BRIEFLY: Rivian, Used EVs, Green Tech & more | 17 May 2026

BRIEFLY: Rivian, Used EVs, Green Tech & more | 17 May 2026

From ev.news by Martyn Lee

May 19, 2026 · 4 min

About this episode

This episode provides a brief overview of the latest news in the electric vehicle sector, including Rivian's new configurator and the rise in used EV prices in the UK.

It's EV News Briefly for Sunday 17 May 2026, everything you need to know in less than 5 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show. Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the EV News Daily Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/EVNewsDaily RIVIAN OPENS R2 CONFIGURATOR EARLY Rivian has opened the R2 configurator for reservation holders, with production already underway in Normal, Illinois and some areas seeing delivery windows as short as 1–6 weeks. Only the R2 Performance is currently available at $57,990, offering 656 hp, 330 miles of range, and a 3.6-second 0–60 time, with the R2 Premium and R2 Standard following later in 2026 and 2027 respectively. RIVIAN ASSISTANT REACHES R1 OWNERS Rivian has rolled out its AI-powered voice assistant to existing R1T and R1S owners via firmware update 2026.15, replacing Amazon Alexa and activated by saying "Hey, Rivian" or through steering-wheel controls. The system handles navigation, HVAC, and media playback, requires a Connect+ subscription, works only in English, and processes voice recognition on-device to reduce latency. USED EV…

People in this episode

Host: Martyn Lee

Topics covered

  • Rivian
  • used EVs
  • green technology
  • automotive news
  • AI voice assistant

Keywords

  • Rivian
  • used EVs
  • green tech
  • AI assistant
  • automotive news

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Rivian, Amazon

Products: R2 configurator, R2 Performance, R1T, R1S

Places: UK

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