Rivian San Bernardino Goes NACS, Cybertruck PCS, R2 Gen 3

Pulled into the San Bernardino Rivian Adventure Network this week and walked into a surprise, every stall was swapped over to NACS while I wasn’t looking. My 2025 Gen 2 R1S still runs CCS, so from this point forward I’m pulling the Rivian CCS-to-NACS adapter out of the frunk every time I charge here.

There’s a lot more in this update, the Cybertruck PCS issue hitting low-VIN trucks, the Model S/X Signature Edition farewell, the R2 Gen 2.5 vs Gen 3 decision, Tesla’s Japan expansion, and a few honest thoughts on why I still edit every video myself. Quick rundown below.

San Bernardino RAN went NACS

I rolled up the week before to charge and the map looked broken, turns out it wasn’t broken, they were mid-construction swapping the ports over. Now they’re live.

If you have a CCS Rivian, the official adapter is your only clean option here. Rivian briefly offered them as an opt-in to owners; outside that window it’s around $150–$200. I’ve also tested third-party adapters, the A2ZEV adapter review is the one to start with if you’re shopping around.

The new chargers and the rate card

The new units run up to 300 kW with 500 A max current, double the previous capability. The screens are also way bigger, way brighter, and tap-to-pay is built in. Rates are time-of-day based and Rivian owners get a discount across every window:

Worth noting: every time I charge at a Rivian Adventure Network it’s effectively free for me because of referral credits, that’s why I keep showing up here when the R1S gets low.

There’s a Tesla Supercharger on the other side of the property, but it’s capped at 72 kW because the lot is a mall and they don’t want you fast-charging while you’re shopping. Yes, we still have malls. I used to work in this one in the ‘90s.

Gen 2 large pack charging: the spike-and-drop

Here’s the part I want Gen 2 large pack owners to weigh in on. I plugged in at 34% state of charge and saw the screen spike to 170+ kW for a second. Then it immediately dropped to ~100 kW.

This is the consistent pattern with my Gen 2 large pack, across road trips, across multiple Adventure Networks. My Gen 1 large pack R1T never did this. If you have a Gen 2 large pack and you’re seeing the same shape, drop a comment on the video. I want to know how widespread this is.

R2 hardware: Gen 2.5 vs Gen 3, and whether to wait

A lot of you commented on the R2 first-look video asking whether the launch trucks are Gen 3. They’re not, the first batches will ship on the current Rivian Autonomy Platform (Gen 2 hardware), with the proper Gen 3 platform, Rivian’s own RAP1 silicon plus LiDAR, coming later.

The headline number is RAP1 being roughly 4× the compute of the current Orin-based platform, and the long-term goal for Gen 3 is Level 4 autonomy. There’s no retrofit path from Gen 2 to Gen 3, you can’t roll into a service center and ask for the new silicon.

So the buy-now-vs-wait calculus comes down to how much you care about hands-off driving:

My take: if hands-off driving isn’t on your must-have list, there’s no reason to wait. The new UI and the software updates will still roll to Gen 2 hardware. If true eyes-off matters, you have to wait, Gen 3 is the only hardware that targets it.

I tried the universal hands-free package on the way to Vegas (video on the channel). It reminds me of Tesla Enhanced Autopilot, fine, not bad. But my trial expired and now it’s $50/month. At what it gives me today, I’m not paying for it.

Cybertruck PCS warning: VINs under 40,000

The Power Conversion System failures keep showing up in the community. The tell is two-fold: a notification on the truck’s screen, and home charging dropping from 48A to 24A even with the breaker untouched. If you’re charging at half speed at home and you didn’t change anything, that’s your sign.

The reports cluster on VINs below 40,000. Tesla introduced an updated MOSFET hardware pretty much at that point, so 41K-and-up trucks should be in the clear. Ours is at 41,000, at 24,500 miles, no PCS issue so far.

If you don’t know your VIN, it’s in the Tesla app. You can also message service through the app and ask them to confirm whether you’re impacted.

The active noise cancellation update also rolled out. I have all-terrain tires, and I can still hear them clearly, I genuinely can’t tell what changed on my truck. If you’ve A/B’d it, let me know.

Tesla Model S and Model X Signature Edition

Tesla’s marking the end of Fremont S/X production with an invite-only Signature Edition.

$159,420. (And no, before you ask, they should have made it 169,420.) Limited to 100 X and 250 S, all Plaid, all Garnet Red with gold accents and white Alcantara. FSD Supervised included, lifetime Supercharging, 4 years of premium service, no resale for the first year, same playbook as the Cybertruck Foundation Series.

There’s no mechanical difference. Same tri-motor Plaid drivetrain, same performance. You’re paying for the badge, the paint, and the 1-of-X serial. That’s it.

I didn’t get the invite, possibly because I had two Model X buybacks, I have no idea. Either way I wouldn’t pay $160K for it. We drive EVs to save money. The depreciation math on a Tesla at that price doesn’t pencil out for me, even with a Garnet Red 1-of-100 sticker. Congrats if you got one, let me know in the comments below.

This is also the broader closing chapter on Fremont S/X, the line is being repurposed for Optimus.

Tesla Japan expansion

I was just in Japan last month, so this one hits close. Elon announced a major investment in Japan: doubling service centers (30+), expanding the Supercharger network from 146 to 180–200, and targeting end-of-2026 for FSD Supervised availability. Tesla’s Japan sales nearly doubled to 10,600 units last year.

FSD Supervised is also starting to expand outside the US in general, which is a bigger story than it’s getting credit for. Supercharger walkthroughs from my Japan trip are coming, I just need the time to edit them.

Why I still edit every single video

Quick personal note since this is also a channel update. A few people have offered to edit videos for me, some for portfolio, some for paid contract work. I’m passing on it for two reasons.

One: budget. More money is going out of this channel than coming in right now, and there isn’t room for an editor in the math.

Two, and this is the bigger one: my edit is the brand. The way I cut between the in-vehicle clips, the parking-lot walks, the asides about working at the mall in the ’90s, that’s me. If I hand it off, even with a clear brief, the editor’s instincts leak through and it stops being my video. I’d still have to review every pass to catch that, which means I’m doing the work twice.

So one video a week for now while I rebuild the pipeline. Thanks for sticking around, the subscriber count keeps climbing and the comments keep coming. I see them.

Recent appearances and what’s next

• The Cyber Trucking podcast with Eric (ButterEV) and the crew, we covered EV ownership across nine vehicles and my R2 takeaways.
• Temecula Cars and Coffee with Empire Custom Wraps, meetup video edit pending.
• The first outing for Abby’s newly-wrapped pink Cybertruck at AT230, pending edit.
• Japan Supercharger walkthroughs, pending edit.
• Software 2026.07 holding on the install queue while I sort out whether the elevation-record reset fix is in this build.

If you’re shopping a Rivian, the referral link is the easiest way to support the channel, you get free Adventure Network charging and Gear Shop points, I get the credits that keep the R1S topped up at stops like this one.

Catch the full update above. Drop a comment with your Gen 2 large pack charging numbers, I want to see if this spike-and-drop pattern is everyone or just me.