Anything that Moves

Igino Cafiero of Bear Flag Robotics recounts his entrepreneurial path to autonomous technology for farm tractors, culminating in the company's acquisition by John Deere. Cafiero delves into the pressing issue of labor shortages in agriculture and how autonomy offers a solution without displacing existing labor. He shares the specific technological hurdles involved, such as GPS-denied environments and complex obstacle detection. Finally, Cafiero discusses his current role at John Deere, emphasizing the synergy between startup agility and corporate scale in driving the future of farming, and articulates a vision for autonomy and AI to unlock unprecedented levels of agricultural productivity.

Blake Scholl of Boom Supersonic joins Anything That Moves to discuss the future of supersonic flight: why did it disappear with the last flight of the Concorde? Why is now the time to bring it back? And… despite the name, might supersonic cruise be boomless?After listening, check out the company’s first supersonic flight here (and here for those itching for the full two hours.)

Ian Arthurs of Circular joins Anything That Moves to discuss why sourcing and procuring new materials is hard. Why has recycled plastic historically cost more than virgin plastic? Is that "green premium" possibly bridgeable with better data?

Gary Ong of Celadyne cuts through the noise to break down the "why" of hydrogen. What it is hydrogen useful for today, and why has so much hope been pinned on it for tomorrow? What needs to be true for it to be a game changer in the energy economy?

Mike Murphy, a political media consultant and founder of EV Politics, explores the intriguing intersections of politics and electric vehicle (EV) adoption. He discusses how political affiliations impact EV ownership, revealing stark differences among voters. Murphy also addresses challenges like infrastructure gaps and economic hurdles while analyzing the competition between U.S. and Chinese automakers. Listeners are treated to insights on taxation, self-driving vehicles, and innovative solutions for commercial fleets navigating the electric shift.

Oana Duma, from Arval, leads insights on full-service vehicle leasing, while Zingha Lucien from Element directs strategic advisory in fleet management. They analyze the vast data from 3.2 million vehicles, discussing the lag in electrification for commercial fleets compared to passenger vehicles. With a look at telematics, they underscore its underutilization in enhancing safety and efficiency. Cultural contrasts between North America and Europe are explored, emphasizing the evolving landscape of mobility solutions and sustainability in transportation.

Venki Padmanabhan joins the podcast to discuss all things manufacturing, supply chain, and labor in the mobility world. So many promises have been in mobility innovation... Venki talks about what is involved in actually building the damn thing. He also suggests a new paradigm for labor relations in the automotive world, and answers whether a sub-$20,000 vehicle is even possible anymore.

Mike Granoff, former Board Director at Better Place... and Maniv's Founding Partner, looks back at the audacious startup that tried - and failed - to spur large-scale vehicle electrification 15 years back. Mike explains the logic behind the startup's battery swap model, and explores why the company declared bankruptcy six years and $850M in investment after its founding. Mike even tackles his decision to back Better Place in place of Tesla's Series B investment round. For bonus Better Place reading, Mike's reflections on the ten year anniversary of the startup's founding can be found here.

Roy Fridman, CEO of ⁠C2A Security⁠, shares a (possibly) contrarian view of automotive cybersecurity: away from disaster prevention and towards product enablement. Roy shares why cybersecurity is not the "world's worst insurance policy" and what shifting in-car value from hardware specs to software capabilities means for players across the automotive value chain.

Steve LeVine, Editor of The Electric and author of The Powerhouse, joins Anything That Moves to talk about the battery supply chain, second life for lithium batteries, and where human psychology meets the charging challenge. Plus: a discussion of why this transition is so tricky for ICE automakers and why it is so hard to take new battery chemistries to market.   A note to our listeners:  You'll forgive Steve and Meir for geeking out with some deep industry battery acronyms – they couldn't help themselves; for the rest of us, here's a glossary of terms. Steve's book, The Powerhouse, is a great resource if you want to dig deeper.  LFP (Lithium-iron-phosphate) – Lower energy density, cheaper than the main alternatives; in theory, longer range and safer (less likely to blow up). NMC (Lithium nickel-manganese-cobalt) – Most common in today's vehicles. Higher energy density, longer life cycle, and more expensive than LFP.  NCA (Nickel-cobalt-aluminum) – Most common in Tesla's higher-end models. More expensive than LFP, batteries are similar to NMC packs with better lifespan.