The Road to Autonomy

In 2019, the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) issued guidance through their AV 3.0 framework that specifically stated that going forward, federal trucking regulations from the FMCSA will no longer assume that a commercial vehicle driver must be a human present in the vehicle. This cleared the way for self-driving trucks to operate legally, as long as they comply with existing trucking regulations.Dan Goff, Director of External Affairs, Kodiak Robotics joined The Road to Autonomy Founder Grayson Brulte to discuss the current regulatory landscape for autonomous trucks in the United States.While in the long-term there will need to be new regulations crafted specifically for autonomous trucking, in the near-term, the existing rules provide a sufficient framework to begin deploying autonomous trucks in a compliant manner. Today, there are only a handful of regulations that don't neatly apply, and the industry has been working to solve those lingering issues.One key regulatory hurdle that Kodiak has worked on was developing an enhanced inspection program with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) that enables autonomous trucks to demonstrate an elevated level of vehicle safety checks compared to today's methods. Enhanced inspections have helped build confidence with law enforcement around autonomous trucking deployments.Today, 25 U.S. States have passed laws enabling and regulating autonomous vehicle deployments, further validating their legal ability to operate autonomous trucks complying with applicable regulations.While the patchwork of differing state laws is manageable currently, Dan believes eventually there will need to be a unified national regulatory framework governing autonomous trucking to enable broad interstate operations. But, the existing legal foundations for autonomous trucking deployments are in place today.Recorded on Wednesday, May 15, 2024Episode Chapters0:00 Current State of Autonomous Trucking Regulations3:28 Enhanced Inspections8:52 Evolving Autonomous Trucking Regulatory Landscape11:48 Autonomous Trucking Misconceptions--------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.

Pete Bigelow, Senior Reporter, Automotive News joined Grayson Brulte on The Autonomy Economy podcast to discuss Tesla’s robotaxi gamble and the prospects for Tesla to license FSD. In this wide-ranging conversation, Grayson and Pete dive into the bold promises and ambitious plans surrounding Tesla’s bid to launch CyberCab and a robotaxi service. As Tesla prepares to unveil more details on August 8th, they analyze what it could mean for the future of autonomy and mobility.Grayson and Pete explore whether Tesla will actually show two separate vehicle models — one with traditional controls (potentially the Model 2) and a fully autonomous version without a steering wheel or pedals. The big questions linger: When will Cybercab realistically deploy commercially? And just how good will the self-driving technology be when it is first deployed?The rise of Tesla’s robotaxi ambitions has sparked concerns about being Uber being potentially disrupted. But making the economics work with such an expensive vehicle platform remains a huge challenge. Could a Tesla subscription service bundled with incentives make a Tesla robotaxi more accessible?As the conversation evolves, Grayson and Pete also analyze the strategic options for established automakers and if they should consider licensing Tesla’s self-driving software. Or should they choose to develop their own systems with Nvidia and Qualcomm? Or pursue potential licensing agreements with Cruise, Waymo or Zoox? Zoox is interesting as the company is planning to launch service in Las Vegas which gives the company unique opportunities to embrace Vegas and create “experiences” such as mobile gambling in partnership with casinos.Ultimately, the road to Tesla deploying commercial robotaxis at scale remains riddled with technological, regulatory and business model hurdles. But with Tesla all-in on the robotaxi future, the stakes are escalating for the entire auto industry to map out its autonomy strategy.Recorded on Friday, April 26, 2024 Episode Chapters0:10 Tesla CyberCab2:20 Tesla Mobility Platform5:14 Tesla Subscription Platform19:55 Camera Only23:30 Licensing FSD35:10 Licensing Cruise, Waymo, Zoox38:39 NVIDIA & Qualcomm41:05 Zoox & Casinos --------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.

Josip Cesic, CEO & Co-Founder, Gideon joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the transformation that the warehouse logistics industry is undergoing driven by an urgent need for increased efficiency and automation. Labor shortages are rampant, with younger generations showing less interest in roles such as forklift driving. Gideon’s autonomous forklifts which are deployed to load and unload trailers achieve a return on investment within 1-3 years by maintaining or increasing throughput compared to manual operations. Gideon’s compelling unit economics, combined with soaring labor costs and challenges in attracting workers, is propelling major companies such as Walmart, Loblaw, DHL, and FedEx to double down on warehouse automation.Josip explains how Gideon retrofits off-the-shelf forklifts with its autonomy kit comprising sensors including LiDAR and cameras, enabling safe and efficient autonomous trailer loading/unloading. As the technology scales, further cost reductions are anticipated through optimized computing solutions.As Gideon scales, Josip sees autonomous trailer loading/unloading as merley just the starting point, The big goal is to fundamentally reimagine the entire supply chain through autonomy. During the conversation, Josip stresses the importance of thinking several steps ahead and forming strategic partnerships, as early successes attract fierce competition in this blossoming market.Ultimately, Josip emphasizes that while robotics plays a pivotal role, the true bet is on people – adopting, driving, and benefiting from the revolutionary efficiencies that autonomous solutions will unlock across industries facing existential labor challenges.Recorded on Monday, April 15, 2024 Episode Chapters0:09 Warehouse Automation Outlook8:15 Warehouse Automation Market Evolving Over Next Decade 14:40 Gideon Autonomous Forklifts26:26 Global Autonomous Forklift Markets 31:10 Future of Gideon--------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.

David Welch, Detroit Bureau Chief, Bloomberg joined Grayson Brulte on The Autonomy Economy podcast to discuss the commercialization of autonomous vehicles and autonomous trucks. In this insightful conversation they discuss the latest developments and prospects in the autonomous vehicle, autonomous truck and electric vehicle markets. Collectively they analyzed Tesla’s upcoming robotaxi unveiling, offering perspectives on how the market might react and the challenges with Tesla achieving full self-driving.The discussion explores the competitive landscape with Waymo, Cruise, and Aurora diligently working towards commercializing autonomous vehicles and autonomous trucks. While examining the technical hurdles, regulatory environment, and investor sentiment surrounding autonomy.Looking at the broader EV market, they dissect Tesla’s recent sales dip, the arrival of more affordable EV models, and consumer readiness to embrace this shift. The conversation also touches on the struggles legacy automaker GM has faced in executing new technology ventures; Ultium batteries and their autonomous vehicle subsidiary Cruise.Overall, this podcast provides a comprehensive look at the road ahead for autonomy and electrification, marked by both immense potential and significant challenges yet to still be overcome. Both David and Grayson offer candid insights into the key players, market forces, and make-or-break factors that will shape the future of transportation.Recorded on Thursday, April 18, 2024 Episode Chapters0:11 Tesla CyberCab 3:19 Chinese AVs & EVs10:13 Investor Sentiment on Autonomy13:44 Autonomy and Defense20:07 Amazon24:13 Licensing Autonomous Driving Technology26:46 May Mobility 30:31 Cruise 36:38 GM43:12 What To Watch for in the Autonomy Markets--------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.

Finch Fulton, Government Affairs and Policy Advisor, K&L Gates joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the policy and labor challenges currently facing the emerging autonomy economy. As the development of autonomous trucks and vehicles gains momentum, it faces significant policy and labor hurdles. There are complicated policy issues that autonomous trucking and vehicle companies must navigate to ensure that autonomous trucks and vehicles can be deployed on America’s roads.During the conversation Finch provides an insider’s perspective on the pushback against automation, autonomous trucks and autonomous vehicles under the guise of safety concerns. He highlights how overly restrictive policies could cripple innovation and America’s competitiveness, driving commerce and jobs to other countries.The discussion also delves into the role of federal agencies like the FMCSA and NHTSA in establishing a clear regulatory framework for autonomous trucks and autonomous vehicles. Delays in key rule-makings are examined as well as what happens when nothing happens. Along with the economic impact of those non-decisions are and who ultimately benefits. When autonomous trucks are actively hauling freight on the roads of America and autonomous vehicles are common in cities around the country, America wins. The economy becomes stronger, inflation begins to subside and the roads become safer. When this happens we will begin to usher in the autonomy economy. Recorded on Wednesday, April 3, 2024Episode Chapters00:15 Election Season and Policy Implications for Automation01:31 The Electric Vehicle Market and Tesla's Influence04:58 Supply Chain Challenges and National Security Issues08:15 The Future of Autonomous Technologies and Labor20:21 Silicon Valley's Shift Towards Defense Innovation22:35 Policy Prospects for Autonomous Vehicles in Future Administrations28:41 Decoding the Politics of Safety Regulations29:47 The Stalled Progress on Automated Vehicle Safety Standards31:36 The Impact of Rulemaking Delays on Autonomous Vehicle Safety33:05 Exploring the Role of Organized Labor in Autonomous Vehicle Regulation34:01 State vs. Federal: The Battle Over Autonomous Vehicle Legislation36:52 The Future of Autonomous Vehicle Policy and Investment44:46 Navigating the Challenges of Electrification and Autonomous Trucks50:56 A Call for Common Sense in Autonomous Vehicle Policy--------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 the pivotal role the oil and gas plays in the global economy. With a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, Dean provides an in-depth analysis of how geopolitical factors like the Russia-Ukraine war and tensions with Iran impact oil markets. He examines the increasing demand for natural gas, particularly from Asia and Texas’ position as one of the leading producer and exporters of oil and gas.During the conversation, Dean and Grayson explore the implications of rising interest rates and inflation on the energy sector and the broader economy, including California’s controversial electricity pricing based on household income. Additionally, Grayson and Dean discuss the U.S.’s growing national debt and how it could potentially impact the energy markets as there is an interdependence between economic growth and energy demand. This comprehensive conversation is a must-listen for anyone interested in understanding the intricate dynamics of the global energy landscape and it’s profound influence on economic development.Recorded on Wednesday, April 10, 2024Episode Chapters0:11 The Impact of Geopolitics4:41 Monetary Policy Impact on Oil & Natural Gas Markets13:34 Growing Demand for Natural Gas19:24 California Energy Policy26:40 Oil & Gas Impact on the Global Economy34:02 Impact of the Growing U.S. Debt on the Economy 41:34 China Oil Imports 43:48 Things to Watch in the Oil Markets--------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.

Ira Renfrew, Chief Product Officer, Outrider joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how Outrider is developing autonomous yard operations that improve efficiency, safety, and resiliency for warehouse operations. Outrider has developed an innovative autonomous yard truck system that can connect and disconnect trailers autonomously using their patented Trailer Connect technology. Yard automation is as an untapped opportunity for automation that Outrider correctly identified in 2017 when the company was founded by Andrew Smith.The Outrider stack was designed for mixed traffic environments in warehouse and distribution yards. One of the advancements that has been made since the company was founded is the introduce of their autonomous “glad hand” trailer connection process.By automating the entire process, Outrider is able to achieve human-level throughput for trailer moves while enabling 24/7 operation and optimization across the yard truck fleet, leading to increased efficiency. Closing out the conversation Ira discusses Outrider’s roadmap, scaling plans, the benefits of electrification when combined with autonomy at customer sites, and Outrider’s vision for fully automated supply chains enabled by AI and robotics.Recorded on Tuesday, April 2, 2024Episode Chapters0:09 The Evolving Warehouse Automation Market5:11 Increase Warehouse Efficiency with Autonomous Yard Trucks8:58 Outrider Market Positioning12:47 Outrider Tech Stack22:43 Scaling Outrider26:05 Trailer Connect28:42 Fully Automated Supply Chain--------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.

Sergey Litvinenko, Co-Founder & CEO, Koop joined Grayson Brulte on The Autonomy Economy podcast how autonomy could transform insurance economics. As autonomous vehicles and robotic automation spread across industries, a massive new risk ecosystem is emerging that will require innovative insurance solutions. In a fascinating podcast interview, Sergey Litvinenko, co-founder & CEO of insurtech pioneer Koop, provided rare insights into how his company is leading the charge in underwriting this technological transformation.Traditional insurance carriers have been hesitant to dive into insuring autonomy risks like self-driving cars and warehouse robotics due to a lack of data and technical expertise. As Sergey explained, “If you can’t model the risk, you can’t underwrite it profitably.” This knowledge gap has created a massive greenfield opportunity for insurtechs focused specifically on robotics and AI.Koop has developed proprietary systems that ingest and analyze real-world sensor data from robots and autonomous vehicles to precisely model their behavior and safety performance. Using this cutting-edge approach, Koop has achieved stellar underwriting results, with loss ratios under 5% for its robotics book – compared to 70%+ for traditional P&C lines.This lucrative capability is allowing Koop to rapidly scale and cement its position as the dominant player in the burgeoning autonomy insurance market. Sergey believes large incumbents will be forced to partner with or acquire specialist providers like Koop rather than build expertise in-house. He forecasted robotics insurance could be a “tens of billions” dollar market delivering 30%+ underwriting profits.As AI ushers in a “Cambrian explosion” of robotic use cases across industries, demand for intelligently underwritten insurance solutions will skyrocket. Koop is uniquely positioned with the technical foundations, proprietary data, and risk modeling skills to capture this unprecedented opportunity.In Sergey’s words, “When you intersect tens of billions of deployed robots with insurance where you can deliver 30% annual returns…it just makes me very excited about the space.” The autonomy economy is materializing rapidly – don’t be surprised if the pioneering innovators insuring this revolution turn out to be young insurtechs like Koop rather than industry giants.Listen to the full podcast for more fascinating insights from Sergey Kravchenko on the future of autonomy insurance. The robotics risk market is open for disruption – will your company be leading or following?Recorded on Tuesday, March 26, 2024Episode Chapters0:10 2024 Insurance Market Outlook5:14 Cyber Security Insurance9:40 Underwriting Autonomous Vehicles and Trucks35:36 How Companies Should Prepare for Autonomy and Automation 37:44 AI Impact on Insurance 40:26 The Evolving Underwriting Markets for Autonomous Vehicles 42:34 Key Take Aways--------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.

Are you ready to go behind the scenes and uncover the secrets of the company playing a pivotal role in the future of autonomous and electric vehicles? In this riveting episode, we dive deep into the world of Applied Intuition, the Silicon Valley company partnering with automotive giants such as Porsche to develop groundbreaking software that will make self-driving cars a reality.Join us as host Grayson Brulte sits down with Qasar Younis and Peter Ludwig, the visionary co-founders who are fusing cutting-edge artificial intelligence with decades of automotive expertise. You'll gain unprecedented insights into their bold mission to accelerate safe autonomy across industries – from transforming in-vehicle experiences to tackling defense applications.But that's not all! Brace yourself for insights into Applied Intuition's pioneering work, including their multi-stack strategy to future-proof technology, ambitious vehicle software platform to revolutionize mobile electronics, and the innovative ways they're empowering automakers to control the consumer experience like never before.Don't miss this opportunity to understand the forces driving autonomy and witness the birth of a new era in intelligent machines. Listen now and immerse yourself in a world where the boundaries of possibility are constantly being redefined.Episode Chapters0:00 The Road to Autonomy Index Introduction0:56 Series E Funding3:44 Applied Intuition AI Roadmap5:58 AV 2.010:00 Insights into the Chip Market11:04 Applied Intuition Trust Layer14:37 Autonomous Driving24:36 Applied Intuition x Porsche27:45 Software Development with OEMs36:54 Applied Intuition Defense Business39:24 Future of Applied IntuitionRecorded on Friday, March 29, 2024 --------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.

Pete Bigelow, Senior Reporter, Automotive News joined Grayson Brulte on The Autonomy Economy podcast to discuss Tesla’s data advantage and what it means to the development and commercialization of autonomous driving. The conversation begins with Pete and Grayson discussing Tesla FSD (Full Self-Driving) and the advantages Tesla has with their data gathering abilities. Tesla has over 5 million vehicles fitted with FSD hardware and software on the road today, driving an estimated 50 billion miles per year — 100,000 miles per minute. This on-going data collection gives Tesla a massive advantage over competitors developing an end-to-end neural net self-driving stack.Mobileye is taking a similar approach to Tesla by gathering real-world driving data to train their autonomous models. Currently Mobileye has over 26 years of data equaling over 200 petabytes of driving footage, equivalent to 16 million 1-minute driving clips. But is it enough data to train their autonomous driving models and scale a business?It has yet to be determined if there is a business there for Mobileye as year-over-year revenues are expected to be $226.35 million, down 50.6% from the year-ago. To try and accelerate revenue growth, Mobileye is moving the business away from ADAS chips to the autonomous driving sector which has larger margins. [Mobileye is] talking about going from roughly $50 dollars of revenue per unit to $1,500 with Supervision to $3,000 per car with Chauffeur. So I think that the path mobilize sees forward is really ramping up production of those systems, finding buyers for those systems, particularly in China.– Pete BigelowWhile it’s well known that Tesla is gathering driving data, it’s not well known that Mobileye is gathering driving data. Could consumers push back and demand to be paid a fee for gathering data for Mobileye? If consumers demanded to be paid, the Mobileye autonomous driving business model would be at risk. Then there is the political risk. What if a U.S. Congressman or Senator introduced a “Car Owner Bill of Rights”?The data being gathered by vehicles is going to be an asset class at some point in the future. When it becomes an asset class, owners of the vehicle will demand to get paid the same way publishers are demanding to be paid today when their content is used to train large-language models (LLMs). Data is the asset that unlocks future business models. One of the most significant business models that will emerge from the development of autonomous driving is licensing. If FSD use rates pick up and Tesla does indeed license FSD, RBC is projecting that Tesla will generate $35 billion in FSD revenue and $18 billion in licensing a year by 2035 for a total of $53 billion a year in revenue.Then there is Qualcomm. In Q1 FY 2024, Qualcomm reported automotive revenue of $598 million up from $456 million in Q1 FY 2023. An increase of $142 million, year-over-year. Sales were partly driven by the Snapdragon Digital Chassis Solution. Their year-over-year automotive revenue is growing faster than both NVIDIA and Mobileye. With a $30 billion dollar design pipeline and focus on ADAS, Qualcomm is well positioned to enter the autonomous driving market in a big way.Qualcomm has become already the quiet giant of the automotive industry. – Pete BigelowWrapping up the conversation, Pete shares his insights into how he sees autonomous driving market evolving over the next five years.Recorded on Friday, March 8, 2024 Episode Chapters0:10 Tesla FSD5:15 Mobileye19:51 Licensing Autonomous Driving Software 29:10 Qualcomm34:48 Evolving Autonomous Driving Market--------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.