After several rumors, Rivian has launched its owner referral program called Rivian Rewards. Currently, US-based Rivian owners can find a personalized referral code in their profile section of the website or the Rivian app.
Rivian has created an excellent referral program that encourages owners to talk about and share their experiences with the brand and their vehicles.
Although the program is currently limited to U.S. owners, Canadian owners will be able to gain access to Rivian Rewards in early 2025, according to Rivian.
Rewards
When an owner shares their code, the person being referred will be able to use it when purchasing an R1 vehicle through the R1 Shop. Once the vehicle is delivered, both the referrer and the referee will get rewards.
The referral code has to be used in the checkout phase of the order – Rivian has confirmed that they cannot apply referrals to orders that have already been placed or are currently in progress.
So, if you’ve already put your order in, sadly, you won’t be able to get the referral benefit unless you cancel and re-create your order, which could have other financial implications.
Reward
Referrer
Referee (Buyer)
750 Reward Points
Yes
Yes
6 months RAN Charging
Yes
Yes
The rewards are simple to understand – both individuals get 750 reward points, and both also receive 6 months of free charging at Rivian Adventure Networks.
There is a cap on the RAN charging – you can only stockpile up to 36 months of free charging. The charging reward is also bound to the original vehicle owner – if you sell your Rivian, the free charging will not transfer. However, if you do buy another Rivian, you can get your free RAN charging transferred to the new vehicle.
Dollars vs Points
Rivian’s Reward Points are usable on a $1=1 point basis in Rivian’s Gear Shop. Additionally, you can also use the points towards a future vehicle purchase through the R1 Shop. Technically, it's possible to get a Rivian for almost free since there is no limit on the number of referrals you can earn. You just can’t redeem reward points against taxes, fees, and the vehicle deposit.
Rivian says that the current program and point system will run through at least the end of 2024, at which point they reserve the right to alter the program if needed.
Rivian Event Invite
One of the unique rewards for the launch of the Rivian Rewards program is an invite-only experience with Team Rivian. Rivian is offering the first 100 owners with 25 referrals a special invite to spend a 3-day retreat with food, adventure, and connections with Team Rivian. This is an awesome bonus for Rivian’s best brand ambassadors and provides them with a unique experience that they couldn’t have gotten any other way. We’re happy to see Rivian paying back to their community in this way and look forward to what else they’ve got up their sleeves.
Keep adventuring and referring folks!
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Rivian is taking a major step toward closing the loop on battery life. The electric vehicle maker has officially announced a partnership with Redwood Materials to deploy a first-of-its-kind energy storage system at its Normal, Illinois, manufacturing facility. By repurposing more than 100 "second-life" battery packs from its vehicles, Rivian will create a 10 megawatt-hour (MWh) storage reservoir to help power the very plant where its cars are built.
This partnership is a massive win for sustainability. EV batteries are designed to be incredibly durable, often outlasting the vehicles themselves. Even when a pack is no longer ideal for high-performance driving, it still holds significant value for stationary storage. By utilizing these assets, Rivian is ensuring its environmental footprint remains as small as possible.
Repurposing for the R2 Ramp
The timing of this installation is particularly critical. Rivian’s Normal plant is currently gearing up for mass production of the R2, the company’s first affordable, mass-market SUV. After recently beating Q1 delivery estimates, the factory is under immense pressure to scale.
Rivian Wave
The new 10 MWh system will provide "dispatchable energy," meaning Rivian can pull power from these batteries during peak demand periods. This will not only lower energy costs for the company but also reduce the overall load on the local electrical grid, supporting reliability for the surrounding community.
“EVs represent a massive, distributed and highly competitive energy resource,” said Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe. “As energy needs grow, our grid needs to be flexible, secure, and affordable. Our partnership with Redwood enables us to utilize our vehicle’s batteries beyond the life of a vehicle and contribute to grid health and American competitiveness.”
Solving the Industrial Growth Constraint
The "secret sauce" behind this setup is Redwood’s proprietary Pack Manager technology. This system acts as a universal translator, allowing Redwood to communicate with and control different battery packs regardless of their original voltage or state of health.
JB Straubel, the founder and CEO of Redwood Materials (and former Tesla CTO), highlighted that the grid is currently struggling to keep up with the demands of modern manufacturing. “Electricity demand is accelerating faster than the grid can expand, posing a constraint on industrial growth,” Straubel said. “Our partnership with Rivian shows how EV battery packs can be turned into dispatchable energy resources, bringing new capacity online quickly, supporting critical manufacturing, and reducing strain on the grid without waiting years for new infrastructure. This is a scalable model for how we add meaningful energy capacity in the near term.”
A Scalable Model for the Future
This 10 MWh project is just the beginning. Redwood estimates that by 2030, the U.S. will need over 600 GWh of storage to stabilize the grid — a massive amount of energy equivalent to the Hoover Dam running for two months straight.
By turning old EV batteries into stationary assets before they are eventually recycled, companies can defer billions of dollars in costly infrastructure upgrades. As Rivian prepares to hand over the first R2 keys later this spring, its factory will be running on a smarter, more resilient energy loop that proves the "second life" of a battery is just as important as the first.
Rivian is moving quickly to address a security oversight that has left some owners feeling vulnerable. After a high-profile report of an accidental frunk opening, the company’s software team has confirmed that new safeguards are officially in development to prevent "butt-dialing" your storage space.
The issue gained traction after X user @dictionaryhill shared a stressful experience at the gym. Recently, when coming out of the gym one day, they noticed that their R1T’s frunk was open with their backpack and other belongings simply there for anyone to potentially grab. The situation was particularly risky because the frunk contained an iPad, a wallet, and $1,000 in cash from a recent Facebook Marketplace sale. Despite having proximity unlocking turned off, the front trunk had sat wide open in a public parking lot for several minutes.
When I came out the gym today, I found my Truck with the frunk open and my backup untouched. It had a Rivian Carabiner key attached to it (I have proximity unlocking off) My iPad, Wallet and countless other crap.
After reaching out to the owner, Rivian’s team was able to verify that the command came from a phone widget. According to Rivian, @dictionaryhill’s iPhone sent out a frunk opening command at 11:50 a.m., which the owner said originated from an accidental screen tap. They walked out of their gym and discovered the truck open just seven minutes later.
Accidental taps on smartphone widgets are a common frustration for EV owners. Because these buttons are designed for quick access, they often lack the "Are you sure?" confirmation required for such a significant physical action. Rivian’s Chief Software Officer, Wassym Bensaid, joined the conversation to acknowledge the flaw. "We can still do a better job to protect from some of the accidental taps with the iOS widgets. Working on it," Bensaid stated.
Learning from the Competition
Rivian isn't the first company to deal with this. Tesla, for example, has a built-in safeguard that asks for confirmation on the screen if you try to open the frunk while your phone key is not actively connected to the vehicle. This ensures that if you accidentally tap the button from a mile away, the car won't just pop open. However, if you are standing right next to the car, it assumes the intent is real and opens immediately.
Rivian Wave
Rivian is currently on a roll with highly requested software updates, recently confirming a new battery health menu is also on the way. Adding a confirmation step or a "long-press" requirement for the frunk widget would be a simple but effective fix to keep gear safe, while a proximity check before the command is executed would be a more complex but convenient solution. This is especially important as the company prepares to launch the highly anticipated R2, which features a spacious front trunk that will likely be a primary storage spot for many new owners.
While @dictionaryhill was lucky this time, the incident highlights the growing pains of software-defined vehicles. Rivian’s willingness to engage directly with owners and push out fixes over-the-air remains one of its biggest strengths. We expect to see these new "anti-accidental" options arrive in an upcoming update, perhaps in time for the first R2 deliveries later this spring.
![Rivian 'Max Power' Simpsons Easter Egg [VIDEO]](https://www.rivianwave.com/img/paths/storage/rivian-reference/max-power-easter-egg-2.jpg/79787b66f4314fb5c00baeedffe59646/max-power-easter-egg-2.jpg)
