The Road to Autonomy

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo's expansion to Miami, Uber and Lyft's future in the era of autonomy and Tesla's releases of FSD 13.Waymo is expanding to Miami in 2025 without one of their partners—Uber. Instead, Waymo chose Moove as their fleet management partner. Could this signal something more broad, as Moove is also taking over the fleet management operations for Waymo in Phoenix?Tesla released Full Self-Driving (FSD) 13.2 this week and it appears to have lived up with the hype with Alphabet CEO, Sundar Pichai acknowledging that he currently views Waymo and Tesla as the two leaders in the development and commercialization of autonomous vehicles.Episode Chapters0:00 Football0:38 Waymo Expands to Miami + Impact on Uber Partnership10:43 Uber and Lyft in the Era of Autonomy16:31 Fleet Management for Autonomous Vehicles26:17 Tesla FSD 1333:13 Waymo vs Tesla / WholeMarsBlog Ride Comparison36:59 Scaling the Tesla Cybercab40:25 Tesla Delaware Judge Ruling42:30 May Mobility Expands in Japan45:49 Next WeekRecorded on Thursday, December 5, 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™.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/Order your very own Make Autonomy Great Hat here: https://store.roadtoautonomy.com/products/make-autonomy-great-hatSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tim Bucher, Co-Founder & CEO, Agtonomy joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how autonomy, AI and robotics can solve the global food crisis. There is a global food shortage that is only projected to grow because of labor concerns. In 2023, over 281.6 million people in 59 countries faced high levels of acute food insecurity. Autonomy, AI and robotics can solve this by ensuring that farmers can continue to farm amidst the backdrop of a severe labor shortages, rising wages and the declining interest of younger generations in farming.Agtonomy is addressing these critical challenges in agriculture by scaling autonomy on farms in a cost efficient manner to farmers globally. Recorded on Tuesday, November 19, 2024Episode Chapters0:00 Agtonomy’s Approach to Autonomy on Farms3:36 Tractors4:36 Productivity Increases from Autonomy on Farms 10:16 Attracting Farm Talent 15:37 Deploying Autonomy on Farms19:50 Precision Ag 21:57 Deploying Agtonomy on Farms25:27 Computer Vision and Sensors29:35 The Opportunity to Deploy Autonomy on Farms34:33 Agtonomy’s Approach to the Market41:16 New Verticals for Agtonomy44:51 Future of Automation on Farms--------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.

Elon Musk, the visionary CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, dives into Tesla's groundbreaking fleet API, hinting at a future Cybercab service with third-party operators. He discusses how Tesla is strategically positioning Cybercabs at high-profile locations for brand visibility. The conversation shifts to Pony AI's recent IPO, raising $260 million despite its low revenue, and its potential geopolitical implications. Musk also touches on the challenges of EV regulations and the evolving landscape of the autonomy market, emphasizing the importance of transparency and innovation.

Daniel Goff, Director of External Affairs, Kodiak joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss what the autonomous trucking industry needs from Washington, D.C. in order to scale commercial operations. Autonomous trucking regulations are often misunderstood. Contrary to popular belief, the legal and policy frameworks for deploying autonomous trucks on U.S. roadways are more advanced than many assume. The necessary regulatory elements are already in place, allowing for immediate deployment and scaling of autonomous trucks. While the necessary regulatory elements are already in place, what does the autonomous trucking industry need from Washington, D.C. to have regularity certainty? Tune in to find out. Episode Chapters0:00 Current State of Autonomous Trucking Regulations 3:58 Investor Thoughts on Autonomous Trucking Regulations 6:11 Public’s Perspective on Autonomous Trucks and Vehicles 10:17 Human Trafficking 13:02 Law Enforcement Interaction 20:22 Federal Autonomous Vehicle Framework30:59 National Security Issues 33:41 Tech and Labor Tensions 40:15 Autonomous Trucks in California 44:00 2025 OutlookRecorded on Monday, November 25, 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™.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.

A significant shift in autonomous vehicle policy appears imminent with President-elect Trump’s plans to implement a national autonomous vehicle framework. Key cabinet appointments, including Congressman Duffy for Transportation Secretary and Pam Bondi for Attorney General, signal strong support for autonomy. The incoming administration is strategically positioning pro-autonomy officials, with the America First Policy Institute playing a crucial role in policy implementation. Regulatory clarity could accelerate autonomous vehicle deployment across state lines and investment, though bureaucratic resistance within the Department of Transportation and NHTSA remains a concern.The market implications of these developments are already evident, with Altimeter Capital’s Brad Gerstner selling his entire Uber position due the growing competition Tesla and Waymo. Meanwhile, competition from has China intensified as Baidu completed 691,000 fully autonomous rides in Q3 2024, even though this still trails Waymo’s estimated 2 million autonomous rides in Q3. The emergence of Chinese autonomous vehicle companies including WeRide and Pony AI in public markets, along with Baidu’s announcement of a sub-$35,000 self-driving car, indicates the global race for autonomous vehicle leadership is accelerating as we prepare to enter 2025.Episode Chapters0:00 Investor Sentiment on Autonomous Vehicles4:51 Tesla, Uber, Lyft Catalysts14:28 Uber Autonomy Investments15:46 Toyota and Pony AI17:12 Jaguar's Rebrand Impact on Waymo19:28 Trump's Autonomous Vehicle Personal27:02 Autonomous Vehicles in China20:35 U.S. Policies37:37 Next WeekRecorded on Friday, November 22, 2024Order your very own Make Autonomy Great Hat today! https://store.roadtoautonomy.com/collections/make-autonomy-great--------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 the potential implications of Donald J. Trump’s second term as U.S. President on the advancement and commercialization of autonomous vehicles. With significant deregulation anticipated in Trump’s second term, there is optimism about the “golden age” of autonomy that could be ushered in with a national framework for autonomous vehicles that addresses liability concerns and regulatory patchworks.Episode Chapters0:00 EVTOLs3:35 Autonomy Under Trump7:34 Waymo15:43 Zoox20:49 Autonomous Vehicle Industry24:59 Trump Autonomous Vehicle Policy29:18 Electrification40:35 Key TakeawaysRecorded on Tuesday, November 12, 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™.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.

In this episode of Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss the Waymo’s public launch in LA, Zoox’s debut in San Francisco and the emergence of Bot Auto. This week Waymo removed the waitlist and opened the service to the public in Los Angeles in an 80 square mile area. Even though the public can now ride in the vehicles, there are extended wait times (up to 40 minutes) and the inability to use freeways, increasing the average ride time. Without freeways, the Waymo service is limited in major markets such as LA and San Francisco because of the increased travel time. While Waymo is working on highway driving, the service is not available to members of the public, yet.In autonomous trucking, we are on the precipice of the emergence of the “big three”: Aurora, Kodiak, and Bot Auto. Each company has distinct advantages—Aurora’s partnership with Uber Freight, Kodiak’s diversified business model and capital efficiency, and Bot Auto’s plan to operate their own trucking service. Episode Chapters0:00 Waymo’s Los Angeles Public Launch 4:10 Autonomous Vehicles on Freeways 9:54 Zoox Hits The Road in San Francisco18:27 Bot Auto21:12 Autonomous Trucking Market25:48 Highway Driving 28:16 Instacart 31:47 Off-Road Autonomy Market 33:38 Next WeekRecorded on November 13, 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™.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.

Bibhrajit Halder, Founder & CEO, Safe AI joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the growth of autonomous mining and construction. The surging demand for autonomous equipment in mining and construction is being driven partly by severe labor shortages and potential productivity gains in the range of 20-25%.Episode Chapters0:00 Current State of Autonomous Construction and Mining Markets 5:04 Connectivity 8:40 End-to-end Models13:52 LiDAR Debate21:05 Retrofitting Trucks for Autonomy28:59 Redundancy30:20 Safe AI Use Cases 32:35 Electrification35:23 Future of Autonomous Construction and MiningRecorded on Friday, November 1, 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™.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.

The political landscape is evolving, with Trump potentially reshaping the future of autonomous vehicles. Expect a national framework that could challenge California's strict regulations. Toyota is strategizing to regain its market position through partnerships like May Mobility. Las Vegas showcases the challenges of deploying self-driving cars, highlighting a successful 100,000 paid rides by Motional. Additionally, the impact of union dynamics on the adoption of autonomy brings intense discussion, especially with Elon Musk's shifting political stance.

Sergey Litvinenko, Co-Founder & CEO, Koop joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss insuring personally owned autonomous vehicles beginning with the Tesla Cybercab. Insuring autonomous vehicles without steering wheels and pedals presents unprecedented challenges that could potentially halt widespread adoption if the insurance is not figured out. While there currently isn’t an insurance product for personally owned fully autonomous vehicles, perhaps Tesla Insurance may have been created specifically to address this challenge? A critical aspect of insuring personally owned autonomous vehicles will be the handling of post-accident repairs and liability. OEM-backed insurance, particularly Tesla Insurance, is best positioned to handle these challenges due to their direct access to vehicle data, repair capabilities, and understanding of their unique vehicle designs. While there may be initial concerns about litigation and fraudulent claims, the comprehensive data collection from autonomous vehicles will help combat false claims. The future of personally owned autonomous vehicle insurance is likely to see rates decrease over time as safety performance improves.Episode Chapters0:00 Insuring CyberCab4:23 Insuring Personally Owned Autonomous Vehicles 7:13 Liability for Personally Owned Autonomous Vehicles with No Manual Controls9:01 Repairing Personally Owned Autonomous Vehicles 13:23 In The Event of a Crash, Who is Responsible? 23:36 Rider Liability Insurance 26:54 Underwriting Risk36:43 First Personally Owned Autonomous Vehicle Policies 38:27 Key TakeawaysRecorded on Tuesday, October 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™.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.