Rivian’s iconic Gear Guard Gary, is more than just a playful mascot – he’s there to keep a watchful eye over your Rivian and the stuff inside. Born from the desire to combine security with a sense of fun, Gear Guard Gary (GGG) has become a symbol of Rivian’s security feature — Gear Guard.
Gary is a lovable and friendly Yeti decked out in a headband, puffy jacket, and boots. When Gear Guard is active on your Rivian, you’ll see his friendly face pop up on the main screen, letting you know he’s keeping a vigilant eye over your vehicle.
For Quad-Max models, Gary makes an even bigger statement. He’s featured as a badge on the rear of the tailgate, proudly marking your vehicle as a flagship model.
But how did Gary come to life? Was he a spontaneous idea, or does he have a deeper backstory? Grab your gear and join us as we venture into the origins of this lovable Yeti.
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The Creator of Gear Guard Gary
Zachariah Ohora is the artist behind Gary, who created the character specifically for Rivian. Zachariah is an illustrator and filmmaker and is currently working on a children’s cartoon that is similar in style to Gear Guard Gary. While Gary hasn’t made an appearance in any episodes yet, his character aligns with Ohora’s ongoing projects, and one of his popular series, Carl the Collector, is currently airing on PBS Kids in both the United States and Canada.
Gary also stars in his own adorable stop-motion film created by Foster Huntington, which premiered at the South Coast Theatre in Laguna Beach. Rivian restored this historic California venue, transforming it into a space for independent films, art workshops, and beach excursions.
The stop-motion film itself is a delightful story. It features an R1T stopping at a small gas station and cafe, where the driver and passenger step out to grab some supplies for the road. With Gear Guard active, he secures his gear in the truck bed using the Gear Guard Security Cable.
The plot takes a turn when a masked robber shows up, only for Gary to greet him with a hug and a friendly wave. When the driver and passenger return, everything is just as they left it, and their adventure continues without a hitch.
Gary’s charm and friendly demeanor shine through as he’s portrayed as a happy companion, always keeping your belongings safe while enjoying the adventure right alongside you.
Gary’s Origin
Rivian’s focus on user experience is where Gary, the lovable Gear Guard character, was born. While Rivian officially refers to him simply as “Gear Guard,” the Rivian community has affectionately named him Gary and the name has stuck.
Gary came into being as part of the playful and fun nature of the Gear Guard system. Initially, Rivian wasn’t sure what form he would take — whether he would be an amorphous blob, have horns, or stretch out with long arms.
Ultimately, Gary represents the unique qualities of the Gear Guard system. He’s smart, non-aggressive, and provides a sense of deterrence. The system is designed to protect both your Rivian and your belongings, all while staying true to Rivian’s adventurous spirit. When Gear Guard is active, Gary appears on the screen, monitoring the surroundings with his camera. When it’s off, he takes a little nap on the screen instead.
Gary’s main purpose is to bring a smile to people’s faces, especially kids. Rivian’s goal is to offer peace of mind — allowing people to enjoy nature and their adventures without worrying about their gear back in the truck.
Gear Guard Gary Easter Egg
If you lock the rear screen in the vehicle, Gary can be summoned by simply tapping on the screen. It’s a simple easter egg, but it’s worth seeing. He’s friendly, cute, and happy to entertain little ones on the rear screen while the screen is off-limits.
Gary Plush
If you’re craving even more Gear Guard Gary, Rivian has you covered with an adorable plush. These plushies are quite popular and often sell out, so be sure to snag one before they’re gone.
The plushie measures about 14” in length and 8” in width with his arms by his sides. He’s dressed in his signature outfit, complete with a headband, jacket, shorts, and boots. While the shorts are removable, the jacket is stitched in place but can be easily removed by undoing the stitching. The headband and boots are not removable.
Rivian has paid close attention to detail, even adding the Rivian logo on the chest of his red fall jacket.
The Gary Plush is well designed and super tough! Maybe not dog-chew-toy-tough, but tough enough for your kids.
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As Rivian prepares for its biggest production ramp yet, the company is quietly building out the executive team needed to support a massive influx of new owners. A recent move to fill two high-level leadership positions signals that major updates are on the horizon for both Rivian Insurance and Rivian Care, the company’s in-house protection programs.
The expansion was first highlighted by Rivian enthusiast Chris Hilbert (@Hilbe), who shared a call for talent from Mike Slattery, Rivian’s Head of Insurance. Slattery’s announcement makes it clear that the company is looking to move beyond "business as usual" by leveraging its connected vehicle platform to rethink how insurance and warranties work.
Building a "High-Impact" Support Engine
The first of the two roles, the Sr. Program Operations Lead for Rivian Care, will serve as the "operational engine" behind the company’s vehicle protection products. This includes scaling high-impact programs like service contracts, windshield protection, and wheel and tire plans across multiple markets.
Currently, Rivian — whose name reflects a focus on the adventurous spirit of the Indian River — offers Rivian Care as a pilot program powered by Assurant. It is designed to protect vehicles like the R1T and R1S beyond their standard manufacturer’s warranty, covering critical components like the high-voltage battery and drivetrain. With a dedicated operations lead now joining the team, it’s likely that this pilot phase is nearing an end in favor of a more robust, permanent program.
The Future of Connected Insurance
The second position is an Insurance Agency Leader based on the ground at Rivian’s manufacturing hub in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois. Slattery noted that this leader will be tasked with driving profitability while keeping the owner experience central, all while "leveraging vehicle intelligence to fundamentally change how vehicle protection products actually work!"
Rivian Insurance is already a licensed agency available in all 50 U.S. states, but its potential is only just being tapped. Much like Tesla Insurance, which recently released its Safety Score 3.0 to further reward drivers who use the company’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system, Rivian is looking to use data-driven rates via its Driver+ system. By using the vehicle’s internal intelligence, Rivian can offer custom policies tailored to the exact risk profile of its drivers, making the transition from R1 to the mass market much smoother.
A mass-market vehicle brings a much broader audience, many of whom will expect first-party extended warranties and competitive insurance rates right out of the box. By scaling these leadership roles now, Rivian is ensuring it has the "operational engine" ready to handle tens of thousands of new R2 owners. This proactive hiring suggests that when the R2 configurator opens later this year, it will likely be accompanied by a more integrated and transparent suite of protection products than ever before.
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.
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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.
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