Shift: A podcast about mobility

Fischer, vice president of commercial and operations, discusses the tech startup’s new partnership with Nissan, which is Wayve’s first public tie-up with a global automaker.She details how Wayve’s end-to-end AI models help drive the company’s ability to rapidly scale, deliver on its global aspirations and forge an “AV 2.0″ era. Further, she discusses the allure of Level 3 automation and talks about what it’s like to transition from a traditional auto supplier to a tech startup.

On this week’s podcast, the chief technology officer and director of Woven by Toyota details the latest developments at Woven City, the company’s technology and mobility test bed located at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan.He discusses Woven’s ongoing work with the Arene operating system and its role in accelerating the maturity of software-defined vehicles. Further, Absmeier explains Woven’s self-driving strategy and how it fits within the broader Toyota ecosystem.

The author of “Are We There Yet?: The American Automobile, Past, Present And Driverless” examines the effectiveness of efforts to improve road safety with automated-driving technology.In a wide-ranging discussion, he further discusses the appeal of Kei trucks, General Motors’ 1939 Futurama exhibit, Peak Auto, and the virtues of tech-free road trips.

Self-driving tech company Aurora Innovation plans to launch commercial service with its driverless trucks in April.In this episode, Nat Beuse, Aurora’s head of safety, and Gerardo Interiano, senior vice president of government relations, preview the launch and delve into the details of how the company prepared to safely deploy trucks with no humans aboard on public roads in Texas.

This week’s Shift podcast features multiple interviews regarding news developments shared at Nvidia’s GTC, a prominent conference for developers sharing their latest artificial intelligence innovations.In this episode:Nvidia automotive Vice President Ali Kani discusses the company’s new partnership with General Motors and delves deeper into the tech giant’s long-term automotive strategy.Wayve CEO Alex Kendall takes us for a spin around San Jose, shows us firsthand how an end-to-end learning model can effectively drive a vehicle in a new environment with little training, and shares how Wayve might help legacy automakers compete with Chinese rivals and Tesla.Volvo software engineering chief Alwin Bakkenes and Zenseact product Vice President Erik Coelingh detail a new technique that allows them to create thousands of synthetic driving scenarios derived from one real-life incident.

Following a driverless ride around Ann Arbor, Mich., Edwin Olson, the CEO and co-founder of Toyota-backed May Mobility, sits down for a discussion on the company’s plans for new deployments and the company’s work with Lyft.Further, Olson explains how May Mobility’s business model differs from those of its competitors, who actually owns self-driving vehicles, and how the startup quietly emerged as one of the few remaining alternates to robotaxi front-runner Waymo.

Adam Rodriguez, executive director of product and advanced driver-assistance systems at General Motors, shares the latest updates to the company’s Super Cruise feature.Further, he details how GM is integrating software from Cruise, the company’s abandoned robotaxi subsidiary, into blueprints for someday offering personally owned autonomous vehicles.

The senior vice president and general manager of automotive business at computing tech firm Arm underscores the importance of software-defined vehicles to the automotive future. Further, she explains how carmakers can keep up with the frenetic pace of industry innovation.

The founder and managing director of consulting firm Sino Auto Insights discusses BYD’s new “God’s Eye” automated driving system and how it ratchets up competition with Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature.Further, Le underscores the significance of BYD surpassing 4 million vehicles sold in 2024 and China’s broader automotive ascendance.

Raquel Urtasun, Co-founder and CEO of Waabi, is an expert in AI and self-driving technology. She shares insights on Waabi's partnership with Volvo Autonomous Solutions and the innovative generative AI that powers their self-driving systems. Urtasun discusses the shift from traditional autonomous driving to a new paradigm, emphasizing safety, transparency, and accountability. The conversation also touches on the industry's evolving dynamics and Waabi's ambitious plans for robotaxis and warehouse robotics, highlighting their commitment to strategic independence.