The Road to Autonomy

Annant Patel, Director, Koch Disruptive Technologies, and Gautam Narang, CEO & Co-Founder, Gatik joined Grayson Brulte on The Road To Autonomy Podcast to discuss investing in growth.The conversation begins with Gautam discussing why he decided to run Gatik as a business from day one and why the team focused on the middle mile.When we started Gatik we decided to focus on an opportunity that was being overlooked by almost every AV developer, which was automating on-road goods transportation. – Gautam NarangAs Gatik has scaled and grown as a business, Grayson asks Annant what first attracted Koch Disruptive Technologies to Gatik.We saw the tech is disruptive, going back to the investment philosophy, it was disruptive to Koch, it was disruptive to the supply chain and it’s good for society. – Annant PatelShifting the conversation to economics, Gautam explains how Gatik has been able to achieve profitability at the vehicle level.Our operations are highly efficient. We operate our trucks over 20 hours daily, 7 days a week. – Gautam NarangWith a highly efficient operation, Gatik has begun to pass on savings to customers. In the history of Gatik, the company has not lost a single customer or partner. As Gatik prepares to turn five years old next year, the company is accelerating growth through partnerships with Walmart, Loblaw, Goodyear, Ryder, and Koch Industries.Koch Disruptive Technologies is helping Gatik accelerate growth.The alignment between KDT and Gatik was there since the very first meeting. – Gautam NarangOne of the advantages of a Koch partnership is Koch Labs that strategically accelerates growth for portfolio partners. Annant explains how Gatik is leveraging the Koch Labs opportunity.Koch is investing for long-term growth.We invest 90% of earnings back into Koch. That translates to about to $133 billion invested in growth and improvements since 2003. $30 billion was spent on technology investments and acquisitions in the last six years alone. – Annant PatelWith a long-term growth mindset, Grayson asks Annant what Koch’s vision is for autonomy.The future is now. Gatik is pulling the future forward as we think about it. If you are not experimenting with automation and supply chain transformation, the way I say it is that we are already many years behind. – Annant PatelWith the supply chain disruptions actively affecting the economy and autonomous trucking and delivery vehicles offering a solution, Gautam shares his thoughts on the commercialization of autonomy and Gatik’s partnership with Walmart.Gatik is laser-focused on the middle mile. Gautam explains why:All of this started with the customer pain-point and the customer need. – Gautam NarangThe team at Gatik clearly saw the emerging trend of same-day delivery which would require new smaller distribution centers located closer to consumers.Wrapping up the conversation, Annant and Gautam discuss the current state of the global supply chain.Recorded on Thursday, October 21, 2021--------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.

Greg Rogers, Public Policy Manager, Nuro joined Grayson Brulte on The Road To Autonomy Podcast to discuss the future of local commerce.The conversation begins with Greg discussing Nuro’s plan for the new manufacturing facility and test track in Las Vegas, Nevada. The facility will employ 250 individuals and generate as much as $2.2 billion in economic benefits for Nevada in the first 10 years.This is the first such factory in America which will have the capacity to manufacture tens of thousands of autonomous delivery vehicles. – Greg RogersWith the factory being built to manufacture and scale the autonomous delivery robots, Grayson asks Greg what has to be done from a policy perspective to ensure that the company can scale. As Nuro looks at policy, the company was one of the founders of the SAVE Coalition with Zoox and Local Motors.Often new technologies that are transformational do not look like anything that came before it. – Greg RogersAs autonomous vehicle technology and electric vehicle battery technology merge, an opportunity arises to completely rethink the design of vehicles. This is exactly what Nuro is doing with the R2. The R2 was designed from the ground up for delivery.In Houston, Texas, Nuro’s R2 is actively autonomously delivering pizzas through a partnership with Dominos. The R2 is bringing smiles and joy to the residents of Houston as the robot becomes part of the community.R2 is designed to be a friendly introduction to autonomous vehicles. – Greg RogersBesides pizzas, FedEx packages are being delivered in Houston with the R2. It is important to note that Nuro’s partnership with FedEx is a multi-year, multi-phase agreement that is revenue-generating for Nuro.Since the structure of this partnership is uncommon in the autonomous vehicle industry as it is not a pilot, Grayson asks Greg how Nuro was able to secure this deal.We have a goods-only focus. That is a benefit. We are laser-focused on delivery. The companies that we are partnering with are laser-focused on delivery as part of their business model.Since delivery is our business as it is with our partners, we do not look at delivery as an alternative go-to-market plan. We do not look it at something that we dabble in. Our partners know that our interest unequivocally aligns with theirs. – Greg RogersShifting the conversation to a personal level, Greg discusses growing up in the Central Valley of California and the impact it had on him.It’s ground zero for food insecurity. The breadbasket of the world is actually where a lot of people struggle with hunger. – Greg RogersWanting to pursue a career in politics, Greg moved to Washington, D.C. After quitting his job as a political consultant, Greg started driving for Lyft and Uber full-time and blogged about his experience. During these rides, Greg noticed a trend of individuals ordering rides to grocery stores. With the autonomous delivery of groceries, individuals will save money and time, all the while having a positive impact on society.Wrapping up the conversation, Greg shares his thoughts on the future of mobility.More mobility is a good thing. – Greg RogersRecorded on Tuesday, October 19, 2021--------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.

Ernest Huffman, Aviation Planning and Education Program Manager, North Central Texas Council of Governments joined Grayson Brulte on The Road To Autonomy Podcast to discuss why North Texas is the home of aviation innovation.The conversation begins with Ernest sharing a story about how a high school teacher changed his life and put him on the course of becoming a pilot, which lead to a career in aviation.Looking at [the aviation industry] from a holistic, macro perspective and my early background in doing some economist work, I think of aviation as a competitive industry, a means for folks to get out of their current situations in urban communities. – Ernest HuffmanPutting his words into action, Ernest worked with Tuskegee NEXT to inspire at-risk youth to explore career opportunities in the aviation industry.I had my pilot’s license before I had my driver’s license. – Ernest HuffmanShifting the conversation to North Texas, Grayson asks Ernest about the North Central Texas Council of Governments NASA partnership to study the potential of drone technology and integrate it into future transportation plans.The North Texas region is emerging as the home of aviation innovation due to the economic strength and the business climate in the region.We like the growth. We are going to keep attracting these great businesses here. – Ernest HuffmanIn February, a Bell autonomous drone successfully delivered a package at Hillwood’s AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone out of the line of sight which requires significant regulatory approval.It is a monumental achievement. To do it in the current regulatory environment that we have for those types of flights is an achievement. – Ernest HuffmanLooking to the future, there are plans for a more significant flight to take place in 2023. Taking it one step further, Grayson asks Ernest if there are plans to connect the DFW airport to the Dallas Cowboys football stadium with an eVTOL service. This type of experience would enhance the fan experience on GameDay for fans who fly into Dallas for the game.That is definitely a use case that we are exploring heavily. – Ernest HuffmanTo enable this future, there has to be a public trust. The public has to trust that the eVTOL aircraft will get them there on time and safely. NCTOG is working on this issue through their Unmanned Aircraft Systems Safety and Integration Initiative.Wrapping up the conversation, Ernest shares his vision of how advanced air mobility will be rolled out in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.Recorded on Tuesday, October 12, 2021--------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.

Don Burnette, Co-Founder & CEO of Kodiak Robotics joined Grayson Brulte on The Road To Autonomy Podcast to discuss why trucking is the right problem to solve.The conversation begins with Don discussing the early days of the Google Self-Driving Project.The early days were really an exciting time for those of us who were aware of the self-driving industry, which was very few folks at the time. – Don BurnetteIt was during this time that Don began to understand the business use case challenges that would soon come to face the self-driving car industry. During these early days, the team on the Google Self-Driving Car Project also thought about trucking, but it was dismissed.It was dismissed fairly early on, not because of technical reasons, just because at the time we all envisioned this as a very sexy technology. The leadership at Google was really focused on personal mobility. They wanted people to be able to touch and interact with the technology in a very direct way. So robo-taxis was the obvious direction for us to try and head. – Don BurnetteLooking at the trucking industry and what is happening today with the driver shortage, the growth of e-commerce, and the shortages in the global supply chain, it becomes very obvious that trucking is the right problem to solve.You have this gap that can actually can be solved, I think fairly uniquely with autonomy. – Don BurnetteIn the autonomous vehicle industry, we are beginning to see “The Great Pivot To Trucking” as the economics of autonomous trucking are far greater than those of the current robo-taxi models.It is the combination of the technical challenge combined with the commercial viability that I think is pushing other programs toward trucking. – Don BurnetteIt’s not only the economics of trucking that is appealing, it’s the fact the industry as a whole is welcoming autonomous trucking. The technology is not disrupting the market, it is helping to shore up industry and the United States economy.You are seeing that market really embrace it in a way that is unprecedented up until today. – Don BurnetteWall Street is beginning to pick up on the financial upside of autonomous trucking as several companies have gone public this year.Wall Street along with most of the AV industry has finally realized that the strong business case for autonomous trucks has been defined. – Don BurnetteRecently several analysts went on a tour to meet with autonomous trucking companies and came away impressed with the current state of technology. As Wall Street takes notice and Kodiak’s competitors have gone public, Grayson asks Don why Kodiak has not gone public. Don shares his honest insight into why Kodiak has opted to stay private.Shifting the conversation to Kodiak’s Generation 4 Autonomous Truck, Grayson asks Don about the company’s mirror pods innovation. Mirror pods were designed to be repaired or replaced in the field by non-skilled technicians with just four bolts.As Kodiak prepares to build out its business, Don shares Kodiak’s business model and the role that Kodiak Express and the Kodiak Driver will play in scaling the business.Once the safety case is proven out, we are also going to offer technology as a subscription. This is where customers can run the Kodiak Driver technology on the trucks that they own specifically. – Don BurnetteWrapping up the conversation, Grayson asks Don if he views Kodiak as more of a trucking company or a technology company.Recorded on Tuesday, October 5, 2021--------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.

Prashanthi Raman, Senior Director, Global Government Affairs, Cruise joined Grayson Brulte on The Road To Autonomy Podcast to discuss deploying sustainable autonomous vehicles.The conversation begins with Prashanthi discussing why she wants to make the world a better place and what she learned from her mother.To [my mother] honor, reputation, people being able to trust you is something that you need to hold sacred. That is something that I really carry with me. – Prashanthi RamanWith a background steeped in health care, Grayson asks Prashanthi when she thinks health care services will be available in autonomous vehicles. When health care services become available in autonomous vehicles, lives will be able to be saved. For example, when a rider experiences a cardiac event in the vehicle, the vehicle will be able to be rerouted to a hospital with the doctors on duty being notified instantly about the incoming patient.While this is the future, Cruise is currently focused on impact. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cruise delivered 1.6 million meals and groceries to families and individuals in San Francisco.Operating in San Francisco, the conversation naturally shifts to policy and what it takes to deploy an autonomous vehicle in the City of San Fransico. Prior to joining Cruise, Prashanthi was the Head of State and Local Government Relations at Lyft where she learned the importance of educating consumers and elected officials on new and emerging mobility technologies.Autonomous vehicles will have a profound positive impact on society when they are deployed in meaningful numbers.Cruise’s desire is to launch into ride-sharing in a fleet-managed approach that is more accessible and affordable to more people. We want to do so in a more sustainable way than any other AV company. – Prashanthi RamanWhen Cruise deploys in a city, they want to be part of the local community. Being based in San Fransico and the 2021 baseball playoffs underway, Grayson asks Prashanthi when the SF Giants win their next World Series title, will the parade feature Cruise vehicles? While it’s always a possibility, Giants legend Willie Mays has been for a ride so you never know what the future might hold.What we do know that the future holds is sustainable autonomous vehicles. Sustainability is something that is core to the Cruise mission and near and dear to the team’s heart.We actually think that real innovation is zero-emission. – Prashanthi RamanWrapping up the conversation, Grayson, and Prashanthi discuss Cruise’s holistic approach to sustainability.Recorded on Tuesday, September 28, 2021--------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.

Abhijit Ganguly, Managing Director, Goodyear Ventures joined Grayson Brulte on The Road To Autonomy Podcast to discuss Goodyear’s continuous commitment to innovation.The conversation begins with Abhijit discussing Goodyear’s continuous commitment to innovation since 1898.We have a rich history and proven track record of innovating in the mobility space. – Abhijit GangulyAt CES 2020, Goodyear announced the Goodyear Ventures fund.We announced the fund at CES with the goal of letting everyone know that we were ready to build these strategic relationships with startups. – Abhijit GangulyA little over a year has passed since the fund was launched. With a successful exit already under the fund’s belt with the IPO of TuSimple, Grayson asks Abhijit what his thoughts are on the current state of autonomy. With the global truck driver shortage and the rapid expansion of e-commerce, a perfect storm is created for the development and deployment of autonomous trucks.The Port of LA which handles 40% of the nation’s imports is currently experiencing a backlog that is having a profound negative impact on the supply chain. Autonomous trucks can help to shore up the supply chain and deliver goods in an efficient manner. Goodyear Ventures is currently looking at investment opportunities around autonomous delivery and the supply chain.We are actively looking to support the acceleration of these trends and support them from our products and services building capabilities for new companies. – Abhijit GangulyShifting the conversation to tires and the impact that tires have on delivery, Grayson, and Abhijit discuss Goodyear’s SightLine, a suite of tire intelligence solutions. Since tires are the only thing on a vehicle that makes contact with the road, tires have the unique ability to gather real-time intelligent data on the driving conditions.We have the ability now to start telling the vehicle what the tire is feeling from the road. That knowledge allows the vehicle to drive safer and in a more efficient way. – Abhijit GangulyElectric vehicles will have a different set of requirements for tires, partly due to the weight of the vehicle and the sudden acceleration of the vehicles. With a growing EV market, Goodyear is actively supporting the trend of electrification by investing in tire technology.As EVs will need to charge, Goodyear Ventures invested in AmpUp to learn about charging. Today there a several charging companies in the market and no standard on payment. A software layer that allows for a seamless payment experience no matter which charging service that a consumer is using will be one of the keys to the mass adoption of electric vehicles.Looking to the future of mobility, Grayson asks Abhijit to share his vision of the future of mobilityI do feel like mobility can be much safer than it is today. It can be much more efficient than it is today. I hope it can be more fun than what it is today. – Abhijit GangulyWrapping up the conversation, Grayson, and Abhijit discuss the role that private capital plays in the advancement of autonomous mobility.Recorded on Tuesday, September 21, 2021--------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.

Cameron Gieda, Director of Business Development, Spartan Radar joined Grayson Brulte on The Road To Autonomy Podcast to discuss why 4D radar is a brave new world.The conversation begins with Grayson and Cameron talking about surfing, sharks, and the impact Jaws had on society. The movie and the music make you think twice before getting in the water now.Learning to kinda overcome those primal fears and other fears that were generated by media is a challenge, but it is quite cathartic when you can finally relax in that situation understanding the odds. – Cameron GiedaComparing and contrasting surfing with mobility, Grayson and Cameron discuss the unique similarities between riding a wave and find a parking spot at the beach. Shifting the conversation to autonomy and when Cameron worked at AutonomouStuff, his office was stop #1 for most mobility start-ups in Silicon Valley. He shares his thoughts on the current state of autonomy.Covid helped drive far greater adoption of autonomy in the logistical space. – Cameron GiedaStaying on the theme of logistics and autonomy, Grayson and Cameron discuss the global supply chain and how autonomous trucking can help shore up the global supply chain. The Port Of LA is currently experiencing a massive shortage of trucks and workers which is forcing ships to idle out at sea for days until there is the capacity to unload the cargo.During a recent weekend at the beach, Cameron counted over 70 ships waiting to go into the Port of LA.It’s the very beginning of our economic funnel. – Cameron GiedaThere is a glaring need for U.S. Ports to embrace autonomous trucking as this technology will have a positive impact on the U.S. economy. To get here, though we need political leadership, however that this something that is lacking at the moment.Shifting the conversation to radar, Cameron explains why we joined Spartan Radar and what he saw in the company’s technology.The main reason I came to talk to Spartan was really because they look at it very differently. They take a very holistic systems engineering approach to the design. – Cameron GiedaSpartan radar can run on low-power ARM chips which is a competitive advantage for the company. The trend towards low-power will continue to accelerate as society begins to shift towards electric vehicles. After consumers shift to electric vehicles, they will shift to autonomous vehicles.Radar will not only play an important role in the driving aspect of autonomy but also the health and wellness of passengers and drivers of SAE Level 2 and 3 vehicles.You can use radar to monitor the heart rate of a driver. It can see through your chest and basically listen to your heart. – Cameron GiedaBeing able to detect a heart rate will save lives. Grayson and Cameron go on to discuss all of the health and wellness benefits that radar will be able to deliver in-vehicle.Wrapping up the conversation, Grayson, and Cameron discuss what’s next for Spartan Radar.Recorded on Tuesday, September 9, 2021--------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.

Mike Stankard, Managing Director, Automotive Practice, Aon joined Grayson Brulte on The Road To Autonomy Podcast to discuss insuring autonomous vehicles.The conversation begins with Mike sharing his thoughts on the current state of the insurance market for autonomous vehicles.Overall, it’s pretty healthy. – Mike StankardThe right insurance policy for autonomous vehicle companies is absolutely critical. As AV companies move from testing and development to commercialization their insurance needs will change as the risk will change when paying passengers are involved.The risk profile of that vehicle raises dramatically when you move to that next step. – Mike StankardWhen AV companies are ready to take the next step and commercialize their service, the insurance markets are comfortable with insuring the risk as the technology has matured. The insurance markets are comfortable with insuring delivery, trucking, and passenger autonomous vehicle companies.The insurance for autonomous vehicle companies also carries over to directors and officers liability insurance when AV companies decide to go public.When a private company goes public, the risks that the directors, officers, investors, and other stakeholders are exposed to are substantially increased when you are going to be making a public offering. – Mike StankardIf the board of an AV company decides not to go public but instead accepts an offer to be acquired by another company, a new insurance program is developed to manage those risks. Managing risks throughout the lifecycle of an AV company is extremely important as it will ensure that the company is not blindsided by a risk that could be insured.For AV companies that are younger and are in the process of raising their Series B round, it is important to start a risk management program as the risk profile of the company will change.One of the biggest risks in a rapidly growing company is attracting and retaining top talent. – Mike StankardThe insurance policies that are written for autonomous vehicle companies are bespoke and unique to a company’s operations and overall risk profile. Inside the insurance industry, there are several companies that have dedicated teams focused solely on autonomous vehicles.In the long run, all humans are going to have interaction with autonomous vehicles. – Mike StankardHaving dedicated teams focused on AVs allows the insurance companies to better understand the risk and how to price it. The trend of dedicated teams specializing in this technology will only increase as the technology matures and AV companies increase the size of their deployments.Wrapping up the conversation, Mike and Grayson discuss the future of the insurance business as it directly relates to autonomous vehicles.Recorded on Tuesday, September 7, 2021--------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.

Ian Kinne, Director, Logistics Innovation, Hillwood joined Grayson Brulte on The Road To Autonomy Podcast to discuss AllianceTexas and the Mobility Innovation Zone.The conversation begins with Ian describing the vision behind Hillwood’s AllianceTexas development, a 27,000-acre development that has generated $92 billion in economic impact and created over 63,000 jobs in just 30 years.Our platform grew from being a land development company to an industrial development company to a mixed-use development company which is now Alliance. – Ian KinneWith Texas seeing unprecedented growth of companies either expanding or relocating their headquarters, there is still room to grow at Alliance as the development is only about 50% built-out. Alliance was built around innovation as Hillwood made the decision early on to embrace fiber connectivity due to the leadership of the Perot family.The Perot family is incredibly forward-thinking. – Ian KinneWith Amazon operating a regional air hub, FedEx operating a regional sort hub, UPS operating a ground hub, and BNSF operating an intermodal hub at Alliance, Ian has incredible insight into the global supply chain. With this insight, Grayson asks Ian what he is seeing in the supply chain.The past 18 months really exposed some challenges in the global supply chain. – Ian KinneWhile the global supply chain faces challenges today, there is another challenge on the horizon — the truck driver shortage. This is where autonomous trucking comes into play as the technology will help to shore up the global supply chain. TuSimple recently opened their 2nd Texas autonomous trucking depot which will be part of their Autonomous Freight Network (AFN) at Alliance.With the autonomous trucking industry actively expanding to the Dallas / Fort Worth region, Grayson asks Ian why Hillwood decided to embrace autonomous trucking early on.We saw long-haul trucking leading the adoption of autonomy. – Ian KinneAutonomous trucking will complement the rail industry as the consumer demand for goods continues to rise. Ian and Grayson go on to discuss how these two industries will work together and why Alliance is well-positioned to embrace this soon-to-be emerging trend from an infrastructure standpoint.Wrapping up the conversation, Ian and Grayson discuss the Mobility Innovation Zone and how Alliance is planning for the next 30 years.Recorded on Tuesday, August 31, 2021--------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.

Bert Kaufman, Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, Zoox joined Grayson Brulte on The Road To Autonomy Podcast to discuss big dreams, big ideas, and the role that policy plays in the future of autonomous vehicles.The conversation begins with Bert discussing his experience serving as a Senior Advisor in Secretary Penny Pritzker’s Office of Business Liaison inside of the Department of Commerce during the Obama Administration.Public service is really important. If people have the opportunity in their careers or lives to serve the public in shape or form, take it seriously, think about it, consider it. It can be incredibly rewarding. – Bert KaufmanBert served for a little over two-and-half years during the second term of the Obama Administration in the Department of Commerce. During his tenure in Government, he helped launch the Presidential Ambassadors Global Entrepreneurship program that exported innovation from Silicon Valley to the rest of the United States and the World.It was during his time in Government that Bert took his first ride in a self-driving car when Google invited him to take a ride in one of their self-driving Lexus’ on a highway outside of Washington, D.C. in 2014. The ride in the self-driving Lexus would change Bert’s life and become a defining moment for him.It was one of those moments where you are like, yeah, everything is going to change with this technology. – Bert KaufmanIn 2016, Bert left the Administration and moved out to Silicon Valley with the hope and dream of joining something early on that would solve bring problems for the world.I am a problem solver. I am really really driven by helping to solve big problems for society. – Bert KaufmanIt was the big idea that is the Zoox vision and the idea that this vision could increase safety and have a positive impact on society is what ultimately attracted Bert to the company. The Zoox vision of developing technology for the right reasons is as strong today as it was when Bert first joined in 2016.It’s not developing technology for technology’s sake. What is the reason why the technology is being developed? Who is it for? At Zoox the vision is for it is for everyone. It’s for the world. – Bert KaufmanAs Zoox prepares to deploy their beautifully designed purpose-built vehicles in cities around the world, policy moves to front and center in the conversation as currently there is no national autonomous vehicle framework in the United States.With no national autonomous vehicle framework, the regulation of the industry is falling to the State and local level. Each State seemingly has a different policy and certain cities/counties are trying to enact their own policies to the detriment of their local constitutes. Still, the industry is progressing forward as autonomous technology will save lives and reduce crashes around the world, all the while having a positive impact on society.One of the key differentiators of Zoox is the rider experience. The rider experience is prominently featured in Khalid’s New Normal music video. With the music industry embracing autonomous vehicles, Grayson and Bert discuss hip-hop culture and what the autonomous vehicle industry can learn from artists.Wrapping up the conversation, Bert and Grayson discuss why electrification was core to the Zoox idea from day one and when Zoox will begin to commercialize their service.Recorded on Thursday, August 12, 2021--------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.