Anything that Moves

Long-time Florida State Senator Jeffrey Brandes and current President of the Florida Policy Project joins the podcast. Jeff sheds light on the elegant simplicity at the center of today’s gas tax, why it is so essential to maintaining roads and other infrastructure, and how even a modest increase in EVs on the road is going to leave a dent. He makes the case that whatever follows the gas tax will have to contend with everything from fragmented tax collection and enforcement to data privacy concerns.

Diarmuid O'Connell, current board member of Volvo Cars and former VP of global business development at Tesla, shares a podcast’s worth of first-person Tesla lore. Hear his views on the company’s original raison d’etre, why it’s proven to be so uniquely polarizing, and why he doesn’t think its success is easily replicable today. Bonus: the scene – Christmas 2008: A startup in trouble, managers being forced to dip into their own pockets to make payroll…even if you know how this story ends, there’s nothing like hearing it from the source.

Nicole Nason, ex-US Federal Highway Administration, ex-NHTSA, and current VP of Federal Affairs at Boeing, joins the podcast. Tune in to hear how she got a ride in one of the first Tesla vehicles, why she challenges the notion that federal policy has lagged on mobility innovation, and get her hot take on electrifying the skies. Plus - a dire warning to mobility startups who sleep on hiring a government affairs team and the first and last Kardashian reference on Anything that Moves.

Is impact investor Assaf Harlap, owner and board member of importer and distributor Colmobil, worried about the new direct to consumer OEM business model? Tune in for his hot takes on the new Hyundai and on the staying power of dozens of new Chinese automakers in Western markets. Plus: why the automotive market in Israel is an interesting case study (but really!) and where a car dealer sees an existential threat to his business model (surprise: it's not ride-sharing.)

In a follow-up to a November 2020 episode with Zoomo, Jules Flynn, the company's Chief Operating Officer, reflects on how 2020 "hot take" has matured into 2022 fact: that e-bikes have become the most economically sensible vehicle for many modes of urban logistics. He explains why verticals such as food and grocery delivery have been early adopters to this trend, and what the world of urban logistics might look like once large parcel services adopt light electric vehicles en masse.

Adam Goldstein, longtime mobility executive and former CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises, discusses the link between electrification and energy independence, the state of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging, and the role of government in encouraging EV adoption. Listen for a discussion on electrification, and stay tuned for a bonus question on the secret life of cruise ships.

Loan My Descourvieres, StartUp & Technology Group Vice President at Valeo, breaks down the role of Tier 1 vehicle suppliers in the automotive supply chain and how they can foster technological innovation. She touches on new e-bike powertrains, how Valeo has survived the chip shortage, and why Tier 1 suppliers make ideal design partners for early-stage mobility startups.

Dr. Peter Mertens, an automotive industry veteran, breaks down the role of startups in the automotive ecosystem. Building on his 35 years of experience at Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, Tata Motors, Volvo Cars, and Audi, he touches on how Israeli innovation encourages the world’s largest automakers to adopt new technologies, and how new EV brands are increasingly competing with legacy OEMs and Tier 1s.

Itay Michaeli, Auto Equity Research Analyst at Citi, breaks down the changing vehicle ownership landscape. He discusses the shift towards new mobility business models in both urban & rural settings, the relationship between vehicle access & freedom of movement, and the impact of EV adoption & autonomous driving technologies on personal automobile usage patterns. 

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, General Partner at Future Africa and co-founder of Andela and Flutterwave, breaks down African innovation and the growth of the mobility-focused entrepreneurial sector in Nigeria. He discusses the policy mobility of trends in new vehicle financing and ownership models, fleet electrification, and urban growth.

Anil Paryani, CEO of Auto Motive Power (AMP), breaks down the critical EV charging infrastructure problems within President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. He discusses how to achieve the ideal balance between AC and DC charge points, incentivize users to purchase EVs, and optimize the charging experience.

IQ Sayed, CTO at Fenix, breaks down the current state of micromobility and discusses F10, the company's experiment fusing micromobility with on-demand urban logistics

Meir and Prof. John Paul MacDuffie of Wharton's Mack Institute discuss his recent whitepaper on why this round of vehicle electrification is real and why not to underrate traditional OEMs, despite Tesla's running start.

Prof. MacDuffie's whitepaper can be found at https://mackinstitute.wharton.upenn.edu/2021/mobility-becomes-electric-new-white-paper-with-engine-no-1/

David Magerman, Managing Partner and CTO at Differential Ventures, is has witnessed firsthand the different applications of AI and machine learning since he began his career working on early data-driven approaches to natural language processing at IBM. Through this lens, Meir and David breakdown the state of automated mobility technology, the players involved, and the troves of data needed to make L5 a reality.

Meir and Haley Rubinson, VP Business Development at Revel breakdown how mobility start-ups can benefit from working with local regulators, the future of the gig-economy, and the importance of infrastructure in support electrification ambitions. 

Meir and Yoav Levy, CEO at Upstream Security break down the world of automotive cyber-security, the state of connected cars, and the question of automotive data. 

Meir and Tom Wagner, Founder and Managing Director at Knighthead Capital Management break down the changes happening in the mobility space, the advent of autonomy, rural mobility solutions, and the future of the urban landscape.

Intuition Robotics' technology enables the creation of relationships between humans and machines through cognitive AI. In this episode, Meir and Dor Skuler, CEO at Intuition Robotics break down proactive human and machine interaction, how this tech is used in both cars and digital companions, and how start-ups today should approach partnerships with OEMs.

Meir and Kobi Eisenberg, CEO @ Autofleet begin this episode with the most basic question: what is a fleet? Hint: It may have to do with warships. They then breakdown the economics of car sharing, management of EV fleets, and discuss whether or not car sharing is broken. 

Meir and Mina break down the gig-economy, discuss how early-stage mobility start-ups are attracting investors, and talk about how start-ups in the mobility space are adapting amid the global pandemic.