick referral program update. The Model S and Model X are now no longer eligible for a $1,000 referral discount and neither is the Cybertruck.

So I guess Tesla is probably getting enough orders on S and X to carry them through the end of the run in Q2 and again, that's just my speculation based on this tweak to the pro.

They don't feel the need to enable a $1,000 discount anymore, although if you are buying a $90,000 plus Model S or $95,000 plus Model X, you're probably still gonna be able to make that purchase just fine without that $1,000 discount.

Still a bummer to lose it though, that is, I'm not saying it's justified to take it away, it's still a bummer, but that is an update I wanted to pass along in case any of you out there are considering an S or an X purchase here before those cars are retired.

A quick reminder before I continue, any of you that are kindly supporting me on Patreon at that most popular tier, that's the $10 per month tier.

I hope you enjoyed this week's Lightning Round mini episode, which was the next monthly conversation with a listener, I've been trying to do one of those a month, just get to know my audience and find out everybody's Tesla story, everybody's got a unique story.

And this one, I got to record it in person, which made it extra great.

It's with John from Cream Ridge, New Jersey, who was in my neck of the woods on some business, and we got together, we had an in and out burger, and then we recorded a little thing at the table, sitting outside after we were done with our in and out.

So he talked about how his Model Y has saved his family twice, so check that out on Patreon if you're already with me.

And if you're not, I would love for you to join the Patreon.

If you see it in your heart to support what I'm doing here week in and week out with the podcast, you can make a monthly pledge on Patreon.

It's all super safe and secure, Patreon's been around a long, long time.

Patreon, if you're not familiar, is a platform where you can support content creators in what they do.

You know, there are authors on Patreon, there are poets, there are singers and songwriters, there are podcasters like me, there are artists, all kinds of creative people on there.

And you can pledge and support what I'm doing here, starting at just five bucks a month.

And for that five bucks a month, I say thank you to you by offering you an ad-free version of Ride the Lightning every week, and you get early access to that ad-free version every week.

If you step up to that most popular $10 per month tier, you get the ad-free early access and you get all 180-something of those Lightning round mini-episodes.

To find out more or to sign up, head on over to patreon.com slash Tesla Podcast.

Here now is my personal favorite news story of this week, because any little shred of next-gen Tesla Roadster news makes me happy, because it shows that this car may actually exist.

Well, we all know that Tesla likes to apply first principles problem-solving to everything.

And as we learned with a new patent this week, patent application, that even includes apparently the seats in the new Roadster.

This story comes from Tesla patent watcher SETI underscore park, who posted the patent's text in full along with the diagrams that were filed along with the application,

that clearly show a very, very bolstered, sporty seat that looks almost identical, at least on the outside, to the seat in the 2017 next-gen Roadster prototype.

So I'm not going to read you the whole thing, but I'm going to read you a good chunk of it here. Here's the scoop from SETI park, who writes, again, copying in all the actual text from the patent application.

The seat portion, backrest, headrest, bolsters, and hinge are all formed as one monolithic structure.

Instead of bolting and welding separate pieces together, Tesla thermoforms the entire frame from layered composite plies and then over molds it with polymer features.

Traditional car seats are assembled from a metal frame, a separate recliner mechanism, foam padding, bolsters, headrest supports, and dozens of brackets, screws, and rivets.

A typical seat structure involves 13 or more major part groups, each with its own sub-components tooling and supplier.

The mechanical complexity is not limited to part count.

Each connection point between frame sections introduces potential play, noise, and fatigue over the vehicle's lifetime.

The recliner hinge alone can contain gears, pins, bearings, and locking teeth that must be precision matched.

Think of assembling a suit of armor from individual plates, each riveted and strapped together.

Every joint is a potential failure point, every plate adds weight, and the final fit depends on how well each piece was matched to the next.

For a performance vehicle like the Roadster, these constraints hit harder.

Every kilogram in the seat is a kilogram not available for battery range.

Seat thickness directly translates to lost cabin space in a low-slung sports car.

Tesla's patent describes the entire seat skeleton as a continuous frame that integrates the seat portion, backrest option, hinge portion, and headrest portion into a single structure.

The frame can be made from fiberglass nylon, nylon carbon, or Kevlar nylon composites formed through thermoforming.

The result is a seat frame manufactured as one part, reducing the number of components and assembly steps required.

The bolsters, which provide lateral support during cornering, are also formed as part of this continuous structure.

There is no seam, no joint, and no separate bracket between the backrest and the bolster that wraps around the occupant's torso.

Most car seats adjust in two or three waves, forward-back on rails, up-down with a pump, and recline with a lever.

Each movement uses its own dedicated mechanism.

Tesla's patent replaces this patchwork with four pairs of linear actuators that, working in combination, produce six distinct seat movements from a unified control system.

For the Roadster, this means a track day position and a highway cruising position could be a single button press apart.

The seat can drop low and tilt back for high-speed stability, then rise and move forward for city driving.

Well, thank you to SETI PARK for that.

So this probably won't be a crazy amazing seat to sit in, necessarily.

This patent seems like it's more about reducing parts, complexity, costs, and in the specific case of the Roadster, as was noted in the description I read you,

the thickness and physical footprint, physical size of the seat in the car.

Because, you know, the thinner you can make the seat while still having it padded and supportive, the more leg room, the more just room for the humans you have in the vehicle.

But I still think this is noteworthy. I wanted to read this to you because, again, it is yet another.

There's been nothing like no big ones. We still don't have the re-reveal yet or a confirmed date for it as of this recording.

But it's just another little real bit of evidence that the next-gen Roadster is finally actually really happening.

Now, perhaps I'll even get to sit in this seat for myself, like maybe, I don't know, in about two and a half weeks from when this episode publishes?

Hopefully on April 1st, we shall see if there's any update on whether or not that event is happening on next week's podcast.

Because, again, if, you know, this show is going out on the 15th, if it's going to be the first, there's a chance they could announce it this week.

That would be about two weeks' notice. But if it's not next week, then if it were going to be April 1st, it would obviously have to be the week after.

So, stay tuned, we shall find out.

Next up in Tesla News this week, there have been a couple of long-time veteran leaders that departed Tesla this week.

First, Thomas Demetrik, a director who played a foundational role in building the company's over-the-air software infrastructure,

and the newly launched RoboTaxi ride-hailing service app, has officially announced his departure from Tesla.

I saw this on not a Tesla app who writes,

Demetrik leaves the company after an impressive 11 years, while his exact title for the past seven months was simply director.

His previous role was senior software engineering manager.

In a heartfelt farewell post on LinkedIn, Demetrik reflected on just how drastically Tesla has scaled since he first joined the engineering team in early 2015,

back when Tesla only had the Model S, because the X didn't even come out until later in 2015.

He says, quote,

When I joined, Tesla was a niche luxury automaker with only 50,000 cars delivered and lots of ambitions.

My five-person team owned over-the-air, connectivity, and commands running on a very simple stack.

My ambitions at the time were simple, automate everything, pioneer software-defined vehicles, modernize apps and infrastructure, end quote.

Under his leadership, that original five-person team expanded and scaled its architecture to support a fleet that is now rapidly approaching 10 million vehicles globally.

If you've ever used your Tesla app to send a command to your car, or downloaded an over-the-air software update,

you have interacted directly with the infrastructure that Demetrik's team helped pioneer.

And then he says, quote,

After 17 incredible years, my latest chapter at Tesla has come to a close. Words won't do justice to how fulfilling the experience has been, but I'll try anyway.

Tesla barely survived Christmas 2008. I started a few days later in our finance team under an ongoing Tesla death watch.

I slept under my desk in San Carlos, California at least once, and I wasn't the only one.

There are many companies with hard-working and talented employees, but few have the level of commitment and collaboration of the Tesla team.

In retrospect, this should have been an obvious predictor of the successes that would follow. This is as true today as it was in 2009.

So thank you for that little summary from Cyndiil and then the note there from Thomas as well.

You know, I personally wouldn't necessarily look at these two ultra-veterans senior level departures as anything but a coincidence.

Could I be wrong? Certainly. Maybe there's more to it and we'll learn more in time, but the fact of the matter is, Tesla is now entering its next phase.

And these two guys have been there for a long, long time, and from everything that I've ever heard about Tesla, you are going hard all the time if you work there.

Meaning long hours at times, very intense at times, very everything.

But also from those same people, from what I hear, from basically all of them, is that they all say that that work is extremely rewarding as well, knowing that you're making a difference in the world by bringing EVs to more people.

And so I suspect that these two gentlemen saw this as a good moment to step away, like the end of this book of Tesla before the start of the next one.

I mean, I admit, I don't know the tech world that well. I'm sort of adjacent to it in both this Tesla podcast and also my day job.

But given how senior these two guys both were and how long they'd each been there, I would have to imagine that they both have a pretty healthy amount of stock compensation that's now turned into a very, very valuable sum of money.

And thus, maybe, again, that may contribute. They may feel like, hey, they've put in their time, the hard hours, the long hours over the years, and now, you know, now's the time they want to go ahead and peace out.

I think that's probably pretty normal in the tech world. Maybe, like, I've definitely seen that it seems like you maybe burn out more quickly, in a lot of cases, at least relative to other careers, but you burn very bright in terms of both the products that you build and the compensation that you receive.

So best of luck to both of these guys. They were both with Tesla a very long time.

More and more people, particularly here in America, are keeping their cars longer. And whether you realize that or not, there is a timing element to ownership and an EV extended warranty plan that matters more than you realize.

When it comes to EV coverage, it's not really about if you buy the extended warranty, it's when.

Coverage is generally more cost-advantaged when it's purchased before your factory warranty ends rather than after.

That's because pricing and eligibility and available options can change with time and mileage, even if nothing's wrong with the car, similar to tires, right?

The timing, etc. EV extended warranty ownership works the same way.

And XCare is here to help EV owners understand where they are now, what changes later, and when it makes sense to act.

You can talk directly with their Tesla and EV experts. You will not reach a generic call center, you will reach actual humans.

You can go to their website if you don't want to talk on the phone, which is XCare.com, X-C-A-R-E.com.

And if you do end up purchasing a policy after you poke around there, you configure one that works for you, make sure to use the referral code Lightning for $100 off.

But if you'd rather speak with someone to place your XCare order, or you just have questions about it that you want to get answered, no pressure to actually buy the extended warranty plan just yet.

But if you just want to speak to someone who knows about this stuff and can answer your questions, you can call 844-755-4186.

Again, that's XCare.com, referral code Lightning for $100 off, or call 844-755-4186.

Alright, let's get to the headline story this week, Rivian R2 pricing has been announced. Let's go through it.

We start with the launch edition R2 performance, that will be the first available trim of this vehicle.

330 estimated EPA range, 0-60 in 3.6 seconds, 656 horsepower, it's a dual motor, of course, all-wheel drive, has a semi-active suspension premium interior, heated and ventilated seats, heated rear seats, premium audio, the rear glass can drop,

dynamic adventure lighting with matrix LED headlights and adaptive high beams, tow hooks, it's got the compass yellow brake calipers and accents, similar to the red calipers Tesla has, the performance Tesla has, and 21 inch all-season wheels and tires.

You have the option for 20 inch all-terrain wheels and tires, if you want to do more of an off-roading thing, there's an optional tow package, and then the launch package includes Lifetime Autonomy Plus.

Again, they haven't delivered anything yet, but it's a $2500 one-time purchase that you are getting included with the launch package.

You also have the option of launch green paint, so think of it like a signature red, effectively.

Then, we move to the R2 Premium, available in late 2026. That one is also 330 miles of range, it's 4.6 seconds to 60, 450 horsepower.

Dual motor all-wheel drive of course, premium interior with those same wood accents, the same heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, premium audio again, pretty much everything but those compass yellow brake calipers and accents.

You do have an option for the 21s that come standard on the R2 Performance, you've got that option for the tow package, and the Autonomy Plus package either as a $50 per month subscription or $2500 purchase, that's an option.

So, there's your R2 Premium, late 2026 there, then we move to the R2 standard rear-wheel drive, long range, has a standard interior, standard audio system, 19 inch all-season wheels and tires.

You can option it with a second motor for all-wheel drive, you can choose 20 inch all-season wheels and tires as an option, and again, the Autonomy Plus is there as it is on any of them.

And finally, the actual $45,000 R2, which is certainly, that's the price they've been throwing around, the starting price that they've been throwing around for a while, that car is coming in late 2027 and the only detail they offer is that it will offer 275 plus miles of estimated range.

So, in short, I think they're, well, I think it's pretty competitive, but in short, they're doing what Tesla has done, which is they're starting, they're selling the most expensive trims first in the early days of production, which as we've learned from Tesla,

is when the per-vehicle cost is at its highest during the beginning of the production ramp. And I'll tell you, as it turns out, I want to, I mean, it's not that, I'm not trying to do a Rivian versus Tesla thing here, that's not my goal in this, but I think it is,

the reason I'm going to go compare the R2 trims to the Model Y trims right now is because, A, this has primarily been a Tesla podcast for 10 years, a lot of you have Model Ys.

And we, this, as I've said, is, in my opinion, the most formidable challenger to the Model Y, in terms of the Model Y being arguably the best overall car for the money in the world.

I mean, it's been the either number one or number two or one A or one B selling car in the world the last three years here.

The point is, the Model Y is the benchmark, so that's why I compare the R2 to it. I'm not trying to create a head-to-head thing where you've got to choose sides.

That's not what I'm about here. So, the performance version of the R2, this launch edition R2 performance, I mean, even throwing out the launch edition part of it where you get the autonomy plus package included,

but just the R2 performance compares quite favorably, again, on paper, to the Model Y performance in terms of specs and price.

So, Model Y performance, $57,500, 306 miles of range, 0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds.

And again, the R2 performance, $58,000, so $500 more as a starting price, 330 miles of range, so a plus 24 there, and a 3.6 second 0 to 60 time.

So, just a tad off of the Model Y performance. And again, with that launch edition, if you want to try and get in as quickly as you can, you will get that autonomy plus package included for the life of that vehicle,

which again, full clarity here, does not do anything yet. Let me be crystal clear about that, but if it ever does, you won't have to pay any more money for it.

Tesla obviously has the very fantastic, full self-driving, supervised system, but it does cost you $100 per month if you're buying a new Tesla today.

Some of you out there certainly have already paid for it in full when that was still offered.

But the R2 gets a point in its favor because it can legitimately off-road, the Model Y really can't, but Tesla's got certainly FSD as a big, big thing in its favor.

So again, it's not a choose-aside thing here, but it's just a, hey, if you're in the market looking for an electric crossover SUV, you are probably going to look at the R2 along with the Model Y performance, excuse me, the Model Y.

And in terms of the performance trims of both of them, they are really close. The R2 matches up very, very favorably overall.

The other trims are also certainly very much in the ballpark of their Model Y counterparts, but it's not quite as dead even.

The R2 premium all-wheel drive, so basically the same as the performance just without the performance specs and performance accoutrement like the Compass Yellow brake calipers,

but the R2 premium all-wheel drive $54,000 with a 330-mile range and a 4.6-second 0-60 time, while the Model Y premium all-wheel drive $49,000 with that same 4.6-second 0-60 time and an almost identical 327 miles of range.

That autonomy plus package not included on this one, again, it's not included on anything except the performance launch edition of the R2, so it is a, you know, those base specs are pretty close in terms of range and performance,

but you are paying a $5,000 premium on the R2 here.

The standard $45,000 R2 that won't be along for another 18-20 months only delivers 275-ish miles of range for that $45,000.

Whereas Tesla's standard Model Y is $40,000 and delivers way more range, 321 miles, we're talking 40 plus additional miles, that is a lot.

Now we don't have any other details about the standard R2's interior, but it may be more premium than the standard Y if you're again directly comparing them, but we don't know for sure yet.

All in all, however, I do think that Rivian has come in pretty competitive here.

Now sure, again, a lot of Tesla owners, they're not going to be interested in switching because of FSD.

Sure, the take rate on FSD is still quite low overall, so there may be a lot of people out there who end up going for the R2 because they just weren't going to subscribe to FSD anyway and they won't subscribe to Autonomy Plus on the Rivian.

But again, I don't really think the point here is for the R2 to take away customers from the Model Y. The R2 is meant to take customers away from the myriad gas-powered SUVs, the RAV4s of the world.

And by that metric, I think Rivian stands an incredibly good chance of success here.

The R2, again, is a legit off-roader. It can tow, although the R2, like all EVs, do inherently struggle with towing in terms of the effect it has on range.

The R2 seems fairly plush inside, and it offers a promise of potential future autonomy.

But nobody, my advice is, do not buy a Rivian just based on that promise.

If you're going to buy an R2, buy it for what it can do today.

Same as any prospective Tesla buyer, should subscribe to FSD based on what it can do today, which is quite a lot, thankfully, and awesomely, and don't subscribe to it for what it might be able to do in a year from now.

So, ultimately, again, I do think Rivian's got a real chance with this thing if, and it is in all caps, if, they can scale their production volume up high enough and build them profitably.

It's not just the one. You've got to do both in order to set up Rivian for sustained long-term success.

We saw Tesla go through a prolonged nightmare with that.

In Elon's words, it almost bankrupted the company, trying to build the Model 3 not just at scale, but to do it profitably.

Rivian is still losing money on every vehicle it sells, so they do face a substantial challenge.

The awesome news is that the product appears to be excellent based on the initial reviews, and, again, it seems to be priced pretty competitively.

I hope they can do it. I hope they can scale the production, and I hope they can flip the script financially and build the R2 profitably.

I am very much rooting for them as I've said before, and I can't wait to see what they do and where they go.

The first R2 deliveries are happening this spring, as I think I mentioned at the top of this particular story, so that could be basically any time in the next three months.

Probably best to presume it's going to be closer to the tail end of that, closer to June, but we'll wait for Rivian to let us know.

And the final story that I have for you this week in other EV news is, regarding the EV markets, still head-scratching lack of minivans.

I've talked about this before. The Volkswagen ID Buzz is really the only one in the US market that I'm aware of.

However, we are going to be getting a new EV van. It's just not very mini, or particularly affordable, but it does, to its credit, look quite luxurious.

It is the Mercedes VLE, a full-size eight-passenger van.

Mercedes announced it this week, and I saw the details of it on our Tesla-Tipster friend Sawyer Merit's X-Feed.

Mercedes itself calls the VLE a, quote, grand limousine in its own promotional video for the VLE.

It will cost north of $100,000 in all trims when it comes to the United States next year, and it's boasting 700-plus kilometers of WLTP-rated range,

which translates to roughly 350-380 miles on the EPA scale, which, if it does land in that range, that's still pretty good.

That 350-380 is quite good, and also what you should expect for a vehicle that's got that price tag on it.

As Sawyer noted, quote, pricing will be announced later, but Mercedes said North American market will only get the long-wheelbase version and higher-spec trims.

So yeah, it is a six-figure EV van.

But again, I'll say this, I watched the video, I looked at the pictures.

The interior of this thing seems pretty sick.

You can equip it with a pair of ultra-luxurious reclining chairs in the second row,

each with heating, massaging, cooling, like actual plush pillows built into the headrests, footrests, phone chargers built into the seat, and more.

There's also a gigantic display, a big TV basically, that flips down from the ceiling for the second and third row passengers to enjoy.

You can hook up to a Disney Plus app or a bunch of other streaming service apps.

Here are the rest of the details on the VLE from Sawyer.

So it's got a 300 kilowatt peak charging rate, that's good.

It'll recharge up to 189 miles in 15 minutes.

That rear screen that I was mentioning that folds down for watching shows and movies on streaming services, it is a 31-inch rear retractable panoramic screen.

It's an 8K display, which is ridiculous.

No content is even an 8K, but it's 8K and it's split-screen capable, so that's cool.

Sounds like you can have two things going on it, one for the passenger on one side of the interior and the other for the other person on the other side.

With an 8 megapixel camera for rear video feed, I guess what you can make and take video calls on there.

If you're, I guess, maybe if you're an important business person being driven around, you can take calls, that's pretty cool.

It will feature a 115 kilowatt hour battery pack, so a little smaller than the Cybertrux battery pack.

It's got 10 cameras, 5 radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors around the car.

It's being built on an 800 volt architecture, so Bravo Tesla, they literally sent a how-to manual to the rest of the industry.

I guess that's for 48 kilowatt, not for 800 volt architecture, but still, not too many vehicles doing 800 volts, so that's cool to see.

The 0-60, you know, you're probably not even thinking about that if you're buying a full-size electric van,

but Mercedes says that the 0-60 is as low as 6.4 seconds, depending on, I guess, which trim you get.

They claim 93% battery-to-wheel efficiency, which is awesome.

It offers up to 408 horsepower.

Its drag coefficient is 0.25 cd.

It has rear axle steering, like the Cybertruck, with up to a 7-degree steering angle.

It has an aromatic air suspension with intelligent damping, predictive height adjustment using Google Maps data, that sounds cool.

Seats up to 8.

Cargo volume with the seats up is up to 28 cubic feet.

The Grand Comfort seats, or what I was mentioning earlier, includes additional pillow, wireless charging, lumbar support, massage function, and calf support.

Sorry, I missed that one earlier, calf support.

That actually sounds delightful as I'm sitting here recording this, like that.

Can I get that? Like, just at my desk here, so while I record the podcast, I can get cap support.

It's got a panoramic roof, a Skyview one-piece fixed-glass roof from the B-pillar of the rear with an electric sunshade.

It also features folding tables, wireless charging, Bluetooth gaming controller support.

Up front in the driver's seat, there's a 10- and a quarter-inch driver display, a 14-inch central screen, and a 14-inch front passenger screen.

It has a 22-speaker audio system that supports Dolby Atmos.

It has a heads-up display featuring augmented reality navigation, a virtual 23-inch image appearing approximately 13 feet ahead,

and it offers MB Drive with distance-assisted...

Boy, this is these... Who names this stuff?

MB Drive with distance-assist-distronic...

Oh my goodness. Lane change assist...

Okay, thank you. That's a nice, simple thing. I know what that is.

Semi-autonomous steering on motorways.

So, there you go. That's the rundown of the Mercedes VLE coming our way in 2027.

I mean, for affluent families with three or more kids, this could genuinely be a dream EV.

Absolutely. Like, I'm not knocking it. This could be of great interest and benefit to a lot of larger families.

I could also see celebrities potentially getting in on this, too.

You know, not driving themselves, of course. They would be in those fancy second-row reclining seats.

But at the top of the market where this vehicle is going to reside, is this van going to sell that many units?

Well, probably not. It's a six-figure luxury electric van.

But hopefully, it will lead to a more affordable version that's just maybe not quite as crazy in the luxury department.

Still, though, I applaud Mercedes for not only continuing its push into the EV space, because they have.

You know, Mercedes gets credit. The Volkswagen Group, including both Volkswagen itself, Porsche, and I guess Audi as well.

You know, the Volkswagen Group gets credit. But, yeah, Mercedes, they get a thumbs up.

I think they've been doing good on their EV push.

And this, again, this fills a market void, certainly here in the US, because there aren't...

I don't think there are any, like, EV passenger vans.

So, in fact, I think this will be the first EV passenger van in the US.

And I did look it up. It looks like BYD does sell an EV van that's called the E-Max 9.

But certainly, that is not for sale and is not going to be for sale in the US.

So, I'm looking forward to at least taking a look at it when it gets here, just to check out the posh interior.

It's not for me. I, you know, I can't afford one and don't need one anyway.

But, again, I think it'll... it at least addresses an inefficiency in the market.

And for that, I applaud it.

Hi, this is Frans von Holthausen, and you're listening to Ride the Lightning with Ryan McCaffrey, the Tesla unofficial podcast.

Welcome to the Ride the Lightning Hotline, your chance to call in and potentially be featured on an upcoming episode.

How do you do that? Well, if you've got a Tesla or EV question, comment, or discussion topic,

you can call in any time via two easy call-in methods and share your question, comment, or discussion topic,

and I might play it on an upcoming show.

So, you can either use your smartphone's built-in voice recording software to record that question.

I kindly ask that you keep it to 90 seconds or less so I can get to as many colors each week as possible.

All you gotta do when you're done is email the file to me at my Tesla podcast email address,

which is simply TeslaPodcastatgmail.com.

Or you can take that same 90-second or less call and just leave a message on the Ride the Lightning Hotline.

It is a toll-free number that you can dial anytime, day, or night, and the number is 1-888-989-8752.

That number again, 1-888-989-TSLA.

And if you know someone special out there with an upcoming birthday, anniversary, graduation, or some other special occasion,

you can give them a unique gift of recorded voices from friends and family telling them why they are special.

The recordings can be podcasted or put them onto a keepsake.

You can visit lifeonrecord.com to learn more.

First up this week is Brian from Colorado. Go ahead, Brian.

Hello, Brian. This is Brian from Arvada, Colorado.

I gotta tell you, it is pretty hard to come up with a topic that has never been covered on your podcast,

at least for the year and a half that I have been listening to the podcast after buying my Model 3.

And the topic is EV racing.

There is a whole circuit out there. There's Formula E, just like Formula 1.

There's the E pre-elect, the Grand Prix, and NASCAR is developing EV stock car racing.

To my knowledge, Tesla's not involved in any of this, but I think it would make a great extended segment

for you to explore the world of EV racing.

Thanks for the podcast. Keep it coming. Take care.

Hey, Brian. Thanks for your call.

You know, it's funny that for as much of a car guy as I claim to be,

I've just never gotten into racing, not NASCAR, not Formula 1,

and the Formula E bug just hasn't bitten me either.

And I can't really even explain why. It's just never really grabbed my interest.

So, I mean, never say never, certainly, but so far, Formula E just hasn't really been in my purview.

I appreciate the suggestion, though, and thanks, as always, for listening to the podcast.

Oh, I did really like the F1 movie from last year with Brad Pitt.

I saw it in IMAX. I think I'm sure I recommended it in my entertainment recommendation of the week

towards the end of the podcast. It was really good.

So, I think I'm sure it's out on digital now.

Definitely worth a watch, whether you're an F1 fan or not.

I thought it was a really good movie even without being super into F1, so check that out.

Next is Carl from Reno. Go ahead, Carl.

Hey, Ryan. This is Carl from Reno.

I was wondering if Xbox has ever looked into making an Xbox cloud app for the Tesla dashboard.

I know it wouldn't run well over the cellular signal,

but if the car is currently hooked up to Wi-Fi, that seems like it would be a pretty cool idea.

You can kind of do it right now through the web browser,

but since it's not an officially supported web browser, it's a little clunky, a little jaggy.

So, I figure if, like, Xbox wants to put an official app in the car

and, you know, the stipulation is it has to be connected to Wi-Fi,

that seems like it would be pretty cool. Bye.

You know, Carl, I could not agree more.

I know for a fact there are a lot of Tesla owners at Xbox at Microsoft.

Plus, we know that Tesla plans to roll out Starlink at a whole bunch of superchargers,

which would provide more than enough bandwidth to capable run Xbox cloud gaming.

So, I think what we need is somebody at Xbox at Microsoft to take up this mantle for us

and or someone at Tesla to get in touch with the right people at Microsoft.

You know, speaking directly to the people at Tesla, to the Tesla team right now,

I can probably arrange that with the right people at Microsoft

if anybody at Tesla does need an introduction to the folks at Xbox.

So, here's hoping that your wish will come true sooner rather than later, Carl.

Thank you so much for your call. I do very, very much appreciate it.

I always love when my gaming and Tesla EV interests intersect like this.

So, thanks for the call. I've just got time for one more call this week.

It comes from Avery in St. Paul, Minnesota with a feature request.

Hey, Ryan. It's Avery from St. Paul, Minnesota.

Long-time listener, first-time caller with a feature suggestion slash question for the community.

There's an industrial district I occasionally drive by that smells quite bad.

In this area, I always toggle to recirculation in my Model 3, but have to remember to do so.

I know Model S and Model X with their air suspension have GPS-based auto suspension adjustment.

I'd love something similar with climate control so that when I enter this area,

the car would automatically recirculate the air.

Would love to hear any tips from others in the community

or better yet, get an official feature from Tesla.

Either way, thanks for all you do.

This would be great, Avery.

There are definitely plenty of scenarios where this would be useful.

Like, I don't think this would be an edge case kind of deal.

So, I am more than happy to co-sign this one with you

and hope that the right folks at Tesla hear this and add it to their list.

So, let's speak it into existence here or at least try to.

And thank you again for your very, very kind call.

Well, thank you to everybody that kindly took the time to call in

to potentially be featured on the podcast.

I will get to more of your Ride the Lightning Hotline calls on next week's episode.

I promise you that.

So, keep those calls coming.

I gave you the two easy call-in methods at the top of this segment,

so refer back to that if you need those instructions.

As for what's going on with me and my car, the Soul of Adventure,

well, I got all patched up again.

I think I told you last week, right?

Yeah, the car was at my new car.

The Soul of Adventure was at Immaculate Reflections.

After FSD, unfortunately, scraped the bottom of the front splitter

on a little dip in the road.

That's all done now.

Replace new PPF under there to keep it protected again.

So, I'm very happy about that.

And otherwise, we've just been blessed with some really good weather lately.

Actually, I had a conference all week, and in town, the Game Developers Conference

happens to be here in San Francisco.

It's the only conference every year that I attend where I get to sleep in my own bed

at the end of the night, which meant commuting to and from the downtown conference.

And FSD, I'll tell you, did great.

It drove me the entire way the whole time.

However, the parking garage that I park at that's sort of adjacent to the conference,

it's this huge four-story parking garage, and I always go all the way up to the top

because I just want to get away.

I don't want any other cars near me.

I don't want any people around.

I don't want any attention on my car while I'm not near it, not in it.

So, I just go up to the fourth floor by default.

I don't just find the first spot on the first or second floor and take it.

I'm a crazy person that will just go up to the top and then just find a nice, quiet spot to park in.

So, FSD, I will say, it successfully got me up to the little ticket thing

with the lowered gate arm, and then it lifted the gate arm up.

It did start to head up the ramp, but it was kind of going a little slow up the ramp.

It was like, you know what?

Because I knew what it was going to do.

It was going to get off at the next floor, and it was going to just hunt and hunt and hunt

until it found the first available spot.

So, I didn't really have time for that.

I just took over.

I'll tell you, just driving in and out of that parking garage all week this week,

probably the most manual driving I've done in the car in a while

because FSD's just been doing everything for a while.

I'm still sitting firmly at 99%,

but I'm going to start probably enjoying manual driving a little bit more here pretty soon,

but yeah, it was a great week of commuting in the car.

Anyway, pro tip of the week time.

It comes from Bill in Wisconsin, and it is for all of you Cybertruck owners out there.

Go ahead, Bill.

Hey, Ryan, it's Bill from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

I have what I think is potentially a pro tip for all Cybertruck owners out there.

So, obviously, of the Cybertruck is the fact that we have 120 and 240-volt outlets that we can plug into.

And when we are road tripping, we have a Dometic CF3 cooler

that we can plug into the 120-volt outlets in the bed.

If you go in and enable the outlets in the truck through the car menus,

there are two checkboxes, one for turning the outlets on,

and then there's a second one that says keep outlets on for 12 hours.

And when we are a cooler in the bed, of course, I always want to leave it out for 12 hours.

If your charge drops below 20%, of course, and you go into low power mode,

they get turned off regardless, but as long as your bus 20 days stay on.

But it takes those two clicks, and it's kind of a pain.

Because if you remember to turn them on, but you forget that,

then as soon as you stop and get out of the truck to go in and use the restroom or something,

it turns the outlets off.

I've discovered that in the app, if you go into the control screen

and you turn on the outlets from there, it automatically starts the 12-hour timer.

And it actually even counts down right there in the app to show you how much more time

those outlets are going to stay on.

I stumbled across that, and I thought that might be valuable to some other cyber truck owner

who has yet to run into that.

That's it. Take care. Talk soon.

I love this one, Bill. Thank you so much.

This is one of those that you don't want to learn about the hard way.

If you're out of, like, say, beach gathering and a lake gathering with friends and family

and you've got sandwiches in there or something, right, that you want to keep chilled,

that if it starts to warm up, it's going to be a bad time.

So I very much appreciate you sending in this pro tip for your fellow cyber truck owners out there.

Thank you so much, Bill.

And a quick reminder that if anybody else out there has a good Tesla or General EV pro tip of the week,

please send it my way. Please call in with it so that I can learn from it

and I can share it with everybody out there and we can all benefit from your knowledge.

So to share that knowledge with your pro tip of the week,

just send in a regular ride the lighting hotline call,

and I will get it into my pro tip of the week bucket for future use on a future episode, I should say.

Before I go this week, I want to mention a few friends of the podcast that can hopefully be useful to you.

Let me start with the Infinity Shield.

This is a product, as I've mentioned a couple of times here,

I am a big believer in this thing because it will prevent accidental damage from your garage door

to anything in its path, like in my case, the glass roof of my Model 3 shortly after I got it,

due to a, well, just basically a garage door opening mishap that was, well, closing mishap.

That was my own fault, but I didn't realize the door was coming down as I was backing out.

The little, you know, laser sensor that just sits a couple inches off the ground wasn't registering anything

because my wheel, the wheels were, you know, the car was halfway out,

so it wasn't hitting the wheels, it wasn't hitting anything, so the door, garage door kept coming down,

hit my glass roof, I'm lucky I got away with but a scratch on the glass,

so you can avoid that entirely and potentially a worse fate than I suffered by getting the Infinity Shield.

It is a garage door sensor that utilizes 25 beams covering all the way up your garage door,

basically, basically all the way up, like just a huge cover, instead of just that one beam a couple inches off the ground,

it creates a whole just grid array of lasers, so anything that might be in the path, like say,

the rear hatch of your Model Y, like that rear liftgate of your Model Y or Model S or Model X,

or the trunk of your Model 3, you know, it's like anything that might be back there,

and you know, hit the garage door if it starts to come down or whatever,

the Infinity Shield will stop the door from colliding with your car,

or anything else that might be in the path there, so I do recommend it.

I have a $35 discount for you using the promo code RTL.

Now the website is infinity-shield.com,

infinity-shield.infinity-the-word-the-symbol, shield-the-word.com, promo code RTL for a $35 discount.

Meanwhile, my friends at RPM Tesla offering lots and lots of Tesla accessories,

all designed in-house, including their steering wheel upgrades, dashboards, spoilers, and full carbon fiber body kits,

just a lot of fun design-oriented accessories for your Tesla via RPM Tesla,

where you can buy with confidence, they don't charge restocking fees,

or require customers to pay for return shipping if you want to send something back,

and odds are you will not want to send anything back because they make genuinely great stuff that people are really happy with,

they tell me that their product return rate is less than 3%,

which allows them to offer free returns, zero restocking fees and lifetime warranties.

RPM believes selling high quality products and standing behind them fosters brand loyalty,

they have over 600 DIY installation videos as well, so that installing their products,

if you're like, hey, I really like that carbon fiber bit that they're selling over at RPM Tesla,

but I don't know if I can install it myself, well they've got a video for it to help walk you through it.

So visit RPM Tesla and use the promo code RPMRTL for an additional 5-10% off your next order,

that's combined with their current discounted sales prices, this exclusive promotion is only available here on Ride the Lighting,

so again, that promo code for the additional 5-10% off your next purchase, RPMRTL at RPMTesla.com.

Meanwhile, AbstractOcean.com, they've got so many great Tesla and EV accessories,

I'm gonna take a quick peek over there right now because I do feel like it's been a minute,

so if I go, let's see here, let's go to, well let's look at lighting, let's just look at the lighting kits specifically.

Oh, this is cool, Cybertruck lighting kits for the puddle lights in the doors,

but also the interior, the accent lighting in the footwells and under the front seats for the second row passengers,

and vault lighting for the bed as well.

So they've got those ultra bright Cybertruck value bundles available in four different colors, so that's cool,

but they've got the same thing, they've got the same kit for the new Model Y, the new Model 3 also,

they've got the, oh, ultra bright lights for the Rivian, R1S and R1T, the interior,

oh, this is a light for your gear tunnel, that's nice, that's just 11 bucks, that's available in five colors.

There's, again, the puddle lights I mentioned for all the Teslas, the flexible LED trunk light for the classic Model Y,

the Gen 1 Model Y, this one's fun, the full color animated center console LED ambient light strips

for the center console of the three in the Y, that's a $75 kit, just again, so much stuff,

and this is only one category, so I do recommend you swing on by, check out what they've got,

you can just click on a category at the top of the page or click on your vehicle at the top of the page,

and it will show you everything they've got over at abstractocean.com,

when you put everything you like into your online shopping cart,

make sure to use the coupon code RTLPodcast at checkout to get 15% off of your first order,

that promo code, again, is RTLPodcast, all one word, no spaces, at abstractocean.com.

If you need or want a front license plate for your Tesla or other EV,

I recommend the Snap Plate or the newer, stronger Snap Plate Plus,

they've got them for all the Teslas plus Rivians and a lot of other EVs over at everyamp.com.rtl,

or just click the link in the episode description.

This is a front license plate bracket that snaps on and off in seconds,

but when it's on, it is on there very securely, it is paint safe, grill safe, radiator safe, FSD safe,

if it will not interfere with any cameras or sensors on the front of your car,

depending which car you've got.

It's clean minimal design, blends really nicely with the Tesla front end when it's installed,

and leaves no unsightly hardware behind if you decide to remove it.

So make those fix it tickets go away for those of you who, like me,

hate having to use a front license plate, if you gotta do it,

make sure that you're using the Snap Plate or the stronger Snap Plate Plus for a few bucks more.

Get yours at everyamp.com.rtl and get a discount on it by using the coupon code RTL at checkout.

Finally, my Patreon, or no, I'm sorry, let me mention Immaculate Reflections first.

Of course, I was just there last week getting a couple little things taken care of and super grateful.

In fact, I'll just tell you what I did.

I had the Tesla Frunk lighting installed, and it looks really nice.

I put a little quick video of it on my Instagram page, which is DMC underscore Ryan.

I got the Model 3 Performance puddle lights that project the insane mode flag badge onto the ground.

So I had those put in the front puddle light spots for the front doors,

and the ones that I had in the front, which were the TESLA, the Tesla wordmark logo projecting down on the ground,

move those to the back.

So now all four doors have a fun puddle light, and I really like the Model 3 Performance flag ones that are on the front doors now.

It's just fun. It's just a nice little silly little thing, but I love it. It makes me happy.

But if you're going to go there, meaning Immaculate Reflections, you're probably going to go for a more serious detailing service,

such as paint protection film, ceramic coating, and or paint correction.

So there is a discount waiting for Ride the Lightning listeners.

If you're in or going to be in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area with your Tesla or other vehicle that you love,

you want to reach out ahead of time to make an appointment, get on the schedule at Immaculate Reflections,

just go to the website irdetailing.com, click on the contact link in either the very center of the page,

pardon me, or the upper left corner of the page, and just let Jeff know, Jeff's the owner there,

let Jeff know what you're looking to do, what your budget is, he'll work with you,

and mention in that correspondence that you're a Ride the Lightning listener,

so that any work that you have done will have that generous Ride the Lightning listener discount applied to it.

So again, head on over to irdetailing.com.

And then now the Patreon. One more time here.

Patreon.com slash Tesla podcast. That's my Patreon page.

That's where you can go to best support the podcast.

If you listen all the time, you listen regularly, you really enjoy the podcast, you get good information out of it,

I would be very humbled and grateful if you might see it in your heart to support me on Patreon.

For just five bucks a month, you will be really awesomely supporting me in a way that I'm super grateful for.

And as a thank you for that five bucks a month, you'll get an early access to each week's episode,

and the thing you'll be getting early access to is an ad-free version of the episode.

And the perks all stack as you go up.

So if you go up to the higher tiers, you get all of the perks at all of the other tiers, which is pretty cool.

So statistically, the most popular tier is the $10 per month tier, where you not only get that early access ad-free episode each week,

but you also get access to the entire 180-something episode archive of those lightning round mini episodes that I do weekly over on Patreon.

So again, the website is patreon.com slash Tesla podcast.

There is a seven day free trial you can sign up for if you'd like.

And if you want to do an annual subscription, an annual pledge rather than a monthly one, you can do that.

And as a thank you for your generous annual pledge, there is a 10% discount on any annual pledge that you make.

So feel free to take advantage of that.

If you're not already following this podcast on your favorite podcast service, you can do so by searching

Ride the Lightning Tesla on any of them, really.

Apple podcasts, Spotify, tune in, YouTube podcasts.

That search should pop this podcast right up, click the follow button, and that's it, you're done.

Doesn't cost you any time or money.

And in fact, it will hopefully save you time because anytime there's a new episode, you will get a push notification on your device

reminding you that there is a new episode of Ride the Lightning to listen to.

And as a friendly reminder, new episodes of this podcast drop every Sunday at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific,

unless you're with me on Patreon, in which case you get it as soon as the show is done and uploaded,

which is typically on Friday evening, so you're getting it like a day and a half-ish early,

which hopefully a lot of people enjoy as well.

And the referral program, well, there's not much left of it, but you can still get three free months of FSD if you order a new Tesla.

Use somebody's code if you're a first-time Tesla buyer.

If you've already bought a Tesla before, you have a Tesla account, just use your own code, refer yourself.

But if you're a first-time Tesla buyer, use someone's referral code.

I'd actually prefer it be someone else's in your life, whether it's a friend, family member, co-worker, what have you.

But if you just need one, you are welcome to use mine.

And the way to do that is to type the following into any web browser on desktop or mobile.

This link is ts.la.ryan73014.

Finally, you can follow me on X and or on Instagram.

My username is DMC underscore Ryan on either of those platforms.

And as I mentioned earlier, you can always email me anytime about Tesla and EV things at teslapodcastatgmail.com.

Finally this week, I want to say a big thank you and hello to the top tier Patreon backers.

They get their names shouted out at the end of each week's show in addition to numerous other thank yous from all of the lower tiers of the Patreon.

So big thanks goes out to starting with the Maximum Plaid group,

Jonathan Wales, Cameron Clark, Daniel Grummer, Seth Capello,

the Galpin family, Ryan from New York City, Darren Nicholl,

Cos Barnes, Patrick Wisneski, Todd Badger, Joe Edgel, Kevin Yank,

the Tesla Owners Club of San Joaquin Valley, Will Steadman, Jeremy Harris, Chris Beech, Tom Mills,

Cory O'Donnell, Aaron, John Cody, Joel Sap, Paul Casarino, Chris Osborne, KB,

Adam LaVoy, Jason Chalukis, Travis Krenzel, Bruce Otterstein, Tom Behan, Josh Pennington,

John from Cream Ridge, New Jersey, Dustin Hart, Derek Finley, Charles Clement, Damon Klein,

Jeff Brown, Jerry Slinger, Kenneth Corbett, Brian Bertoglio, Kim Bae, Troy Sievers, Chip Hooper,

Matt Chinander, Robert Moran, Rav, Christopher Mann, Michael Williams, Eric Harbert, and Scott Shepard.

Next up, the Roadster in Space tier backers, the tippy top tier, big extra thanks goes out to

Pete White, Lyle Austin, Steve Radspinner, Fernando Cordero, Lawton from Chicago,

Sean Nydig, Neil Weaver, Jackson Wallace, Rolf and Jennifer Evers, Howard Anthony Smith,

Victoria Ayacaveto, Tesla Hitchhiker 42, Cara Weston, Robert from near Philly, American Home Contractors,

Doug Carey, Michael Gallo, and Tony Figueroa.

And finally, the grandfathered in plaid tier supporters, big thanks for your continued support too,

George Cascioppo, Logan Willis, Peter Chalet, Eric Randolph, Dory and Steve Guberman,

the Tesla Owners Club of Taiwan, Ron Lee, Charlie Gillespie, Jeff Angwin, Chase Cabanillas,

the Lydia family, Aaron Altschul, Jared Brown, Jamie Dalton, Mike and Barbara from Louisville,

Matt Nixon, the Tesla Owners Club of Wisconsin, Ish, not Elon Musk in quotes, Peter and the Bear Boys of Colorado.

And with that, my voice is starting to go, so that means it's time for me to go.

This has been Ride the Lightning episode 554. Huge thanks to all of you for your continued

listenership, your continued time and attention. I do not take it for granted.

I try to use the time that you're generously giving me wisely.

So hope you enjoyed this week's episode. There's plenty of exciting stuff coming up.

It's all getting closer one way or another, whether it's going to be April 1st for Roadster or not,

but we've got, as I was talking about on last week's podcast, Optimus V3, Tesla Semi Factory Opening and official launch,

the Roadster, just all kinds of neat stuff, Cyber Cab launch, lots and lots of neat stuff coming up.

So stay tuned and that's not even mentioning the rest of the EV world.

Rivian R2 deliveries coming up in the next few months. There is just so much going on.

It is a blast to cover the EV space. I love it. Thank you all so much.

Happy electric motoring and I'll see you back here next week.

Elon Musk. People don't like Elon Musk. The guy founded PayPal and Tesla and people are like, yeah, but he's a troll and a bad dad.

I'm like, so is mine. He did nothing to fight climate change.

Also, have you been in a Tesla? Have you been in a Tesla? My buddy let me drive his Tesla.

I laughed out loud at how fast it went. Been clinically depressed my entire life on dozens of medications in a Tesla for 13 seconds cured forever.

I mean, I think a Tesla is the most fun thing you could possibly buy ever. That's what it's meant to be.

Our goal is to make it's not exactly a car. It's actually a thing to maximize enjoyment. It's maximum fun.

Episode 554: Rivian R2 Pricing Revealed

About this episode

Ford F-150 Lightning

Rivian R2

Rivian R2

Model X

low volume car

Giga Shanghai

vehicle warranty

Tesla Model S

referral program

Tesla Model X

Tesla Model Y

first principles problem-solving

patent application

sporty seat

seat frame

thermoforming

recliner hinge

seat weight impact on battery range

composite materials

bolsters

linear actuators

FSD

scaling production profitably

Tesla Model 3

profitability challenge for new EV makers

Volkswagen ID Buzz

WLTP range

EPA range

kilowatt peak charging rate

kilowatt hour battery pack

800 volt architecture

0-60 time

battery-to-wheel efficiency

EV racing

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