The Road to Autonomy

Peter Vaughan Schmidt, CEO, Torc joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how Torc is preparing to launch commercial operations in Texas.Torc’s strategic relocation from Albuquerque to Fort Worth, Texas was a move that aligned with changing market dynamics. The regulatory environment combined with a growing demand for freight movement, makes Texas the ideal market to launch s commercial autonomous trucking operations.Looking ahead to 2027, Torc plans to launch commercial autonomous trucking operations in Texas. When the service is launched, customers will purchase autonomous-ready Cascadias from Freightliner, own the asset and subscribe to Torc’s virtual driver service.Recorded on Tuesday, January 14, 2025Episode Chapters0:00 Torc Moves from Albuquerque to Texas4:37 Autonomous-Ready Cascadias8:57 Preparing for Driver-Out Operations11:01 Torc’s Perception System12:22 From a Robotics Stack to an AI Stack15:26 Autonomous Truck Policy17:08 AI’s Is Accelerating Torc’s Commercial Launch20:32 Scaling Commercial Operations22:39 Buying an Autonomous Truck Powered by Torc24:24 Torc Business Model30:07 Autonomous Truck Maintenance34:09 Capital Allocation Strategy37:21 Outside Capital39:44 Additional OEMs41:05 Waymo43:29 Autonomous Trucking Market45:17 Torc Outlook--------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.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk headed to Washington, D.C. where they attended an event held by The Council for Economic Resilience that focused on the future of autonomous vehicle and truck policy. With President Trump being sworn into office next week, there is an opportunity to usher in the golden age of autonomy. To usher in the golden age of autonomy, there has to be a national autonomous vehicle framework that includes trucks weighing over 10,001 pounds. Grayson and Walt discuss what it might take for that to become a reality and the role that China could potentially play in accelerating that effort. Episode Chapters0:00 The Council for Economic Resilience DC Event2:05 Congressman Duffy’s Transportation Secretary Confirmation Hearing 4:04 Optimism in DC 9:09 Rising Insurance Costs11:01 The NYC Unlock for Autonomous Vehicles 14:27 Autonomy Politics 22:10 TikTok / Trump Inauguration25:16 Chinese Autonomous Vehicles in the U.S. 30:03 Zeekr: Waymo’s Unforced Error33:41 Does Waymo Need more OEM partners?35:49 Pony AI39:01 Next WeekRecorded on Saturday, January 19, 2025--------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.

David Welch, Detroit Bureau Chief, Bloomberg joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how Waymo won the robotaxi race as Detroit walked away two times.There are major shifts happening in the autonomous vehicle industry as Waymo scales up operations and Tesla prepares to introduce the Cybercab. At CES last week, Jensen Huang, Co-founder & CEO of NVIDIA highlighted autonomous vehicles multi-trillion dollar potential.As Waymo and Tesla have accelerated, traditional automakers have largely abandoned their in-house autonomous vehicle development programs. Ford shutdown Argo AI and GM shutdown Cruise, potentially opening the door for companies such as Wayve and Nuro that are pursuing a licensing model. Then there is May Mobility which is emerging as an interesting player in the autonomous vehicle industry, with strong relationships Toyota and NTT, along a planned expansion with Lyft in Atlanta. By the end of 2025, the robotaxi market could look completely different.Recorded on Tuesday, January 7, 2025Episode Chapters0:00 2025 Autonomy Market Outlook2:53 Did GM Pull the Plug on Cruise Too Soon?9:23 Zoox IPO?10:52 Could Amazon Integrate Zoox into Prime?12:03 Waymo 2025 Outlook14:21 Does Uber Need a Fragmented Market to Win in Robotaxis?15:27 Rename Robotaxis, America Taxis17:30 Waymo in NYC?20:40 Will a National Autonomous Vehicle Framework Spur Investments?23:31 May Mobility28:55 Tesla Robotaxi33:30 Vision Only35:24 AI37:12 Detroit’s Autonomy Strategy--------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.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss how the momentum has shifted in the autonomous vehicle and truck industries after NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang declared it will become the first multi-trillion dollar robotics industry at CES 2025. While the momentum shift has been significant, legacy OEMs are facing headwinds and long-term challenges as Ford shutdown Argo AI, GM shutdown Cruise and VW continues to struggle with software. Then there is Uber and their robotaxi headwinds. Does Uber have to become the “everything app” to survive? There are a lot of questions to be answered as the autonomy markets enter 2025 including business models, regulation, and public acceptance.Episode Chapters0:00 CES 20254:39 Autonomous Trucking Policy7:21 Waymo Zeekr Robotaxi 11:50 What is the Meaning of Launching in a Market?13:28 Autonomous Vehicle Components 18:12 Legacy OEMs and Ubers Role in Autonomy26:32 Aurora’s Warning Triangle Petition 29:02 Viewer Question: Who Buys Uber and Lyft?33:04 Uber, the Everything App?34:49 CES 2025 Key Takeaways 37:50 CES 202640:07 Waymo as a Getaway Car42:03 Next WeekRecorded on Friday, January 10, 2025--------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.

Michael Morris, Director of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and Nick Konen, Director of Strategic Development, Hillwood joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how Texas is building the future of autonomous freight and supply chains. AllianceTexas Smart Port in North Texas represents a groundbreaking vision for the future of freight and logistics, combining advanced infrastructure with automation and autonomy. Located at one of America’s largest inland ports, the development features 60 million square feet of existing warehouse space, with another 60 million planned over the next 30 years. The project leverages unique assets including the Alliance Airport handling 2.1 billion pounds of cargo annually, BNSF’s intermodal facility moving a million containers yearly, and strategic placement along I-35. Through a $80 million federal grant and $96 million in private investment, the Smart Port is implementing dedicated truck lanes, advanced sensor networks, and infrastructure designed for autonomous trucks.Recorded on Thursday, December 19, 2024Episode Chapters0:00 AllianceTexas Smart Port3:11 Planning for Growth8:27 Texas Innovation15:40 Warehouse Automation18:58 Roadway Sensors24:04 Dedicated Autonomous Truck Lanes30:10 Automation Jobs34:31 Freight Tunnels36:57 Apprenticeships 41:12 Economic Impact of AllianceTexas Smart Port46:27 Future of Autonomy & Automation in North Texas--------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 the first episode of Autonomy Markets in 2025, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss the ever-evolving landscape of autonomous vehicles and the growth of big tech. Waymo’s technical advancements and steady expansion made the company the clear leader in robotaxis in 2024. While Waymo cemented their role as the leader in robotaxis, Tesla is nipping at their heels as the company prepares to introduce a robotaxi service with the Cybercab. As Waymo and Tesla advanced in 2024, investors fears in Uber’s robotaxi strategy only escalated.While investors fear Uber’s robotaxi prospects, investors cheered when GM shutdown Cruise. Was this the right move? Or this another example of traditional automakers being unable to innovate a create new tech forward products? All this and more on this week’s edition of Autonomy Markets. Episode Chapters0:00 2025 Autonomy Markets Outlook7:21 Share Buybacks 9:07 Traditional Automotive OEMs 15:07 Leaning into The Future17:45 Tesla Q4 2024 Deliveries 18:35 Tesla FSD (Full Self-Driving) Take Rates22:25 Tesla Cybertruck/Trump Hotel Attack25:21 Elon Musk’s Focus on Policy27:36 Beijing Gives Green Light to Autonomous Vehicles 30:46 Autonomy M&A34:11 MAG 735:56 Waymo37:32 Warning Triangles 42:19 CES 2025Recorded on Friday, January 3, 2025--------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.

David Liu, CEO & Co-Founder, Plus joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss Plus’ global vision for autonomous trucking.Plus is taking a global approach to autonomous trucking as a technology enabler rather than a fleet operator with three global OEM partnerships with Traton Group, Hyundai Commercial Vehicle, and IVECO. These partnerships are enabling Plus to focus solely on building a virtual driver, while the partners develop and build the physical truck. Currently Plus is testing their autonomous driving software in the United States, Sweden, and Japan as they prepare for commercial operations in 2027 with their OEM partners. Recorded on Wednesday, December 18, 2024Episode Chapters0:00 Founding of Plus2:55 Is 2025 The Year Autonomy Goes Mainstream?5:24 Plus / Traton Partnership 7:06 Plus / Hyundai Commercial Vehicle Partnership8:38 Partnership Development 12:09 Global Testing, Development and Operations14:54 Data Models17:06 Low Power / Small On-Board Hardware23:53 Vision Only27:28 Redundancy 29:53 Developing and Maintaining Trust 32:49 Plus Business Model36:17 Advancements in AI 41:09 Future of Plus--------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.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Tesla FSD 13, autonomous trucking’s regularity roadblocks and Waymo’s path to offering service at theSan Francisco International (SFO) Airport. Tesla’s FSD 13 is as a major technical leap forward. While we have been impressed with its more natural driving style and improved responsiveness to traffic flow, it’s not ready for deployment on the Cybercab. Later the conversation shifts to recent government actions affecting the autonomous vehicle industry, including the Biden administration’s denial of warning triangle exemptions for autonomous trucks and the introduction of AVSTEP, a new voluntary reporting framework from NHTSA. The podcast concludes with an analysis of Waymo’s potential expansion to San Francisco International Airport and broader implications for autonomous vehicle deployments. Episode Chapters0:00 Tesla FSD 1315:21 Cybercab / FSD Driver-Out Predictions 19:09 FMCSA Warning Triangle Exemptions 26:33 AV STEP33:20 DOGE35:24 Scaling Autonomous Vehicles in China38:35 Waymo is One Step Closer to SFO Deployment 41:24 Waymo on Highways and Future Airport Deployments 46:41 Light Mapping / No Mapping Approach to Autonomy47:26 2025 OutlookRecorded on Saturday December 28, 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.

Pete Bigelow, Senior Reporter, Automotive News joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss Detroit’s future in autonomy. When GM shutdown Cruise, did they end Detroit’s autonomous future?GM has a pattern of getting to the one-yard line and fumbling with innovations like the EV1, skateboard architecture and now Cruise. As the fundamental challenges facing legacy automakers only increase, is Detroit on the verge of becoming Foxconn City?GM’s decision making has direct parallels to IBM’s decline in tech innovation. Could GM be following the same path as IBM? Only time will tell, but serious questions remain about GM and Detroit’s ability to compete in an increasingly software-driven, autonomous automotive future.Recorded on Monday, December 16, 2024Episode Chapters0:00 Detroit’s Future in Autonomy5:22 Dan Ammann’s Cruise Strategy9:49 December 16, 202412:22 Autonomy Tailwinds14:20 User/Driver Experiences17:37 Does Detroit Become Foxconn City?19:58 Is GM Afraid of Change?29:22 Is GM the new IBM?35:30 Could Waymo License the Origin from GM?39:47 Economics of Autonomous Vehicle Rides41:57 LiDAR Market45:04 Human in the Loop--------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.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Apple’s potential return to the robotaxi market through Foxconn. If Foxconn is successful in acquiring Nissan, it would create a path for Apple to re-enter the autonomous vehicle sector. Rather than building their own autonomous driving system from the ground-up, Apple could partner with Wayve to power the autonomous system, while Foxconn could be the contract manufacturer to build the vehicle. This approach would mirror Apple’s historical approach of gradually developing in-house capabilities while initially relying on partners, as they did with iPhone modems and chips. Additionally this week, Waymo announced a road trip to Japan and Uber continues to develop their fleet strategy.Episode Chapters0:00 Waymo Heads to Japan2:39 Waymo’s Zeekr Dilemma 6:52 Masayoshi Son / Softbank8:21 Could Apple Return to Autonomous Vehicles with Foxconn?17:51 Uber’s Fleet Ambitions 23:36 Are Uber’s Robotaxi Fears Overblown?30:15 Pony AI’s Projected China Market Growth32:41 Autonomous Vehicle Policy36:36 Kodiak Deploys an Autonomous F-150 in the Snow38:22 Next WeekRecorded on Wednesday, December 18, 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.