The Road to Autonomy

Kevin Damoa, Founder & CEO, Glīd Technologies joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss Glīd’s autonomous to rail system.Kevin is a veteran with two tours in Iraq and experience in the National Guard, is the entrepreneur behind Glīd, a company developing autonomous vehicles capable of operating on both rail and road. Glīd’s technology aims to revolutionize first-mile logistics and intermodal operations.One of Glīd’s key advantages is its ability to eliminate multiple material handling steps in the logistics process, potentially reducing carbon emissions and improving efficiency. Beyond logistics innovation, Glīd has a strong social mission. The company plans to create jobs in marginalized communities near ports and rail yards, offering training and employment opportunities without requiring formal education. This approach aims to provide economic mobility and inspire future generations.Looking ahead, Glīd aims to democratize first-mile transportation, starting in the United States with plans to expand globally. Their goal is to improve logistics efficiency, reduce costs, and positively impact communities adjacent to ports and rail yards, potentially contributing to lower consumer prices and an improved quality of life.Chapters0:00 Military Service0:53 Inspiration for Glīd1:39 Glīd Weight Restrictions3:21 Maintaining Glīd4:25 Job Creation7:45 Glīd Target Markets9:07 Glīd System19:54 Road to Rail Transition24:02 Railroads25:04 Regulatory26:43 State of Glīd’s Technology28:13 SpaceX Manufacturing29:30 Romeo Power31:32 Future of Glīd--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You bought a personally owned autonomous vehicle (self-driving car). But do you need insurance? Wondering how you are going to insure the vehicle? Sergey Litvinenko, CEO of Koop Insurance joined Grayson Brulte on Autonomy Insights to explain how insurance and personally owned autonomous vehicles will work and who will be responsible in a crash.Chapters0:00 Insuring Personally Owned Autonomous Vehicles4:30 What Happens in a Crash? Who is Responsible?8:05 OEMs as Insurance Companies10:44 Reinsuring the Risk12:45 Future of Personally Owned Autonomous Vehicle Insurance--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pete Bigelow, Senior Reporter, Automotive News joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss Alphabet's additional $5 billion investment into Waymo, energy storage and traditional automakers autonomy strategies.Chapters0:00 Alphabet Goes All In on Waymo7:17 Waymo compared to Uber in San Francisco10:21 Waymo's Pending Vehicle Problem12:49 Zoox23:21 Cruise25:38 Licensing Tesla FSD33:04 Ford40:03 Trends42:08 Key Take AwaysSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tom Murphy, CEO of Capital Cities/ABC excelled at capital allocation. Following the example set by Mr. Murphy, Don Burnette, Founder & CEO of Kodiak is implementing his version of Capital Cities/ABC capital allocation strategy as he grows Kodiak. Don Burnette joined The Road to Autonomy Founder Grayson Brulte on Autonomy Insights to discuss Kodiak’s focus on growing long-term profitable revenue and achieving industry best EBITA margins. Mr. Burnette is keeping a keen eye on expenses and ensuring that capital is allocated to growing the business, not frivolous expenses. By keeping costs low and offering valuable solutions to customers, Kodiak was able to expand into Defense and off-road autonomy in a deal with Atlas Energy in the Permian Basin. The deal with Kodiak is potentially profitable enough to sustain Kodiak as a business even without its other business lines (defense and on-road trucking). Kodiak is in the process of transforming from a R&D-focused company to an operations company. In the mold of Capital Cities/ABC, Kodiak implementing a capital allocation strategy that ensures long-term growth.Recorded on Friday, July 26, 2024Episode Chapters0:00 Kodiak’s Expansion into Off-Road Autonomy 2:39 The Decision to Diversify 5:02 EBITA Margins 6:42 Capital Cities/ABC of Autonomy 10:06 Core Pillars of Kodiak’s Business 11:32 What’s Next For Kodiak--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. The company has two businesses: The Road to Autonomy Indices, with Standard and Poor’s Dow Jones Indices as the custom calculation agent; Media, which includes The Road to Autonomy and Autonomy Economy podcasts as well as This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ossa Fisher, President of Aurora joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how Aurora is preparing for driver-out operations in Texas by the end of the year. Aurora is taking a disciplined approach that Ossa likens to the preparation of elite athletes training for the Olympics.Aurora’s advanced perception system combined with their proprietary FirstLight LiDAR is assisting the company in their journey towards driver-out operations. The FirstLight LiDAR can detect obstacles up to four football fields away, significantly enhancing safety. Aurora’s development strategy combines on-road testing, controlled track environment testing, and extensive simulations. They’re rigorously preparing for various weather conditions and rare events to ensure maximum safety and reliability. The company’s partnerships with PACCAR, Volvo and Uber Freight will enable the company to scale operations and build a meaningful business overtime. The business model could change over time as it was developed to be flexible as the company scales driver-out commercial operations.The first lane that Aurora will operate driver-out will be Dallas to Houston followed by El Paso to Fort Worth. It’s has been a big journey for Aurora to get to driver-out operations and it will be a bigger journey once driver-out operations commence and expand to multiple lanes.Recorded on Tuesday, July 9, 2024Episode Chapters0:00 Preparing for Driver-Out4:46 Uber Freight Partnership7:14 Customer Exceptions for Driver-Out9:06 Driver-Out Lanes9:48 Fright Lane Patterns11:05 Scaling Aurora14:09 Safety19:29 Building Trust22:11 Driver-Out Operations & Infrastructure23:47 OEM Partnerships26:55 CDL30:57 Economics of Aurora 37:26 Aurora’s Impact on the Trucking Industry 39:46 Key Takeaways--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. The company has two businesses: The Road to Autonomy Indices, with Standard and Poor’s Dow Jones Indices as the custom calculation agent; Media, which includes The Road to Autonomy and Autonomy Economy podcasts as well as This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dean Foreman, Chief Economist, Texas Oil & Gas Association joined Grayson Brulte on The Autonomy Economy podcast to discuss key trends and geopolitical issues that are impacting the global oil and natural gas markets. Today, there is record high global demand for oil and natural gas, driven by economic growth and increased consumption of petrochemicals. Despite efforts to transition to renewable energy, oil and gas remain critical to economic activity worldwide and without energy there is no form of economic activity. During the conversation, Grayson and Dean discuss several issues impacting the oil and natural gas markets including the geopolitical factors affecting energy markets, including the U.S. presidential election, potential conflicts in the Middle East, and shifting alliances in Europe. Dean emphasizes the importance of stable policies and international trade relationships for long-term energy investments.The conversation also covers the status of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is at historically low levels. Dean expresses concern about the government’s reluctance to replenish the reserve despite potential global instability.Regarding the U.S. economy, Dean notes high levels of consumer debt and its potential impact on spending and economic growth. Grayson and Dean go onto discuss the Federal Reserve’s approach to interest rates and inflation and what impact interest rate cuts could have on the oil and natural gas markets.Throughout the podcast, Dean stresses the interdependence of energy markets, economic growth, and geopolitical stability. With regard to energy policy, Dean suggests a balanced approach that recognizes the ongoing importance of oil and gas while also addressing environmental concerns.Recorded on Tuesday, July 2, 2024Episode Chapters0:00 Fed Rate Cut Impact in the Oil & Natural Gas Markets4:39 Oil and Texas’ Economy11:27 Exporting Natural Gas to Mexico13:18 Record Demand for Oil & Natural Gas17:29 Argentinean Shale Oil19:30 Impact of the U.S. Presidential Election on the Oil Markets20:48 EU Energy Policies24:20 Currencies Impact on the Oil Markets 27:41 Consumer Debt28:50 Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)36:20 Hurricanes 38:51 Key Takeaways--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. The company has two businesses: The Road to Autonomy Indices, with Standard and Poor’s Dow Jones Indices as the custom calculation agent; Media, which includes The Road to Autonomy and Autonomy Economy podcasts as well as This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Martin Sandström, Chief of Staff, EasyPark Group joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the evolving landscape of urban parking and its intersection with autonomous vehicles and city planning. Parking is a crucial tool for cities to manage mobility as it’s often the second-largest revenue stream for municipalities after taxes. During the conversation Grayson and Martin explore how digital layers and data are transforming parking management, allowing cities to implement more effective pricing and policies based on supply and demand. Add autonomous vehicles into the picture, and the opportunity to solve issues such as overstaying in charging spots and reducing congestion is greatly improved. Then there is electric vehicles and the challenges that those vehicles bring to the urban mobility landscape. There are challenges implementing electric vehicle charging infrastructure in parking facilities, including the high upfront costs and current reliability issues. In some European countries, particularly Scandinavia, governments are mandating the installation of charging in parking garages.Looking to the future, Martin envisions parking becoming more technology-driven with less human interaction. He sees the potential for parking to be bundled into autonomous vehicle subscriptions and for parking operators to evolve into mobility hubs offering various services.Parking and mobility management will become increasingly important as urbanization continues, especially in emerging megacities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Eventually, consumers won’t need to think about parking at all because of autonomous vehicles. But before we get there, parking technology is needed to ensure a smooth parking experiences in urban cities.Recorded on Friday, June 28, 2024Episode Chapters0:00 The Business of Parking7:48 Large Events and Parking11:31 Autonomous Vehicles and Parking21:11 EV Charging and Parking31:21 EU Parking Policies 32:35 Founding of EasyPark 36:23 Future of Parking37:58 Key Takeaways--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. The company has two businesses: The Road to Autonomy Indices, with Standard and Poor’s Dow Jones Indices as the custom calculation agent; Media, which includes The Road to Autonomy and Autonomy Economy podcasts as well as This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Applied Intuition is developing an off-road autonomy stack to address the growing demand for autonomous solutions in industries such as mining, agriculture, and defense. Qasar Younis, CEO and Peter Ludwig, CTO, Co-Founders of Applied Intuition joined The Road to Autonomy Founder Grayson Brulte on Autonomy Insights to discuss Applied’s approach to off-road autonomy. The company’s approach to developing an off-road autonomy stack is driven by industry needs, particularly labor shortages in remote locations and safety concerns. Applied Intuition’s off-road strategy involves creating a modular, adaptable solution that can be customized for various vehicle types and industries. This approach allows them to distribute development costs across multiple customers, making it more economical for companies to adopt their technology rather than developing in-house solutions. Their technology is designed to work with a range of vehicles and tasks, with the philosophy that if a human can control a vehicle off-road, their autonomy stack should be able to accomplish the same task.As the company grows, they are positioning themselves as a key enabler in the emerging autonomy economy, providing the tools and technology necessary for companies to succeed in implementing and scaling autonomous solutions across multiple sectors.Episode Chapters0:00 Why Develop an Off-Road Autonomy Stack?9:48 Off-Road Autonomy and Defense10:54 Off-Road Autonomy as a Growth Market13:20 What’s Next For Applied Intuition?--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. The company has two businesses: The Road to Autonomy Indices, with Standard and Poor’s Dow Jones Indices as the custom calculation agent; Media, which includes The Road to Autonomy and Autonomy Economy podcasts as well as This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anand Gopalan, CEO & Co-Founder Vayu Robotics joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the dawn of a new era in robotics and autonomous systems. Anand believes the industry is on the cusp of a breakthrough, moving from fragmented point solutions to horizontal intelligence applicable across various robotic applications.Vayu’s approach focuses on developing high-quality, low-cost autonomous systems. Vayu achieves this through innovative passive sensing technology, which extracts multiple properties of light beyond just intensity, inspired by biological systems. This method allows for robust perception without the energy inefficiency and detectability issues of active sensors like LiDARS.The company utilizes low-power ARM processors instead of expensive GPU clusters, significantly reducing both cost and energy consumption. This efficiency enables Vayu’s robots to operate for 6-8 hours on a single battery charge, dramatically lowering the carbon footprint of goods movement.Anand emphasizes the importance of foundation models in robotics, but highlights the challenges of data scarcity and edge computing. Vayu addresses these issues through intelligent use of synthetic data generated in gaming-like simulators, focusing on domain-independent aspects of movement and interaction.The conversation touches on the broad applicability of Vayu’s technology, from defense to various commercial sectors. Deploying the same intelligence across multiple applications creates significant growth and business opportunities. As a business Vayu is focused on drastically reducing hardware costs, and building robotics that can transform a capital-intensive industry to one with rapid return on investment. He envisions Vayu monetizing its intelligence and hardware reference designs rather than becoming a robotics operations business.In closing the conversation Anand suggests robotics are entering a golden age, driven by new tools and the ability to solve real economic problems. He encourages listeners and viewers to recognize this potential while remaining grounded in addressing the hard technical challenges of edge computing, cost reduction, and energy efficiency.Recorded on Thursday, June 27, 2024Episode Chapters0:00 Current State of the Robotics Market4:58 Cost of Sensors9:27 Cost of Labor Accelerating the Adoption of Autonomy13:29 Value of Robotic Autonomy 15:19 Lower Power Chips vs GPUs17:03 Energy Efficiency 21:03 Passive Sensing 27:43 AI Foundational Models31:40 Simulation 37:45 Vayu Business--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. The company has two businesses: The Road to Autonomy Indices, with Standard and Poor’s Dow Jones Indices as the custom calculation agent; Media, which includes The Road to Autonomy and Autonomy Economy podcasts as well as This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Vinay Shet, Co-Founder and CEO of Teleo joined Autonomy Insights to share his perspective on why Teleo is partnering with construction companies like Ajax Paving and Tomahawk Construction to deploy supervised autonomy in their operations. Supervised Autonomy allows operators to control heavy machinery remotely from a comfortable office setting, rather than sitting in the cab of the machine.Episode Chapters0:00 Ajax Paving / Teleo Partnership3:17 Health Benefits of Supervised Autonomy 6:41 Growth of the Construction Industry9:56 Teleo's Florida Expansion10:34 Retrofitting Equipment for Supervised Autonomy 11:39 Growth of the Supervised Autonomy Market13:09 What's Next For Teleo--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. The company has two businesses: The Road to Autonomy Indices, with Standard and Poor’s Dow Jones Indices as the custom calculation agent; Media, which includes The Road to Autonomy and Autonomy Economy podcasts as well as This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.