Anything that Moves

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. 

Long-time Florida State Senator Jeffrey Brandes and current President of the Florida Policy Project joins the podcast. Jeff sheds light on the elegant simplicity at the center of today’s gas tax, why it is so essential to maintaining roads and other infrastructure, and how even a modest increase in EVs on the road is going to leave a dent. He makes the case that whatever follows the gas tax will have to contend with everything from fragmented tax collection and enforcement to data privacy concerns.

Diarmuid O'Connell, current board member of Volvo Cars and former VP of global business development at Tesla, shares a podcast’s worth of first-person Tesla lore. Hear his views on the company’s original raison d’etre, why it’s proven to be so uniquely polarizing, and why he doesn’t think its success is easily replicable today. Bonus: the scene – Christmas 2008: A startup in trouble, managers being forced to dip into their own pockets to make payroll…even if you know how this story ends, there’s nothing like hearing it from the source.

Nicole Nason, ex-US Federal Highway Administration, ex-NHTSA, and current VP of Federal Affairs at Boeing, joins the podcast. Tune in to hear how she got a ride in one of the first Tesla vehicles, why she challenges the notion that federal policy has lagged on mobility innovation, and get her hot take on electrifying the skies. Plus - a dire warning to mobility startups who sleep on hiring a government affairs team and the first and last Kardashian reference on Anything that Moves.

Is impact investor Assaf Harlap, owner and board member of importer and distributor Colmobil, worried about the new direct to consumer OEM business model? Tune in for his hot takes on the new Hyundai and on the staying power of dozens of new Chinese automakers in Western markets. Plus: why the automotive market in Israel is an interesting case study (but really!) and where a car dealer sees an existential threat to his business model (surprise: it's not ride-sharing.)

CEO and Co-Founder of Harbinger Motors, John Henry Harris, on the untapped sweet spot of electrification, the secret life of a 3PL bean counter, and the world record for the fastest hot tub. BONUS - lots and lots of chassis talk.

In a follow-up to a November 2020 episode with Zoomo, Jules Flynn, the company's Chief Operating Officer, reflects on how 2020 "hot take" has matured into 2022 fact: that e-bikes have become the most economically sensible vehicle for many modes of urban logistics. He explains why verticals such as food and grocery delivery have been early adopters to this trend, and what the world of urban logistics might look like once large parcel services adopt light electric vehicles en masse.

Adam Goldstein, longtime mobility executive and former CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises, discusses the link between electrification and energy independence, the state of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging, and the role of government in encouraging EV adoption. Listen for a discussion on electrification, and stay tuned for a bonus question on the secret life of cruise ships.

Rodrigo Martinez, Founder and CEO of Kolors, discusses why he believes that LATAM intercity busing is ripe for digitization. Rodrigo breaks down why intercity busing in Mexico and other emerging markets serves the role of domestic flights in the US and Western Europe, and explains how Kolors aims to improve the passenger experience with ancillary products and services. He argues that the industry can learn much from successful airline business models, and suggests that the “Uberization” of transportation has changed how mobility companies approach customer acquisition. For more information on Kolors, see https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/03/mexico-citys-kolors-wants-to-disrupt-intercity-busing-in-latin-america/