The InEVitable

MotorTrend's Ed Loh & Jonny Lieberman sit down with Nissan Americas' Regional SVP & Chief Planning Officer, Ponz Pandikuthira, to talk about the future of the industry, EVs, Software Defined Vehicles, autonomy, Formula E, as well as Nissan's current & future product lineup, including EVs & hybrids! 0:40 - About today's guest. 6:06 - Why electrification is InEVitable. 9:33 - Selling the skeptics. 12:28 - ANNOUNCEMENT - Nissan's Plug-In Hybrids are coming to America! 18:38 - Educating the customer on the EREV (Plug-In Hybrid). 22:01 - Transition to full electrification. 26:26 - Timeline for Solid State Battery (SSB) tech. 29:36 - Building EV tech in the US. 33:25 - Advantages of the Software Defined Vehicle. 36:50 - Software development. 40:00 - China's unprecedented EV growth. 46:56 - Voyah's voice control technology. 52:31 - Future product lineup. 52:57 - Nissan Chill-Out concept. 58:06 - Nissan EREV Truck? 01:00:41 - Autonomous vehicles - Tesla Robo Taxi, Waymo. 01:07:21 - Ponz' early career. 01:14:23 - Formula E. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MotorTrend's Ed Loh & Jonny Lieberman sit down with Grid Operations Manager for California ISO/RC West - Cody Smith! The big question on everyone's mind - "Can the grid handle all these EVs?" Let's discuss... 0:36 - Meat smoothie!? 5:11 - Guest intro & role of CA ISO. 7:52 - Deregulated power grids and market transparency. 11:52 - How does the Grid work in America? East, West, & Texas. 13:00 - Grid Operations Manager role. 14:20 - California's green power initiatives and renewables impact. 15:46 - California's progress in 2024. 19:37 - EVs contribution to grid and battery technology. 21:22 - Why battery technology is the key to a greener grid. 24:53 - Power grid reliability, contingency planning, and energy careers. 25:55 - Battery storage facilities. 34:32 - Daily operations at CA ISO and future of EVs and AI in energy consumption. 41:14 - Nuclear energy considerations and reducing natural gas use. 46:25 - Grid capacity, Texas grid resilience, and renewables challenges. 52:08 - Consumer experiences with solar energy and CA ISO's integration of renewables. 56:57 - EV cost benefits and personal experiences. 1:01:01 - Climate change effects and power grid reliability. 1:04:54 - Environmental impacts of renewable energy installations. 1:08:52 - Classic cars, environmental concerns, and the future of EVs. 1:12:46 - Fundamental takeaways. 1:154:55 - Battery technology advances and desire for fun EVs. *AI was used during the post production process to insert the correct dollar savings amount in the Western Energy Imbalance Market See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MotorTrend's Ed Loh & Jonny Lieberman sit down with former Head of Uber China and current Founder & CEO of Voistory, Ben Chiang! Ben shares the story of Uber China, ride sharing in China, what led to its demise, Ben's current projects - Volar & Voistory, as well as Ben's outlook on AI & practical tips for getting started! 0:15 - About our guest Ben Chiang. 2:40 - Ben's background and career path to Uber China. 5:01 - Launching Uber China and Overcoming Challenges. 11:20 - Uber China rollout, early struggles. 20:05 - Strategies and Team Dynamics in Uber China. 28:42 - Competition and Market Dynamics in Chinese Ride-Sharing. 36:44 - Work-Life Balance and Cultural Challenges. 46:18 - DiDi Competition and Transition to Uber HQ. 54:40 - Forma - Virtual Try-Ons. 56:41 - Entrepreneurial Ventures in AI and Voice Technology - Volar. 1:00:32 - Voistory - Interactive Voice Journal. 1:06:00 - Future outlook on AI. 1:08:16 - Practical tips for using AI. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MotorTrend's Ed Loh chats with Munro's CEO & Design Prophet, Sandy Munro! Ed & Sandy discuss everything from death threats to the future of the automotive industry! Sandy talks about Munro's role in the industry, his infamous Tesla Model 3 reaction, BMW i3, working on the GM EV 1 roadster, his favorite trucks on the market (Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T), the skateboard chassis design, megacasting & gigacasting, Tesla's brilliance, decontenting, American OEMs who are in trouble, and why Chinese EVs are so far ahead of the US. 1:00 - About our guest. 3:28 - Initial reaction to Tesla Model 3. 4:20 - Death threats, FBI. 6:40 - What does Munro do? 9:57 - BMW i3 review. 18:22 - Boeing. 20:43 - Skateboard chassis design. 24:10 - GM EV 1 roadster, designed in secret. 26:22 - Reaction to the Whistling Diesel Cybertruck durability test video. 28:07 - Sandy's favorite trucks - Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T. 29:50 - Ran 50k sq. ft. factory off Ford F-150 Lightning for 5 days, saving $300k. 32:22 - Top truck list recap. 32:56 - "(Tesla) Model Y is the closest thing to an all-around vehicle." 33:45 - Megacasting & gigacasting. 35:02 - Testing Tesla Model Y casting with a sledgehammer. 42:32 - Hot Wheels. 43:36 - Tesla's brilliant casting model. 47:40 - Chery, Chinese EVs. Instant success over 20 years. 52:10 - Concerns for American OEMs. 56:18 - BYD. 01:00:05 - Great Wall Motor, 100% independent. 01:03:52 - Lucid - best motor in the globe. 01:04:36 - Assessment of American OEMs. 01:09:00 - Best time to buy a car. Decontenting. 01:14:07 - How's Tesla/Elon doing? 01:20:10 - Tesla Cybertruck easter eggs. 01:24:01 - Munro Live YouTube and Munro & Associates Reports. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MotorTrend's Ed Loh & Jonny Lieberman chat with former CTO of Lamborghini & current Advisor at Eccentrica, Maurizio Reggiani! Maurizio talks about the Bugatti EB 110, his engineering background, Marcello Gandini, his path to Lamborghini, Audi's acquisition of Lamborghini, the expansion of the Lamborghini brand, and Eccentrica's V12 Lamborghini Diablo restomod! 0:54 - Question of the Day 5:00 - About our guest. 6:37 - Employee No. 2 at Bugatti. 8:17 - Bugatti EB 110. 12:08 - 6 years at Maserati. 14:00 - Educational background. 16:12 - Marcello Gandini - Cizeta-Moroder V16T & Diablo. 22:04 - Path to Lamborghini. 24:37 - Experience at Lamborghini in 1995. 26:25 - Baby Diablo & Audi's acquisition of Lamborghini. 34:35 - Ferdinand Piech. 37:06 - Negotiating powertrain deal with Audi on behalf of Lamborghini. 42:06 - Joining VW Group under Lamborghini. 44:23 - Expansion of Lamborghini. 51:22 - Analog vs Digital. 54:37 - First experience with the power of EVs. 55:43 - Does performance matter anymore? 59:55 - Eccentrica's Lamborghini Diablo Restomod - The "V12". 01:07:40 - Sound of the V12. 01:10:24 - Adaptive suspension. 01:12:43 - Eccentrica making only 19 V12's. Finding a donor car. 01:14:10 - Price. 01:15:52 - Ban on gas vehicles = growth in the restomod market. 01:19:57 - Lamborghini Temerario. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MotorTrend's Ed Loh & Jonny Lieberman chat with Principal Analyst for Guidehouse Insights, Sam Abeulsamid! The guys discuss misconceptions about battery life, charging infrastructure issues, cheap EVs, lessons learned from the early adoption phase, the viral WhistlinDiesel Tesla Cybertruck durability test fail video, why Tesla abandoned their $25k model, whether NACS is a good idea, Ionna charging network, what "Software Defined Vehicle" actually means, Akio Toyoda's comments about hybrids, licensing tech, Chinese EVs, and more! 0:46 - Question of the Day! 2:30 - About today's guest. 5:09 - What is Guidehouse Insights? 8:03 - Misconceptions about battery life. 11:00 - Charging infrastructure issues. 19:08 - Why aren't there more EVs under $35k? 21:44 - Challenges with the Chevy Bolt. 25:15 - YouTuber Whistin Diesel and the Cybertruck "fail". 27:31 - Why Tesla abandoned their $25K model. 30:43 - Initial reaction to Tesla Cybertruck. 33:46 - Who's more to blame for increasing pedestrian deaths - bigger vehicles or cell phones? 36:05 - Is NACS a good idea? 41:06 - Ionna CHarging Network. 45:21 - Software-Defined Vehicles(SDV) vs. Hardware Defined Vehicles (the cars we know and love). 53:13 - Architectural change. 55:34 - Why are they called Software Defined Vehicles? 57:59 - Akio Toyoda's comments on hybrids. 01:01:17 - Which OEMs aren't going to make it? 01:06:50 - Licensing tech. 01:09:15 - Chinese EVs. If, when, & will Americans buy them? 01:16:21 - Visit Guidehouseinsights.com to learn more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The future of hypercars! MotorTrend's Ed Loh & Jonny Liebermna take the show on the road to 2024 Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum for a panel discussion with three top designers - Sasha Selipanov (Founder/CEO Nilu27), Davide Amantea (Chief Design Officer Automobili Pininfarina), & Mitja Borkert (Design Director, Automobili Lamborghini)! 0:33 - Pebble Beach Car Week! 3:30 - Today's guests... 5:43 - Panel introductions. 7:22 - The InEVitable. Project 2036. 8:52 - The Nilu Hypercar; defining the future of sports cars. 12:46 - Pininfarina Battista & B95 inspired by Batman's Bruce Wayne. 15:33 - Lamborghini Temerario. 19:25 - The difficulty of the modern design process. 22:40 - The rapid feedback loop of today. 25:05 - Honoring heritage. 27:26 - Pininfarina's Bruce Wayne car collab with Warner Brothers & DC Universe. 30:11 - Legacy. 38:23 - Does speed still define the hypercar? 43:40 - Designing an experience. 46:14 - Design principles. 51:45 - Design & Engineering collaboration. 58:32 - Favorite wedge car of all time? 01:00:28 - Questions from the audience. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MotorTrend's Ed Loh & Jonny Lieberman chat with CEO & President of SEMA - Mike Spagnola! SEMA, or Specialty Equipment Market Association, is one of the largest trade shows in America! The guys chat with Mike about the history of SEMA, ushering in the EV era, The Chevron Doctrine, CARB EO, Cal Bill SB301, drivers of tomorrow, & what to look out for this year! 0:40 - Special Announcement! 3:35 - Question of the Day! 8:38 - About our guest... 9:41 - His New Nissan Z! 13:20 - What is SEMA? 14:37 - Scale of the event. 16:06 - His first SEMA Show - Las Vegas. Typical SEMA attendee in 1979. 19:16 - Bluetooth Driveshaft. 22:38 - Where was SEMA with EVs in 2013? 24:23 - Year of the Cybertruck? 26:38 - Ushering in new technologies. 28:08 - EV pushback in the early days? 31:48 - What OEMs are in trouble? 35:38 - Balancing Chinese products. 40:08 - The Chevron Doctrine overturned. 45:49 - CARB EO. 49:10 - Cal Bill SB301. 54:16 - Technology neutral. 56:20 - Are you concerned about the new generation of drivers? 01:00:09 - Do you own an EV? 01:01:50 - B2B vs Consumer attendees. 01:06:30 - What to look out for this year? Live Stream! 01:07:40 - Vehicle of the year?  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Motortrend's Ed Loh & Jonny Lieberman sit down with Rivian Founder & CEO, RJ Scaringe! RJ talks about EV adoption, Rivian R2, Rivian R3 & R3X, Rivian Commercial Van, Autonomy, Improvements from Gen 1 to Gen 2, NVIDIA partnership, Android Automotive, Unreal Engine, VW partnership, GenAI, international markets, NACS, Halloween mode, and a lightning round! 2:26 -Are EVs really InEVitable? 4:52 - EV adoption rate. 7:56 - How much is cost a factor in adoption 8:47 - Excitement around release of R2 & R3. 10:27 - R3, & R3X Benchmarks. 13:10 - Suspension, electro hydraulic damper. 17:44 - Approach to R2. 20:56 - R2T? Or R3T? 22:04 - Rivian Commercial Van. Consumer delivery van? 24:37 - RoboTaxi? Autonomy? 27:50 - Improvements from Gen 1 to Gen 2. 31:40 - Dual NVIDIA drive. 33:04 - Why NVIDIA? 35:00 - Android Automotive. 36:51 - Unreal Engine. 42:00 - AR. 43:02 - Uses of GenAI. 46:30 - Tactile buttons vs full digital controls? 48:33 - VW partnership with XPENG. 50:25 - Chinese market vs US market. 56:14 - VW partnership. 01:04:07 - Lightning Round! FSD App? Heavy Duty Truck? NACS? Open roof? Quad? 01:11:00 - R2 & R3X timing? 01:13:33 - Electric door handles. 01:14:14 - Subscriptions. 01:18:47 - Halloween mode! 01:19:08 - New colors coming. 01:19:51 - Bi-directional charging? 01:23:12 - DTC vs Dealerships. 01:25:37 - Tesla. 01:26:52 - Porsche. 01:30:20 - Rivian sports car?? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MotorTrend's Ed Loh & Jonny Lieberman take the podcast on the road to Portland International Raceway for Portland E-Prix to chat with Nissan Formula E Team's Head of Performance & Simulation, Cristina Fernandez, AND Track Side Electronic & System Engineer, Charlotte Henry! The group discusses the Portland E-Prix, specifics about Portland International Raceway, the race strategy of a Formula E team, race simulators, and more! 0:56 - Question of the day! Affordable EVs in America. 11:19 - About today's guests. 12:44 - Their roles on Nissan's Formula E team. 13:42 - Day-to-day. 14:38 - On Portland International Raceway. 16:21 - Race Simulators. 19:46 - Path into motorsports. 23:26 - EV Tech. 26:31 - Solar race cars? 30:32 - What to watch for in the race. 33:20 - Tire wear. 34:07 - Recharge at a pitstop? 35:42 - Race strategy. 38:28 - AI? 39:10 - Formula E race team vs traditional race team. 40:35 - Daily driver & offseason plans. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.