Episode 550: Rivian R2 Gets Glowing First Reviews
Ride the Lightning: Tesla and EV Podcast
Ryan McCaffrey
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 15 February 2026
⏱️ 104 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Rivian's first high-volume, more affordable vehicle – the R2 – is getting closer to release, and the initial reviews are extremely positive. Plus: Ferrari's first-ever full-BEV has a very unique interior designed by longtime Apple designer Jony Ive, Toyota gets a bit more serious about electrification with its just-announced Highlander EV, and more!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | On this week's episode of Ride the Lightning, the Tesla, and EV podcast, Rivian's first high-volume, |
| 0:06.2 | more affordable vehicle, the R2, is getting closer to release, and the initial reviews are |
| 0:12.3 | extremely positive. Plus, Ferrari's first ever full B-EV has a very unique interior designed by |
| 0:20.4 | longtime Apple designer Johnny Ive. |
| 0:23.4 | Toyota gets a bit more serious about electrification with its just-announced |
| 0:27.4 | Highlander EV and more. |
| 0:29.3 | Music What's happening, Ryan McCaffrey joining you for episode 550 of Ride the Lightning, |
| 0:55.6 | your EV and Tesla podcast. Yes, I guess for one week at least here, I've got to flip it around |
| 1:01.7 | because the headline story is not about Tesla. It's about Rivian, and we've got Ferrari |
| 1:07.5 | to talk about and Toyota, but there is also plenty of Tesla stuff to discuss as well. |
| 1:13.1 | Joining me as always, my K-9 co-hosts, Daisy the Boxer to my left, looking happily out the window. |
| 1:18.9 | And on the floor behind me is Lily the silly Labrador puppy. |
| 1:23.3 | Well, it is FSD Day tomorrow, as I record this. |
| 1:28.6 | I'm recording on Friday the 13th here in the evening, as I typically do record on Friday evenings. |
| 1:34.3 | By the time most of you hear this, however, February 14th will have come and gone, |
| 1:40.0 | which means full self-driving supervised can no longer be purchased outright for your vehicle for |
| 1:47.5 | $8,000. |
| 1:49.1 | That's the bad news. |
| 1:51.3 | The good news, or at least let's call it welcome news, is that Tesla has quietly updated its |
| 1:57.7 | rules for the FSD transfer program, giving owners a bit more flexibility when |
| 2:03.1 | upgrading to a new vehicle, while also clarifying how FSD ownership and trade invaluations |
| 2:09.3 | work for some of its newest vehicles. This comes courtesy of Drive Tesla Canada, who writes, |
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