Rivian is getting ready to hit the arena. Following a string of leaks earlier this week, we now have our best look yet at the Rivian R1S performing aerials and scoring goals in Rocket League. While the vehicle was first spotted in Fortnite's backend files, new footage has surfaced showing the flagship SUV fully rendered and playable within the high-octane soccer-with-cars game.
The newly surfaced video showcases the R1S zipping around the arena, and accompanying screenshots show that it will be available in multiple configurations. It isn’t just a basic white SUV; the footage reveals multiple color schemes and detailing options. As we recently reported, the vehicle will also feature a custom "R.A.D." variant. This stands for the Rivian Adventure Department, which is Rivian’s real-world performance division tasked with pushing their electric vehicles to their absolute limits.
One of the most interesting aspects of this digital launch is the cross-game compatibility between Epic Games’ titles. Recent sightings of the R1S in the Fortnite Item Shop indicate that buying the car there will also unlock it in Rocket League. This means you can use your R1S to traverse the island in Fortnite's Battle Royale or Rocket Racing modes, and then hop over to Rocket League to use that same "car body" in a competitive match.
Rivian Wave
The leaked footage shows the R1S with its signature "stadium" headlights and sleek light bar, which makes it one of the most recognizable silhouettes to enter the game. While the flagship R1S is a great start, many fans are hoping this "Rivian Series" eventually expands to include the upcoming R2 or even the rally-inspired R3X.
Rivian Wave
Marketing the Future of Adventure
The timing for this virtual debut couldn't be better. Rivian is currently finalizing the rollout for its highly anticipated R2 midsize SUV. The $57,990 R2 Performance is set to reach the first customers later this spring. While the R1S is the current "greatest hits" model, bringing the R2 into the gaming world right as physical deliveries begin would be a massive marketing win for the brand.
Rivian Wave
Rivian famously avoids traditional TV commercials, choosing instead to focus on community events like SXSW 2026 earlier this month and digital partnerships. By putting its vehicles in front of millions of young, tech-savvy gamers, Rivian is building brand affinity with the next generation of car buyers. It’s the same strategy Tesla used when it brought the Cybertruck to Fortnite last year.
There’s still no official word on the exact release date or price for the Rivian R1S bundle, but with footage now appearing of the vehicle in action, it’s likely just a matter of days before it hits the shop. Whether you're an EV enthusiast or just looking for a unique new car body for your next tournament, the R1S is looking like a solid addition to the Rocket League roster.
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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.
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.
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