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Future of Mobility

Future of Mobility

By Brandon Bartneck

Focused on the push for safer, more sustainable, more effective, and more accessible transportation, including both technology development and implementation.

Technologies include autonomous vehicles / automated driving systems (ADS), electric vehicles, hydrogen and fuel cells, improved internal combustion engines, assisted driving (ADAS), EV charging, public transportation, ridesharing, micromobility, and more.

Presented by Edison Manufacturing and Engineering, your contract manufacturing partner for flexible and reliable assembly of complex mobility and mobility-related products.
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#200 – Chris Wallbank | Wallbank Industrial – Impact through Manufacturing & Pursuing a Clear Vision

Future of MobilityMar 24, 2024

00:00
57:57
#200 – Chris Wallbank | Wallbank Industrial – Impact through Manufacturing & Pursuing a Clear Vision

#200 – Chris Wallbank | Wallbank Industrial – Impact through Manufacturing & Pursuing a Clear Vision

Chris Wallbank is President and Chief Executive Officer of P.J. Wallbank Springs Inc., and CEO of Wallbank Industrial. Chris joins this milestone episode to discuss the Wallbank Industrial Vision, and the goal to have a significant positive impact on a billion lives.

Takeaways

  • The Wallbank Industrial Vision is driven by the importance of people and the intentional actions taken to enable the vision.
  • Leadership plays a crucial role in shaping the culture and values of an organization.
  • Continuous learning and improvement are essential for personal and organizational growth.
  • Building an intentional culture requires hiring and firing based on values and finding alignment with the team.
  • Systems and communication are key to enabling the vision and creating scalability and sustainability.

Chapters

  • Introduction and Milestone Discussion
  • The Genesis of the Wallbank Industrial Vision
  • Learning from Reed Hastings and Netflix
  • Personal Reflection and Impact
  • The Importance of People in the Vision
  • Building Intentional Culture
  • Striving for More and Balancing Satisfaction
  • Building the Right Culture and Values
  • Key Practices for Enabling the Vision
  • The Importance of Systems and Communication
  • Closing Thoughts

Links:

Bio:

Chris Wallbank has been President and Chief Executive Officer of P.J. Wallbank Springs Inc. since 2014. Chris earned his MBA in Strategy and Innovation from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and his BA in Supply Chain Management from Michigan State University School of Business. A visionary leader constantly challenging the status quo, Chris aspires to impact the world through people, and believes anything can be accomplished with the right team and the right mentality. Chris began his career on the company’s manufacturing floor and eventually assumed responsibility for the organization’s sales. Under his leadership, the team tripled the annual sales and size of the organization. With this success, the company has been presented with the prestigious Inc. 5000 Award (recognizing P.J. Wallbank Springs as one of America’s Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies) for 3 consecutive years.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Mar 24, 202457:57
#199 - Timothy Papandreou | ETA - The Purpose of Mobility, Systems Thinking & Reimagining Transportation

#199 - Timothy Papandreou | ETA - The Purpose of Mobility, Systems Thinking & Reimagining Transportation

Timothy Papandreou works towards bridging the gap between bleeding-edge innovations, their real-world application, and their impact on the way we live, work, learn, play, heal, and do business. He advises many startups and is a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator on several emerging technology spaces - including generative and predictive AI, supply chain automation, robotics, teleoperations, smart cities, ag-tech, bioplanning, blockchain, digital twins, space economy, and web3.

He joins to discuss the purpose and importance of mobility in connecting people to the most important moments in their lives, and what we need to do to do this better.

Takeaways

  • The purpose of mobility is to connect people to the most important moments in their lives, whether it's family, work, learning, or other significant experiences.
  • Seamless mobility is crucial for creating a positive city experience, where different modes of transportation work together effectively.
  • Solving mobility issues requires a systems thinking approach, considering the interconnectedness of various factors such as housing, zoning, and transport infrastructure.
  • Addressing housing affordability and zoning is essential for creating more livable and sustainable cities.
  • Implementing fair transport user fees can help allocate resources more efficiently and encourage sustainable modes of transportation.
  • Dealing with pushback and resistance to change requires understanding people's perspectives and finding ways to communicate the benefits of mobility solutions. Storytelling and action are crucial in creating change.
  • The challenge of changing the status quo requires experimentation and feedback.
  • The declining affordability of essential services affects the majority of the population.
  • Empathy and perspective shifting are important in understanding the needs of different stakeholders.
  • Systems thinking and design thinking are valuable approaches in problem-solving.
  • The intersection of AI and systems thinking has the potential to transform various industries.

Links:

Bio

Timothy works towards bridging the gap between bleeding-edge innovations, their real-world application, and their impact on the way we live, work, learn, play, heal, and do business. He advises many startups and is a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator on several emerging technology spaces - including generative and predictive AI, supply chain automation, robotics, teleoperations, smart cities, ag-tech, bioplanning, blockchain, digital twins, space economy, and web3.

Timothy founded ETA, a global advisory firm to help startups, governments, and corporations accelerate emerging technology innovation.

He's held positions for Alphabet/Google's X Moonshot Factory (now as a key advisor on AI Moonshots) with Waymo where he was part of the commercialization team that launched the world's first automated robo-taxi/truck system, and as Chief Innovation Officer for Transport with the City of San Francisco leading various first-of-its-kind policies and projects.

Company Description

ETA, is a global advisory firm to help startups, governments, and corporations accelerate emerging technology innovation.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Mar 17, 202401:00:12
#198 – Roxana Bekemohammadi | United States Hydrogen Alliance – Technology Diversity & A True Push for Sustainability

#198 – Roxana Bekemohammadi | United States Hydrogen Alliance – Technology Diversity & A True Push for Sustainability

Roxana Bekemohammadi is Founder and Executive Director of United States Hydrogen Alliance. She joins to discuss the importance of advocating for hydrogen technology and the need for diversity in the pursuit of sustainable transportation.

Topics:

  • Introduction and Background
  • Advocating for Hydrogen Technology
  • The Importance of Technology Diversity
  • The Need for Redundancy in Energy Systems
  • The Role of Hydrogen in Various Sectors
  • Balancing Business and Sustainability
  • Considering Public Perception
  • The Role of the US Hydrogen Alliance
  • Conclusion and Call to Action

Links

Bio:

Roxana Bekemohammadi is a distinguished leader in the hydrogen and fuel cell industry, known for her unique experience in policy advocacy, public service, and technology commercialization. She is regularly called upon to present on the current and future status of the U.S. hydrogen economy at conferences, legislatures, and in other political arenas. In 2020, she founded the Western States Hydrogen Alliance, championing hydrogen policies in the Western States. With the passing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act in 2021, the organization expanded to all 50 states, and is now known as the United States Hydrogen Alliance (USHA). The organization has blazed a pathway for the U.S. hydrogen economy by successfully passing seventeen hydrogen state bills across the United States since USHA’s inception in 2020.

Roxana led a lobbying firm focused on hydrogen policy in California prior to USHA. She also served as an advocate and technical expert in previous roles across multiple sectors including energy, zero emission vehicles, workforce development, technical education. Lastly, Roxana served as a public servant at the California Air Resources Board, an air quality regulatory state agency.

Academically, Roxana holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Irvine and served as a student researcher at the National Fuel Cell Research Center. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her education combined with a diverse professional background further positions her as a leading voice in the clean energy industry.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Mar 10, 202442:36
#197 - Olaf Sakkers | RedBlue Capital – Why our Transportation System is Broken and How to Disrupt It

#197 - Olaf Sakkers | RedBlue Capital – Why our Transportation System is Broken and How to Disrupt It

Olaf Sakkers joins to discuss the purpose of mobility and transportation, the challenges of the current system, and the potential for a more efficient trip economy.

Takeaways

  • The purpose of transportation is to connect cities and enable economic growth.
  • The current transportation system in the US is underperforming and has negative externalities, such as high rates of car accidents and wasted time in traffic.
  • The trip economy, characterized by shared mobility services, offers more efficient and convenient transportation options.
  • Efforts to improve the transportation system should focus on removing parking minimums, incentivizing better choices, and transitioning to autonomous vehicles.
  • Creating positive change in transportation requires recognizing the flaws in the system, engaging in constructive conversations, and building companies that offer innovative solutions.

Chapters

  • Introduction and Background
  • The Purpose of Mobility and Transportation
  • Moving Towards Outcomes, Not Incremental Improvements
  • The Current System and Its Challenges
  • Building New Cities and Transforming Existing Ones
  • Efficiency of the Trip Economy
  • Creating Positive Impact Despite Challenges
  • Advice for Making a Difference
  • Closing Remarks

Links:

Bio:

Olaf is led by a sense of curiosity to try to understand the kernel of what makes something unique or interesting. While serving in the Israel Defense Forces, he discovered how the rapidly emerging autonomous vehicle technology could transform transportation and be a unique opportunity for the Israeli tech ecosystem. Over the course of six years he built Maniv Mobility into a leading global venture capital fund focused on mobility, managing $150 million and [backed by leading industry players including Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, Hyundai, BMW, Shell, Aptiv, LG and Valeo. In 2021, Olaf left Maniv to found RedBlue Capital, an early stage mobility-focused venture capital firm focused on mobility, logistics and energy transition.

Born in South Africa, Olaf attended Princeton University where he majored in Anthropology, writing his thesis about frontier medicine and global health policy. The same interest in culture and understanding complex systems are what give him a deep sense of fulfillment from partnering alongside founders to build great companies which solve critical problems.

He's also the author of Mobility Disruption Framework, a book that unpacks the rapid transformation happening in the mobility industry through the lens of microeconomics and colorful comparisons to household pets. He has spoken at numerous conferences such as Web Summit and Tech Crunch and has been quoted in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Bloomberg.

Companies that Olaf has backed have gone on to raise over $2 billion dollars.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

Mar 03, 202453:00
#196 – Edwin Olson | May Mobility – The Capital-Efficient Path to Ending Personal Car Ownership	`

#196 – Edwin Olson | May Mobility – The Capital-Efficient Path to Ending Personal Car Ownership `

Edwin Olson is founder and CEO of May Mobility. He joins the Future of Mobility podcast for a Round 2 topic, centered around May Mobility’s strategy for growth and impact in the autonomous vehicle space. We also explore how Edwin and May Mobility have evolved since the Round 1 discussion in early 2020.

Takeaways

  • May Mobility aims to end personal car ownership by making public transit a more attractive and efficient option.
  • The right vehicle for the right population density is crucial in providing effective autonomous transportation.
  • Long-term contracts with cities provide a strong revenue stream and help finance the vehicles.
  • Balancing realism and vision is important in leadership, acknowledging challenges while working towards a grand vision.
  • Building a positive company culture is essential for success in the autonomous vehicle industry. Effective communication is crucial for success in personal and professional relationships.
  • Building trust and rapport is essential for effective communication.
  • Active listening and empathy play a significant role in understanding others and fostering meaningful connections.
  • Non-verbal communication, such as body language and facial expressions, can convey important messages.
  • Identifying and overcoming communication barriers is key to effective communication.

Chapters

  • Introduction and Evolution of May Mobility
  • The Goal: Ending Personal Car Ownership
  • Challenges of Personal Car Ownership
  • The Vision of Autonomous Vehicles
  • Key Assumptions for Autonomous Vehicles in Public Transit
  • The Right Vehicle for the Right Population Density
  • Carving Out the Right Solution for the Technology's Capabilities
  • The Advantage of Long-Term Contracts with Cities
  • Choosing the Right Growth Strategy
  • Balancing Realism and Vision in Leadership
  • Scaling Challenges and Vehicle Supply
  • Leadership Lessons in the Autonomous Vehicle Industry
  • Building a Positive Company Culture
  • The Importance of Effective Communication
  • Building Trust and Rapport
  • Active Listening and Empathy
  • Conclusion

Links:

Bio:

Edwin Olson is co-founder and CEO of May Mobility, Inc. He has focused on the development of autonomous vehicles for more than two decades, co-leading autonomous vehicle development at Toyota Research Institute and helping to develop Ford Motor Company’s autonomous vehicles. He has a doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT and is a professor of computer science at the University of Michigan. Olson got his start in autonomous technology participating in the DARPA Urban Challenge in 2007 as part of the MIT team. He was named one of Crain’s Detroit Business’ Notable Leaders in Energy in 2023.

Company description:

May Mobility develops autonomous vehicle (AV) technology and deploys fleets of vehicles to municipal and business customers. Its proprietary Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) system is at the core of its mission to help make cities safer, greener and more accessible. MPDM's proven track record has delivered more than 350,000 autonomy-enabled rides to date in several public transit applications across the U.S. and Japan. With key strategic partnerships including some of the world's most innovative automotive and transportation companies, such as Toyota Motor Corporation and NTT, May Mobility aims to achieve the highest standard in rider safety, sustainability and transportation equity.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

Feb 25, 202454:25
#195 – Beth Brooke | VERITY NOW – Gender-Inclusive Vehicle Safety Standards

#195 – Beth Brooke | VERITY NOW – Gender-Inclusive Vehicle Safety Standards

Beth Brooke joins to discuss the need for gender-inclusive vehicle safety standards.

Takeaways

  • Vehicle safety standards are designed with the male body in mind, leaving women at a higher risk of severe injury or death in car accidents.
  • Using a biofidelic female crash test dummy that accurately represents the female body's physiology can improve vehicle safety for women.
  • The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has the power to implement this change with a simple rule change.
  • Raising awareness and advocating for gender equity in vehicle safety is crucial to driving change.

Chapters

  • Introduction and Background
  • Vehicle Safety Standards Designed for Men
  • The Need for Gender-Inclusive Safety Standards
  • Proposed Solution: Biofidelic Female Crash Test Dummy
  • Implementation and Cost Considerations
  • The Impact of Vehicle Weight and Electric Vehicles
  • The Role of NHTSA and Government Regulations
  • The Importance of Awareness and Consumer Advocacy
  • Focus on New Vehicles and Future Considerations
  • Learning from Other Countries' Approaches
  • Evaluation and Approval of Crash Test Dummies
  • Addressing Discrimination in Safety Standards
  • Engaging Stakeholders and Building Trust
  • Recognizing Nuance and Finding Common Ground
  • Call to Action: Join Verity Now and Raise Awareness

Links

Bio:

Beth A. Brooke retired as the Global Vice-Chair – Public Policy at EY and a member of the firm’s Global Executive Board. Ms. Brooke had public policy responsibility for the firm’s operations in over 150 countries and was the global sponsor for EY’s Diversity and Inclusiveness efforts. During the Clinton Administration, she worked in the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where she was responsible for all tax policy matters related to insurance and managed care. She played important roles in the healthcare reform and Superfund reform efforts. Ms. Brooke is a prominent voice around the world on Diversity and Inclusion, including most prominently on LGBT inclusion and women. She has been named eleven times to the list of Forbes “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women“. In 2017, she received the Theodore Roosevelt Award, the top individual honor bestowed by the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). She has also been inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame

Company description:

VERITY (Vehicle Equity Rules in Transportation) NOW strives to achieve equality in vehicle safety by educating on, and advocating for, crash testing standards that protect every body, regardless of gender, height, weight or age. Inherent biases in crash testing put women, young people, the elderly and heavier body types at significantly higher risk of injury or death in car crashes. This is unacceptable. We need to update vehicle crash testing standards and practices to better understand the safety needs of a broader range of body types. Technologies exist that can give us a more accurate understanding of how all vehicle occupants are impacted in a crash. These technologies, which employ sensors and other advanced tools, create better data – which can lead to better designs that account for every body.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Feb 18, 202442:51
#194 – Ameya Joshi | MobilityNotes & ClearFlame – Decarbonizing the Existing Vehicle Fleet & Renewable Fuels

#194 – Ameya Joshi | MobilityNotes & ClearFlame – Decarbonizing the Existing Vehicle Fleet & Renewable Fuels

Dr. Ameya Joshi currently serves as the Vice President of Product at ClearFlame Engines. He also maintains his own website, MobilityNotes.com, which disseminates the latest information on transport decarbonization and has a wide reach across the industry.

Takeaways

  • Decarbonizing the existing fleet is crucial as most vehicles on the road are not new vehicles.
  • Understanding the intersection of regulations and technologies is key to navigating the complexity of the industry.
  • Accounting for the entire lifecycle of vehicles, including production and disposal, is necessary for effective decarbonization.
  • Incentivizing the use of renewable fuels requires policy changes and the development of carbon markets.
  • Transitioning to a smaller organization can provide opportunities for learning and growth, but also comes with its own challenges. Leverage previous experience and knowledge when starting a new venture.
  • Building a sustainable business requires a focus on value proposition, product definition, and product management.
  • Technology needs to be effectively marketed and turned into a viable product to make a difference.
  • The book 'Know What Matters' by Ron Sheik provides valuable insights into building a successful company.

Chapters:

  • Introduction and Background
  • The Importance of Decarbonizing the Existing Fleet
  • The State of the Industry and Challenges in Decarbonization
  • Navigating the Complexity of the Industry
  • The Role of Mobility Notes and Discernment in the Industry
  • Challenges and Solutions for Incorporating Renewable Fuels
  • Transitioning to a Smaller Organization and Finding Success
  • Learning and Applying Previous Experience
  • Building a Sustainable Business
  • Taking Technology to the Market
  • Book Recommendation: Know What Matters

Links:

Bio:

Dr. Ameya Joshi currently serves as the Vice President of Product at ClearFlame Engines. He has nearly two decades of experience in the field of transport decarbonization and emissions control. He specializes in understanding complex technological and regulatory trends facing the transportation and off-highway propulsion industries and translating them into actionable strategies. He is an invited speaker at various international conferences, including the Buckendale lecturer at SAE COMVEC in 2022, and serves on the Editorial Board of the SAE International Journal pf Sustainable Transportation, Energy, Environment, & Policy. He is regularly invited by the Department of Energy to review funding proposals and technical progress at the Annual Merit Review.

Ameya has a broad network across industry, academia and regulatory bodies across the world. He maintains his own website, MobilityNotes.com, which disseminates the latest information on transport decarbonization and has a wide reach across the industry.

Ameya has a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware and pursued postdoctoral work in the field of fuel cells at the Colorado School of Mines.

About:

MobilityNotes is a free online platform for disseminating unbiased information on the latest regulatory and technical developments pertaining to transport decarbonization.

ClearFlame Engine Technologies is “Quickly and cost-effectively turning the world’s heavy-duty engines into engines for decarbonization”

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

Feb 11, 202455:03
#193 – Grayson Brulte | SAE Tomorrow Today – The Path(s) to Commercial Adoption for Autonomous Vehicles

#193 – Grayson Brulte | SAE Tomorrow Today – The Path(s) to Commercial Adoption for Autonomous Vehicles

As host of SAE Tomorrow Today, Grayson Brulte operates at the intersection of economics, politics, and technology to help listeners navigate emerging technologies and understand their impact on mobility.

Grayson Brulte discusses the most interesting questions and topics in the autonomous vehicle industry, including the challenges of artificial timelines and the importance of realistic milestones. He shares insights into the robotaxi space and the potential business models for autonomous vehicles. Grayson also explores different applications of autonomy, such as shuttles and privately owned vehicles. He discusses the value and economics of autonomy in long-haul trucking and the expansion of routes and ports. Additionally, he highlights the challenges and opportunities in warehouse automation and the last mile delivery sector. Grayson encourages listeners to roll up their sleeves and build in the autonomous vehicle industry.

Conversation flow:

  • The Most Interesting Questions and Topics in the Autonomous Vehicle Industry
  • Artificial Timelines and Realistic Milestones
  • The Robotaxi Space and Consumer Perception
  • Building a Business Model for Robotaxis
  • Different Applications of Autonomy: Robotaxis, Shuttles, and Private Use Vehicles
  • The Potential for Personally Owned Autonomous Vehicles
  • The Challenges of Shuttles and Consumer Preferences
  • The Value and Economics of Autonomy in Long Haul Trucking
  • Expansion of Routes and Ports in Long Haul Trucking
  • Creating and Capturing Value in the Autonomy Ecosystem
  • Challenges and Opportunities in Warehouse Automation
  • The Last Mile Delivery Challenge
  • The SAE Tomorrow Today Podcast and the Importance of Standards
  • Final Thoughts and Encouragement to Build

Links

Bio:

Grayson Brulte is an autonomous mobility advisor and consultant who provides strategic counsel and political insights to help clients navigate what’s next.

As an SAE strategic partner since 2017, Grayson brings his in-depth industry knowledge to host SAE Tomorrow Today. His unique perspective factors in economics, politics, and technology into one-of-kind weekly conversations with innovators changing mobility and its impact on society.

Grayson is a thought-leader who regularly provides insights to publications including Bloomberg, Reuters, The Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter and Forbes. His written opinions and insights have been featured by organizations including the Consumer Technology Association in presentations to the Federal Trade Commission.

About SAE International:

SAE International engages engineers, technical experts, and volunteers from around the globe to enable safe, clean, and accessible transportation solutions. We specialize in setting standards for industry engineering and creating STEM and professional education programs plus information products and events that disseminate knowledge and connect professionals working in the automotive, aerospace, and commercial vehicle industries. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison manufacturing is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Feb 04, 202450:38
#192 – Andrea Klein | Rand Technologies – Overcoming the Greatest Supply Chain Risks

#192 – Andrea Klein | Rand Technologies – Overcoming the Greatest Supply Chain Risks

Andrea Klein is CEO of Rand Technologies. Andrea Klein, the founder and CEO of RAND Technology, discusses the importance of supply chain in future mobility and the challenges it faces. She emphasizes the role of quality in supply chain and the need for flexibility and common parts to create sustainability. Klein also highlights the impact of AI on the supply chain and the proactive steps automotive companies can take to navigate the changing landscape. She explains the value of RAND Technology in providing solutions and market intelligence to help customers make informed decisions.

Key points:

  • Introduction and Overview
  • Andrea Klein's Work with RAND Technology
  • The Importance of Supply Chain in Future Mobility
  • The Challenges and Imperfections of Supply Chain
  • The Role of Quality in Supply Chain
  • Commercial Viability and Sustainability in Supply Chain
  • The Importance of Safety Stocks and Utilizing the Marketplace
  • The Impact of AI on the Supply Chain
  • Proactive Steps for Automotive Companies
  • Utilizing the Excess Market in the Aftermarket
  • The Trade-Offs of Single Sourcing
  • The Value of RAND Technology in the Supply Chain

Links

About:

Andrea Klein founded Rand 30 years ago with a passion for technology, an exciting industry she knew would contribute advancements that would make a true difference in the world for generations. With her love for people and vision of a better, greener planet, she built the company based on trust, integrity and an unwavering commitment to superior product quality, leading-edge innovation and customer satisfaction.

These guiding principles have been the foundation upon which Rand Technology has grown into the venerated, industry-leading, global supply chain company it is today. With a standard of excellence that is second-to-none, Rand supports Fortune 500 companies with sales, purchasing, engineering, testing, and logistics from offices across five continents. It is a sophisticated, full-service technology hardware supply chain company offering a comprehensive suite of services to support NPI, production, global services, and asset recovery that empower clients to achieve bottom line growth in all market conditions.

With a commitment to socially responsible, sustainable practices, Andrea is widely regarded as one of the industry’s most innovative leaders. She is laser-focused on a technology-driven future that assures inclusiveness and diversity in a workplace where employees, partners, customers, vendors, and others are valued, respected, and working toward a common objective of responsible, environmentally conscious IT asset management.

Considering the company’s immense success as the first and only 100-percent woman-owned, global independent distribution company, it is an understatement to say Andrea is well ahead of her time. She hopes her story will inspire other women to break through barriers that have traditionally limited their professional opportunities. To that end, she makes frequent presentations to young women and girls at schools, civic organizations and charitable events urging them to follow their hearts and pursue career paths that fulfill their passions.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison manufacturing is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Jan 28, 202452:38
#191 – Stefan Tongur | Electreon Round 2 – The Path to Widespread Wireless Charging

#191 – Stefan Tongur | Electreon Round 2 – The Path to Widespread Wireless Charging

Stefan Tongur is VP of Business Development at Electreon. He joins this episode to explore the role of wireless charging in future transportation, exploring the following topics:

  • Importance of business models in the shift to sustainable transportation and the value proposition of wireless charging technology.
  • Deployment of wireless charging infrastructure in transit routes, depots, and queuing lines.
  • Challenges of battery size, grid capacity, resource efficiency, and cost reduction in transitioning to electric vehicles.
  • Implementation challenges and importance of finding meaningful places for introductions and focusing on pilots.
  • Ecosystem of stakeholders in electric road projects, including government agencies, engineering firms, construction companies, utility companies, and vehicle manufacturers.
  • Need for collaboration and coordination among stakeholders.
  • Potential for customization and development of a playbook for electric road deployment.
  • Addressing interoperability issues and driving standards in the industry.
  • Examples of dynamic wireless charging projects and Electreon's leadership in the field.
  • Clarification of misconceptions about the cost and feasibility of electric roads.
  • Emphasis on future-proofing technology to support the larger-scale transition to electric vehicles

Links:

About Stefan Tongur

Stefan defined the concept of Electric Road Systems (ERS), and it is no surprise that he is well rehearsed in the opportunities and challenges of commercializing ERS in Europe and the US. Stefan also holds expertise on business models, sustainable transition, policy, and systemic innovation and has previously worked as a Senior Researcher at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden.

Stefan holds an M.Sc in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Industrial Economics and Management, both from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. His doctoral thesis is one of the world’s first to research the topic of ERS and is titled “Preparing for takeoff – Analyzing the development of electric road system from a business model perspective”.

Company Overview

Electreon is the leading developer and provider of wireless charging solutions for electric vehicles (EVs), providing end-to-end charging infrastructure and services, to meet the needs and efficiency demands of shared, public, and commercial fleet operators and consumers. The company's proprietary inductive technology dynamically (while in motion) and statically (while stopped) charges EVs quickly and safely, eliminating range anxiety, lowering total costs of EV ownership, and reducing battery capacity needs, making it one of the most environmentally sustainable, scalable, and compelling charging solutions available in the market today. Electreon collaborates with cities and fleet operators on a "sale" business model, and on a Charging as a Service (CaaS) business model, that enables cost-effective electrification of public, commercial, and autonomous fleets for smooth and continuous operation.

Electreon operates 18 projects across 8 countries, together with more than 100 partners. Electreon's wireless in-road charging technology was named as one of the world's top 100 inventions for 2021 by Time Magazine.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Jan 21, 202441:57
#190 – Stan Sewitch | Building an Engaged and Positive Culture

#190 – Stan Sewitch | Building an Engaged and Positive Culture

Stan is a business psychologist and entrepreneur, and author of Engage!: How WD-40 Company Built the Engine of Positive Culture.

From 2012 until 2021, he served as Vice President, Global Organization Development for WD-40 Company, and headed the global human resources function. Stan provides service as an advisor to companies who want to improve their results while improving quality of life at the same time, for everyone in their organizations.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The meaning of engagement in the work place, and why it can be so powerful
  • How WD-40 built the engine of a positive culture
  • The importance of starting with values, and why so many companies get stuck after core value definition
  • The next step if an organization wants to intentionally build a positive culture
  • Building space between stimulus and response

Links:

About Stan:

Stan Sewitch provides service as an advisor to companies who want to improve their results while improving quality of life at the same time, for everyone in their organizations.

His experience is best suited for these areas:

  • Strategy
  • Organizational design and development
  • Compensation design
  • Leadership development and coaching
  • Conscious culture creation

Stan is a business psychologist and entrepreneur. From 2012 until 2021, he served as Vice President, Global Organization Development for WD-40 Company, and headed the global human resources function.

Stan is one of the founding members of KI Investment Holdings, LLC. Formed early in 2006, KI is a private equity company whose mission is to be instrumental in the success of profitable, growing companies who create middle-class careers. KI is an investment experiment in long-term principles.

Stan is also the founder of HRG, Inc. Formed in 1989, HRG was a center for business advisory services, providing consulting to clients of all types in strategy, human resources, organizational effectiveness and executive leadership development. HRG served over 1,200 clients since its founding. The company is currently led by Paul Billimoria, its President. Stan serves on its board.

Stan formed two other companies. In 1990, he launched Emlyn Systems, a software company publishing a human resources information system. In 1991 he co-founded Chromagen, a biotechnology company which created proprietary assays for drug research, whose technologies were acquired in 2003.

Stan has served as a director for many private companies, ranging from $2M to $200M in revenue. He was Chairman of Elixir Industries, and is a director for Sabia Inc., SCWS LLC and KI Investment Holdings LLC.

Prior to his entrepreneurial adventures, Stan held senior management positions in operations and human resources. He was manufacturing director for TRW’s LSI products division in San Diego, a manufacturer of high-end integrated circuits. Stan was also operations director for Elm Corporation, a salmon fishery in Bethel, Alaska. Stan’s prior human resources management positions included Martin Marietta Aluminum, Smith International, TRW and Mycogen Corporation.

Stan authored a weekly column for ten years on various issues in business for the San Diego Daily Transcript, entitled “Notes from the Corporate Underground” and has written two books of the same title.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

Jan 14, 202401:02:31
#189 – Lior Tal | Cyngn – Autonomous Vehicle Solutions for Industrial Fleets & Bringing an AV Product to Market

#189 – Lior Tal | Cyngn – Autonomous Vehicle Solutions for Industrial Fleets & Bringing an AV Product to Market

Lior Tal is CEO and Chariman of Cyngn, a Silicon Valley-based technology company that develops and deploys scalable, differentiated autonomous vehicle solutions to industrial fleets.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Introduction and Background
  • Identifying the Opportunity in Industrial Autonomy
  • Designing a System for Industrial Applications
  • Choosing the Right Applications to Develop
  • The Complexity of Industrial Autonomy
  • Adopting Industrial Autonomy in Different Industries
  • Current Focus and Demand in Manufacturing and Logistics
  • Approach to Manufacturing and Supply Chain
  • Managing Time and Bringing in the Right Expertise
  • Balancing Roles and Self-Awareness as a CEO
  • The Potential of DriveMod as a Platform

Links:

About Lior Tal:

Lior Tal has served as Cyngn’s CEO and a Chairman since 2016. Prior to joining, Lior was the director of international growth and partnerships at Facebook for five years. He also has previous executive experience as cofounder of Snaptu, which was later acquired by Facebook. Here, he helped grow the user base from launch to tens of millions of users over a two-year period. Prior, Lior was a partner at Barzam, Tal, Lerer Attorneys at law & Patent attorneys for three years, and further held leadership roles at Actimize (acquired by NICE), DiskSites (acquired by EMC), and Odigo (acquired by Comverse).

Company Overview

Cyngn (NASDAQ: CYN) is a Silicon Valley-based technology company that develops and deploys scalable, differentiated autonomous vehicle solutions to industrial fleets. Cyngn’s self-driving solutions help industrial organizations become more efficient, productive, and safe, addressing challenges such as labor shortages, safety incidents, and increased demand. Cyngn has been operating autonomous vehicles in production environments since 2017.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison manufacturing is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

Jan 08, 202453:08
#188 – 2023 Year in Review

#188 – 2023 Year in Review

This is the final episode of 2023. It’s a solid episode, in which Brandon Bartneck highlights the key themes that emerged on the Future of Mobility podcast this year, as well as the biggest updates in Brandon’s personal pursuits within this field.

Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/2023yearinreview

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

Dec 31, 202322:24
Reece Martin | RMTransit – City Transit & Evolving the Way We Get Around

Reece Martin | RMTransit – City Transit & Evolving the Way We Get Around

This is a repost of Episode 143, originally aired on February 19, 2023. This conversation was the most popular Future of Mobility episode in 2023. ...

Reece Martin is the creator and host of RMTransit, a YouTube channel focused on transit, infrastructure, and development around the world. With more than 180 thousand subscribers and 27 million views, the channel has helped thousands around the world to learn about public transit projects, networks, technologies and plans in a simplified and digestible format, as well as about project construction, news, vehicle design, and service planning

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Why public transit is so complex
  • The global cities that are leading the way
  • Foundational values that can be applied to nearly all cities to improve transportation
  • Iterative decision making and transit deployment
  • Where US cities have historically struggled
  • How Reece simplifies complex topics to help with public education

Links:

Bio:

Reece Martin is the creator and host of RMTransit, a YouTube channel focused on transit, infrastructure, and development around the world. Started back in 2016, the RMTransit YouTube channel has gone from occasional videos shot on a blurry cell phone camera watched by not more than a dozen people to its current state. With more than 180 thousand subscribers and 27 million views, the channel has helped thousands around the world to learn about public transit projects, networks, technologies and plans in a simplified and digestible format, as well as about project construction, news, vehicle design, and service planning. The channel has hundreds of videos covering a breadth of transit and urban content, and has covered over 50 cities across over 20 countries, including international on-site visits such as the opening of the Elizabeth Line.

About RMTransit:

Ever wondered why your city's transit just doesn't seem quite up to snuff? RMTransit is here to answer that, and help you open your eyes to all of the different public transportation systems around the world! Reece (the RM in RMTransit) is an urbanist and public transport critic residing in Toronto, Canada, with the goal of helping the world become more connected through metros, trams, buses, high-speed trains, and all other transport modes. RMTransit creates two brand new videos every week covering all aspects of transportation and urbanism.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

⁠linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/⁠

⁠brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/⁠

Edison Manufacturing:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner for build and assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

Dec 28, 202359:25
#187 – Prescott Watson | Port Power – Smart Power & Optimized EV Charging Infrastructure

#187 – Prescott Watson | Port Power – Smart Power & Optimized EV Charging Infrastructure

Prescott Watson is a founder and investor focused on the transportation, energy and industrial sectors. He is co-founder of Port Power, a startup making commercial EV charging infrastructure faster to build and easier to operate. In his role as operating partner at RedBlue Capital, he is executive director at EVage, India's leading EV startup manufacturing affordable & robust commercial vehicles for emerging markets

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Prescott’s experience in the investing space, including with RedBlue Capital
  • The focus on building better outcomes in transportation
  • Why we need to make EV ownership 100% convenient
  • Challenges for fleet EV charging
  • Why additional peak power demand and renewable power generation make the problem harder
  • Shifting from dumb power to smarter, more controlled power

Links:

About Prescott:

Prescott is a founder and investor focused on the transportation, energy and industrial sectors. He is co-founder of Port Power, a startup making commercial EV charging infrastructure faster to build and easier to operate. In his role as operating partner at RedBlue Capital, he is executive director at EVage, India's leading EV startup manufacturing affordable & robust commercial vehicles for emerging markets. Prescott is also an investor in and chairs the advisory board of Aerolane, a US technology company making dramatic reductions in the emissions and costs of air freight. In his previous roles at funds like Maniv Mobility and OurCrowd, he was an early investor in companies including Revel Transit, Zoomo, Edgybees, Innoviz and Argus Cybersecurity.

Company Overview

Port Power makes the transition to electric vehicles smooth and reliable for commercial fleets and their real estate partners. Port OS is an "air traffic control" that coordinates vehicles, chargers, energy resources and parking sites in a centralized and automated way. The result is smooth and effective EV charging experience at fleet depots - be they dedicated EV depots, or charging build into workplace or warehouse parking lots.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison manufacturing is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

Dec 26, 202355:43
Chris and Melissa Bruntlett – Urban Vitality, Dutch Cycling & The Human Case for Fewer Cars

Chris and Melissa Bruntlett – Urban Vitality, Dutch Cycling & The Human Case for Fewer Cars

This is a repost of Episode 134. This conversation was the 2nd most popular Future of Mobility episode in 2023. ...

Melissa and Chris Bruntlett are authors and urban mobility advocates who strive to communicate the benefits of sustainable transport and inspire happier, healthier, more human-scale cities.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Why car-centric cities aren’t serving us
  • The unexpected benefits of cities that aren’t optimized for cars
  • How the Dutch created such vibrant and livable cities
  • The first step planners can take today to move in the right direction
  • The path towards happier, healthier, and more human-scale cities

Links:

Show notes: ⁠http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/melissachrisbruntlett⁠

Our website: ⁠http://www.modacitylife.com/⁠

Our books: ⁠http://www.modacitylife.com/books⁠

Mobycon: ⁠https://mobycon.com/⁠

Dutch Cycling Embassy: ⁠https://dutchcycling.nl/⁠

About Melissa and Chris

Melissa and Chris Bruntlett are authors and urban mobility advocates who strive to communicate the benefits of sustainable transport and inspire happier, healthier, more human-scale cities. Their first book, Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality, explored the decisions that established the Netherlands as a bicycle paradise, and how communities are translating these ideas to build their own cycling cities. Now based in Delft, Melissa works with Mobycon—a bi-continental mobility consultancy—supporting the promotion of Dutch transport knowledge, policy, and design principles in countries around the world. As Communications Manager for the Dutch Cycling Embassy, Chris uses his knowledge and passion to share practical lessons for global cities wishing to learn from the Netherlands’ extraordinary success. Their second book is entitled Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives.

About Mobycon

Mobycon is a Dutch mobility consultancy specializing in developing and implementing innovative and sustainable mobility solutions nationally and internationally. As a multi-disciplinary team of traffic engineers, urban planners, economists, communications and engagement specialists, and human geographers, Mobycon delivers diverse, integrated mobility products and consulting services. Our work supports the development of healthy, connected, liveable communities working to reduce car dependence.

About Dutch Cycling Embassy

The Dutch Cycling Embassy is an intermediary between the demand for Dutch cycling expertise and Dutch parties that can deliver. The Dutch Cycling Embassy is a public private network for sustainable bicycle inclusive mobility. We represent the best of Dutch Cycling: knowledge, experience and experts offered by private companies, NGO’s, research institutions, national and local governments.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

⁠linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/⁠

⁠brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/⁠

Edison Manufacturing:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner for build and assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

Dec 21, 202301:02:37
#186 – Daniel Barel Round 2 | REE – Bringing a New EV and the REEcorner to the Market

#186 – Daniel Barel Round 2 | REE – Bringing a New EV and the REEcorner to the Market

Daniel Barel is co-founder and CEO if REE Automotive. Daniel previously appeared on Episode 108 of the Future of Mobility podcast: https://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/danielbarel/ Key topics in this conversation include:

  • How REE has evolved over the past 18 months, since Daniel’s last appearance on the Future of Mobility podcast
  • Why REE has launched their P7 vehicle
  • How they still seek to “complete” rather than “compete”
  • How Daniel and REE have grown as their prepare for production
  • How Daniel approaches obstacles

Links:

About Daniel:

Daniel Barel is a visionary leader dedicated to revolutionizing transportation and forging a sustainable future for generations to come. Fueled by a desire to build a better, carbon-neutral world, Mr. Barel co-founded REE Automotive in 2013, where he currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer. With a notable track record as a successful entrepreneur, Mr. Barel has founded several start-ups that have made significant contributions to industries such as data management, consulting, and social networking. In recognition of his game-changing influence, Mr. Barel was honored with the prestigious BloombergNEF Pioneer award on behalf of REE in 2020. Guided by his determination and exceptional leadership, Mr. Barel propels REE Automotive forward, pioneering the future of electric mobility. Under his direction, the company is poised to shape the landscape of transportation with innovative technologies that prioritize sustainability, efficiency and low total cost of ownership. Mr. Barel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Business Administration from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Company Overview

REE Automotive (Nasdaq: REE) is an automotive technology company and provider of full by-wire electric trucks and platforms. With complete design freedom, vehicles Powered by REE are equipped with the revolutionary REEcorner, which packs critical vehicle components (steering, braking, suspension, powertrain and control) into a single compact module positioned between the chassis and the wheel, enabling REE to build the industry’s flattest EV platforms with more room for passengers, cargo and batteries. REE platforms are future-proofed, autonomous capable, offer a low TCO and drastically reduce the time to market for fleets looking to electrify.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison manufacturing is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

Dec 18, 202343:48
Angus Pacala | Ouster - Digital LiDAR, Merging with Velodyne & Why LiDAR Is the Best Sensor for Machine Vision

Angus Pacala | Ouster - Digital LiDAR, Merging with Velodyne & Why LiDAR Is the Best Sensor for Machine Vision

This is a repost of Episode 149, originally aired on April 2, 2023. This conversation was the 3rd most popular Future of Mobility episode in 2023. ...

Angus Pacala serves as the CEO at Ouster, which he co-founded in 2015 to make lidar both digital and ubiquitous.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The fundamentals of digital LiDAR, and the advantages over analog technology
  • Why Ouster and Velodyne merged
  • The potential for digital LiDAR to transform smart infrastructure
  • Ouster’s strategic approach to modular product development, and how it enables them to explore various application segments
  • How Ouster is providing LiDAR solutions for L2 and L3 systems, as well as fully automated driving systems

Links:

Angus’s Bio:

Angus Pacala serves as the CEO at Ouster, which he co-founded in 2015 to make lidar both digital and ubiquitous. Mr. Pacala has watched self-driving technology evolve from the early days of the DARPA Grand Challenge to today where he has a unique window into the future of automation through Ouster’s work with approximately 700 customers spanning the automotive, industrial, robotics, and smart infrastructure industries. Prior to Ouster, Mr. Pacala co-founded lidar company Quanergy Systems and served as the Director of Engineering. Before that, he was a Battery Engineer at Amprius, Inc. He received his Bachelor and Master degrees in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

About Ouster

Ouster (NYSE: OUST) is a leading global provider of high-resolution scanning and solid-state digital lidar sensors, Velodyne Lidar sensors, and software solutions for the automotive, industrial, robotics, and smart infrastructure industries. Ouster is on a mission to build a safer and more sustainable future by offering affordable, high-performance sensors that drive mass adoption across a wide variety of applications. With a global team and high-volume manufacturing, Ouster supports over 850 customers in over 50 countries. Ouster is headquartered in San Francisco, CA with offices in the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

⁠linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/⁠

⁠brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Dec 14, 202359:19
#185 – Josh Green | Inspiration Mobility – Accelerating Fleet Transitions to Electric Vehicles

#185 – Josh Green | Inspiration Mobility – Accelerating Fleet Transitions to Electric Vehicles

Josh Green is the founder and CEO of Inspiration Mobility (“Inspiration”), the first Electrification Accelerator™, built from the ground up to accelerate the EV transition by enabling organizations of all sizes to reap the full benefits of electrification as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Why EV introduction often wrong for fleets
  • Picking the right vehicle for the use case
  • Making an impact when the grass is “green enough”
  • Why shifting a fleet to electric vehicles is not as simple as it might seem
  • The importance of solving system-level challenges when introducing electric vehicles

Links:

MobilityNotes

⁠https://mobilitynotes.com/

About Josh:

Josh Green is the founder and CEO of Inspiration Mobility (“Inspiration”), the first Electrification Accelerator™, built from the ground up to accelerate the EV transition by enabling organizations of all sizes to reap the full benefits of electrification as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Josh's pioneering work founding Inspiration builds on a long track record of leadership across sustainable energy and infrastructure. As an investor, Josh has launched or worked with multiple funds/platforms investing in the energy transition, including Traverse Venture Partners, CCM Energy, Climate Change Capital, and Generate Capital, where he was a founding investor and Director on the Board. As an operator, Josh was the CEO and Co-Founder of Verdeo Group, a leading clean energy project developer backed by Black River Asset Management and Wolfensohn & Company before its acquisition by Sindicatum Sustainable Resources.

Josh holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Dartmouth College and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Company Overview

Inspiration Mobility is the first and only Electrification AcceleratorTM, built around one mission: accelerating the EV transition to decarbonize transportation at scale. A trusted partner to companies, utilities, and investors, Inspiration delivers fully-financed vehicle and commercial grade charging solutions for organizations seeking to lower costs, reduce risk, and advance progress towards decarbonization by adopting clean, electric transportation.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison manufacturing is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.


Dec 11, 202354:44
Khaled Fakhuri & Mike Doucleff | Schneider Electric – EV Charging Solutions & Innovation on the Edge

Khaled Fakhuri & Mike Doucleff | Schneider Electric – EV Charging Solutions & Innovation on the Edge

This is a repost of Episode 136, originally aired on January 8, 2023. This conversation was the 4th most popular Future of Mobility episode in 2023. ...

Khaled Fakhuri is the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, Innovation and Mike Doucleff is the Senior Vice President and Head of the Electric Mobility Division at Schneider Electric.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The current status EV charging infrastructure
  • The importance of intentional decisions to prepare for EV charging in both residential and commercial buildings
  • The value of microgrids
  • Why EV charging might not look like we think
  • How Schneider Electric is evolving with internal innovation, external investments, and joint ventures

Links:

About Khaled:

Khaled Fakhuri is the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, Innovation, at Schneider Electric, where he is leading the strategy and marketing effort for 'Innovation at the Edge', to define, build and scale models and technologies for the decarbonized, decentralized and digital energy landscape.

About Mike:

Mike Doucleff is the Senior Vice President and Head of the Electric Mobility Division at Schneider Electric, where he leads a global team of R&D, commercial and support function professionals and collaborates with an ecosystem of innovative partners in Europe, China and the United States, to accelerate electric vehicle adoption and the decarbonization of transportation by creating safe, reliable and efficient EV charging solutions.

About Schneider Electric:

Schneider Electric is a multi-national, billion-dollar company and the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation across homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

⁠linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/⁠

⁠brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/⁠

Edison Manufacturing:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner for build and assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

Dec 07, 202350:31
#184 – Alex Meek | Moxion Power – Mobile Battery Energy Storage Systems

#184 – Alex Meek | Moxion Power – Mobile Battery Energy Storage Systems

Alex Meek is Co-Founder and President and Chief Revenue Officer at Moxion Power.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The need for cleaner mobile power
  • Electrification of industries such as construction, transportation, utilities, live events, and film production
  • Overcoming the challenges of manufacturing a complex product
  • Moxion’s business model

Links:

Bio

Alex Meek oversee Moxion’s revenue generation, including expansion of its energy logistics locations, commercial partnerships, sales and marketing teams. An entrepreneur, operational leader, and investment professional, Meek has direct and relevant operational leadership experience as a former company Co-Founder and President at Newday Financial Technologies, a financial technology platform for impact investing. At Newday, Meek built a technology platform that allowed its clients to invest in major global issues, including climate change, ocean health, sustainable agriculture, and clean water. Meek successfully raised venture capital, led the design and execution on a multi-million-dollar technology engineering budget, built asset management frameworks for impact investing, and scaled the organization to several hundred million in assets. Prior to that, Meek was a Managing Director at Silver Creek Capital, a trading and asset management firm. He holds his MBA from Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business and a BS in Economics from St. Lawrence University.

About Moxion Power:

Moxion Power designs, engineers, and manufactures mobile BESS storage products and technologies, which enable and accelerate the electrification of industries such as construction, transportation, utilities, live events, film production, telecommunications and defense. Moxion’s investors include the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, Sunbelt Rentals, Enterprise Holdings, Marubeni Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, and Tamarack Global.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison manufacturing is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

Dec 04, 202345:43
Francesca Favarò | Waymo – Safety for Automated Driving Systems & Waymo’s Approach to Safety

Francesca Favarò | Waymo – Safety for Automated Driving Systems & Waymo’s Approach to Safety

This is a repost of Episode 158, originally aired on June 4, 2023. This conversation was the 5th most popular Future of Mobility episode in 2023. ...

Francesca Favarò is the Lead for the Safety Best Practices team at Waymo, where she coordinates external engagement with standards developing organizations

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The absence of unreasonable risk for automated driving systems
  • Waymo’s layered approach to safety, including hardware, the ADS behavioral layer, and operations
  • The dynamic approach to safety
  • Waymo’s credible approach to safety
  • The importance of collaboration and a common language amongst the automated driving community
  • IEEE Std 2846 and reasonably foreseeable behaviors of other road users

Links:

Francesca’s Bio:

Francesca Favarò is the Lead for the Safety Best Practices team at Waymo, where she coordinates external engagement with standards developing organizations. Prior to joining Waymo in 2020, she was an Associate Professor at San Jose State University’s Department of Aviation and Technology and a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute. Francesca earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech, and received her M.S. in Space Engineering and B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Milano.

About Waymo:

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they’re going. Since our start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has been focused on building, deploying, and commercializing the World’s Most Experienced Driver™ technology to improve the world's access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo One, the world's first fully autonomous ride-hailing service, as well as Waymo Via, our trucking and local delivery service. To date, Waymo has autonomously driven tens of millions of miles on public roads and tens of billions of miles in simulation, across 13+ U.S. states

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

⁠linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/⁠

⁠brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Nov 30, 202301:03:23
#183 – Daniel Trepanier | Arcadia Tractor – Autonomy, Field Robotics & Learning through Real-world Deployments

#183 – Daniel Trepanier | Arcadia Tractor – Autonomy, Field Robotics & Learning through Real-world Deployments

Dan Trepanier is Chief Executive Officer at Arcadia Tractor Corp., who is building an autonomous vehicle for unstructured environment.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The challenges of field robotics
  • Why ball picking at golf practice ranges present the perfect beachhead for Arcadia
  • The importance of finding paid deployments and real-world learning opportunities, quickly
  • An intro to entrepreneurial finance
  • How Arcadia plans to grow and scale in the coming years

Links:

Bio

Dan has 30 years of experience working in technology and finance. After earning his degree in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario), Dan worked in various technical and business roles including 6 years at Anadigics (NASDAQ:ANAD) where he last contributed as Director of Product Marketing.

Dan was the founder and CEO of Quake Technologies, the market leader in 10 Gb/s Ethernet semiconductor technology. Through a challenging tech downturn, he led Quake to profitability and an eventual acquisition by Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (NASDAQ:AMCC).

Dan joined Xambala as CEO and led a pivot away from fabless semiconductors to High Frequency Trading. Xambala became a leading market maker in U.S. Equities. Dan was part of NASDAQ’s committee to revamp the Market Structure of the Opening and Closing Auctions. Xambala was acquired by Final, an Israel based trading firm.

In 2018, Dan founded Trep Capital and joined the faculty at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University where he has been teaching Data Science and Finance. Dan has played various leadership roles at the business school including as Faculty Director for the MS in Business Analytics and as Director of MS Programs where he led the MSBA, MS Finance, and MS in Information Systems programs. Dan established corporate partnerships to provide all MS students with industry-led practicum projects.

Dan loves to play outside. You can catch him running or mountain biking on the trails of the Peninsula Open Space Preserves. When he’s not on the trails, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids

About Arcadia:

Arcadia Tractor is enabling field robotics, one application at a time. Our all-electric tractors operate in unstructured environments. They are self-driving, self-charging, and self-learning. We build on each application to tackle greater complexity, add more value, and increase scale.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Nov 26, 202349:33
#182 – Jesse Henry | Heartland – Sustainable Material Innovation in Automotive

#182 – Jesse Henry | Heartland – Sustainable Material Innovation in Automotive

Jesse is the founder and CEO of Heartland, a leader in high-performance carbon-negative materials. Heartland’s drop-in additives help brands and suppliers reduce the cost, weight, and carbon footprint of the materials they use every day.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The importance of materials for sustainability
  • Why Heartland chose to provide carbon-negative additives rather than complete materials
  • Why tracking Scope 3 emissions is so difficult, but so critical
  • How Heartland’s additives ended up in automotive packaging
  • How sustainability can be embedded in our lives, outside of transportation

Links:

Bio

Jesse is the founder and CEO of Heartland, a leader in high-performance carbon-negative materials. Heartland’s drop-in additives help brands and suppliers reduce the cost, weight, and carbon footprint of the materials they use every day.

Previously, Jesse was a National Speaker for Tony Robbins and Chief of Staff at Intersection Capital. Earlier in his career, he wrote a book titled “The Millennial Merger: How to Sell, Manage, Empathize, and Communicate in a Multi-Generational Workforce.” He also did a TEDx Talk titled “The Theory of Success.” Jesse graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Sales from Florida State University.

Heartland Bio

Heartland is a material science company that manufactures hemp fibers as additives for plastics. Their team helps manufacturers reduce their scope 3 emissions by using high-performance carbon-negative additives in raw materials and packaging. As an industrial hemp material processor, they work with farmers and manufacturers to ensure the product consistency of natural fibers that can be used across raw material supply chains. Heartland's materials help companies manufacture stronger, lighter, cheaper, and more sustainable products.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Nov 19, 202352:33
#181 – Kelly Senecal | Life Cycle Analysis Mistakes, E-fuels, Decarbonization & Our Eclectric Future

#181 – Kelly Senecal | Life Cycle Analysis Mistakes, E-fuels, Decarbonization & Our Eclectric Future

Dr. Kelly Senecal is a co-founder and owner of Convergent Science and one of the original developers of CONVERGE, an industry-leading computational fluid dynamics software.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • How Kelly has helped to shape the Future of Mobility podcast
  • How the mobility world has evolved since Kelly’s 2021 book
  • Why Life Cycle Analysis can be so misleading
  • The importance of being prepared for several potential future states
  • Why a single technology isn’t the answer for decarbonization
  • How to share unpopular opinions, and why the courage to do so is so important

Links:

MobilityNotes

https://mobilitynotes.com/

Bio

Dr. Kelly Senecal is a co-founder and owner of Convergent Science and one of the original developers of CONVERGE, an industry-leading computational fluid dynamics software. He is a visiting professor at the University of Oxford, an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a co-founder and director of the Computational Chemistry Consortium (C3). Dr. Senecal is a Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He is vice chair of the executive committee of the ASME Internal Combustion Engine Division, a member of the board of advisors for the Central States Section of the Combustion Institute, and the 2019 recipient of the ASME ICE Award.

Dr. Senecal has long been an advocate of creating cleaner propulsion systems, with a particular focus on using CFD and HPC to enable faster design. Starting with his TEDx talk in late 2016, he has promoted a diverse mix of transportation technologies through invited talks, articles, and social media. Dr. Senecal is co-author of the book Racing Toward Zero: The Untold Story of Driving Green, winner of the 2022 Independent Press Award for Environment.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Nov 12, 202351:20
#180 – Sam Shapiro | Grounded – Electric Outdoor Recreation, 250-Mile Range in an EV Campervan & a Scrappy Startup

#180 – Sam Shapiro | Grounded – Electric Outdoor Recreation, 250-Mile Range in an EV Campervan & a Scrappy Startup

Sam Shapiro is a technologist and entrepreneur who is leading the charge to an electric future for the outdoor recreation industry.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Sam’s path from a tech company, to a DIY camper build, and ultimately Grounded
  • Why electric is the right choice for a camper van
  • Grounded’s recent 1500-mile road trip in their G2
  • An electric trailer, and Grounded’s future plans
  • Why Grounded is taking a scrappy approach to growth, rooted in grit, ownership, and sustainability

Links:

Bio

Sam Shapiro is a technologist and entrepreneur who is leading the charge to an electric future for the outdoor recreation industry. Before founding Grounded, Shapiro worked as a Senior Software Engineer at SpaceX, where he wrote embedded software for Starlink hardware. Prior to SpaceX, Sam was a Product Engineering Manager for TripleLift, where he incubated new product lines for the company before it was acquired by Vista Equity Partners for $1.4 billion.

About Grounded

Grounded is a team of ex-SpaceX engineers building the future of outdoor recreation. Our mission is to create vehicles and technology that give people the freedom and self-reliance to live, work, and explore anywhere, sustainably integrated with nature. We just launched the 250-mile range G2 electric campervan, which we're now shipping to customers. Next year we plan to launch an electric, light-weight aerodynamic towable RV trailer.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Nov 05, 202357:05
#179 – BJ Birtwell | Electrify Expo – The Premier EV Festival & Selling to the Masses

#179 – BJ Birtwell | Electrify Expo – The Premier EV Festival & Selling to the Masses

BJ Birtwell is the founder and executive producer of Electrify Expo, North America’s largest electric vehicle festival.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The importance of promoting EVs to get to the masses
  • Why we’re past the early adopters phase of EVs
  • Creating the best possible electric vehicle expo
  • Designing experiences that make an impact
  • The connection between excitement and sustainability

Links

Bio

BJ Birtwell is the founder and executive producer of Electrify Expo, North America’s largest electric vehicle festival. With more than 25 years of experiential, production and advertising expertise and a life-long interest in car culture, he has taken his passion for electric vehicles to drive EV adoption across North America. Birtwell created Electrify Expo in 2019 as a multi-city US festival and flagship destination for consumers to experience the thrill of going electric. Prior to Electrify Expo, Birtwell established himself as a leader in experiential marketing serving as CEO for The Armory, an advertising agency specializing in events and social media, and producing television programming for Discovery, Fox Sports and NBC Sports. During his career, Birtwell also ran a marketing division at Chrysler and later assisted in the production of a nationwide concert series, working alongside talents such as Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Lil Wayne, Ludacris and other billboard-topping acts.

About Electrify Expo

Electrify Expo is North America's largest outdoor electric vehicle festival showcasing the latest technology and products in electrification including startup and legacy EVs, electric motorcycles, bikes, scooters, skateboards, boats, surfboards and more. The festival addresses one of the most challenging barriers to mass adoption of electric vehicles - first hand experience with the product - with meaningful demonstrations and test rides. Top brands from around the world exhibit and attend Electrify Expo’s events to meet consumers at all stages on their path to electrification

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/ brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Oct 29, 202337:00
#178 – Carter Li | SWTCH – Effective EV Charging Solutions for Multifamily & Commercial Properties

#178 – Carter Li | SWTCH – Effective EV Charging Solutions for Multifamily & Commercial Properties

Carter Li is the Chief Executive Officer at SWTCH where he leads business strategy and planning. SWTCH is pioneering EV charging solutions for multifamily, commercial, and workplace properties across North America.
Key topics in this conversation include:

The importance of reliable charging solutions for multifamily housing and workplaces
Why extended charging opportunities at home are so important
How SWTCH assures that charging schedules and reservations and followed
How to choose and deploy the right charging solutions for a given property
Why charging is a software challenge

Links:

Show notes:
brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/carterli


SWTCH
website: swtchenergy.com/
SWTCH LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/15219354/admin/feed/posts/
Carter's
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/carter-li/

Bio:
Carter Li is the Chief Executive Officer at SWTCH where he leads business strategy and planning. For his work at SWTCH, Carter was awarded the Lieutenant Governor's Visionaries Prize in Scientific and Technological Innovation. Prior to SWTCH, Carter was a Senior Consultant at Deloitte in their energy practice. At Deloitte, he led international teams in digital strategy and transformation projects for energy, financial services, and healthcare companies across three continents. Carter is a board member of the Ontario Clean Technology Industry Association and of Electric Mobility Canada. Carter attended McGill University for his BSc and PhD and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business for his MBA.
About SWTCH
Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with offices in Brooklyn and Boston, SWTCH is pioneering EV charging solutions for multifamily, commercial, and workplace properties across North America. SWTCH leverages the latest technology available to help building owners and operators deploy EV charging by tapping into their existing grid infrastructure. Through constant innovation and an extensive partnership network, SWTCH provides the most profitable and unique business model for multi-tenant buildings to stay competitive
Future of Mobility:
The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.
linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/
brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/
Oct 22, 202346:32
#177 – Matt Soule | Parallel System – The Future of Freight Rail with Electric & Autonomous Vehicles

#177 – Matt Soule | Parallel System – The Future of Freight Rail with Electric & Autonomous Vehicles

Matt Soule is the Co-founder & CEO of Parallel Systems, a company developing autonomous, battery-electric rail vehicles to move more trucking activity to rail.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • How the US freight rail system works
  • The challenges with traditional train architectures
  • Why freight rail isn’t traditionally as timely or reliable as other means of transportation
  • How Parallel Systems is shaking up this system
  • The wide-ranging benefits of deploying battery electric vehicles for freight rail

Links:

Bio:

Matt Soule is the Co-founder & CEO of Parallel Systems, a company developing autonomous, battery-electric rail vehicles to move more trucking activity to rail. The company is driven by its mission to decarbonize freight by building a cleaner, automated rail future. Parallel will achieve this by enabling railroads to open terminals for less and operate new transportation services alongside traditional freight trains.

Matt has extensive experience using advanced technologies to disrupt established industries. Previously, he spent 13 years at SpaceX in various roles including Head of Avionics where he led a department of 300 people in the design and testing of space electronics. Prior to that, he held various engineering roles at Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. Matt received a Master of Science in electrical engineering from University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Northwestern University.

About Parallel

Parallel Systems is reimagining the historic rail industry with innovative software and hardware. Founded in 2020 by a group of former SpaceX engineers, the company has created autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles to move freight cleaner, faster, safer, and more cost effectively than traditional trains or trucks. The company aims to increase the utilization of today’s rail network by converting some of the $700 billion U.S. trucking business to rail. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, the company’s mission is to decarbonize freight by building a cleaner, automated rail future.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Oct 15, 202352:43
#176 – Milan Kocic | Hexagon – Innovation, Start-up Acceleration & Sixth Sense

#176 – Milan Kocic | Hexagon – Innovation, Start-up Acceleration & Sixth Sense

Milan Kocic is the founder and head of Hexagon's Sixth Sense accelerator program and open innovation platform.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Why most corporate attempts to work with startups fail
  • How Hexagon’s Sixth Sense was designed to foster mutually beneficial outcomes
  • How Milan thinks about innovation
  • The importance of real world experience (and not just books or theoretical learning)
  • The most promising trends for manufacturing intelligence

Links:

Bio:

With over 25 years of experience in advanced manufacturing, Milan Kocic is the founder and head of Hexagon's Sixth Sense accelerator program and open innovation platform. His mission is to create an environment where startups can explore possibilities for growth with Hexagon’s vast network of products, services, and customers. Milan has spent the last 15 years bringing many innovative new Hexagon products and services like PULSE and MyCare to market. He owns more than 30 patents in many different areas of advanced manufacturing.

Company Description

Sixth Sense is a startup accelerator and open innovation platform where ambitious, scaling start-ups can connect with world-class companies to find scale and solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Oct 08, 202350:39
#175 – Grace Donnelly | Climate Tech VC - Climate Tech Funding Trends, Marine Decarbonization & Fuels

#175 – Grace Donnelly | Climate Tech VC - Climate Tech Funding Trends, Marine Decarbonization & Fuels

Grace Donnelly is executive editor for Climate Tech VC. Grace previously appeared on Episode 117 of the Future of Mobility podcast: https://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/gracedonnelly/

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Climate tech funding trends from the first half of 2023
  • How CTVC provides value for their customer base and reader base
  • Marine decarbonization
  • Decarbonized fuels

Links:

About Grace & CTVC

Grace Donnelly is a journalist and executive editor of Climate Tech VC (CTVC), a free newsletter that delivers data-driven insights on investments and advancements in technologies aimed at decarbonizing the economy and combating climate change to ~60,000 investors and innovators in climate tech two times per week. She previously covered climate tech for Morning Brew's Emerging Tech Brew newsletter, wrote about transportation at the Atlanta Business Chronicle, and worked as a data reporter at Fortune Magazine.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Oct 01, 202354:51
#174 – Nils Alstad & Torkel Danielsson | Phantom Auto – Latency, Remote Driving, Forklifts & More

#174 – Nils Alstad & Torkel Danielsson | Phantom Auto – Latency, Remote Driving, Forklifts & More

Nils Alstad is Chief Product Officer and Torkel Danielsson General Manager and Director of Product Management for Video Streaming at Phantom Auto, a pioneering Silicon Valley-based firm that specializes in the remote operation of vehicles ranging from forklifts and trucks to robots.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The challenge of latency, and why latency is such a critical issue for teleoperation
  • How Phantom Auto enables safe and effective remote operation
  • Applications to forklifts, yard trucks, and more
  • How remote operation helps with workplace accessibility and equality
  • The role of teleoperation as material handling and logistics becomes increasingly automated

Links:

Nils Bio:

Nils Alstad is Chief Product Officer at Phantom Auto. Before Phantom Auto, Nils was the Vice President of Customer Experience at Canvas Technology, a leading warehouse autonomous robotics startup that was acquired by Amazon in 2019. At Amazon, Nils led the Canvas Customer Operations teams, including product management for all remote support tools and interfaces. Nils has over 15 years of experience leading Operations teams across four continents. Nils acts as an advisor to technology startups.

Torkel Bio:

Torkel Danielsson is the General Manager and Director of Product Management - Video Streaming at Phantom Auto. Before his current role, Torkel co-founded Voysys AB, a trailblazing company in real-time video, VR, and teleoperation software. His extensive background encompasses software development, entrepreneurship, product development, and more, with a keen specialization in real-time systems.

Company description

Phantom Auto specializes in remote operation of all logistics vehicles. Phantom’s human-centric interoperable solutions enable people to remotely supervise, assist, and drive vehicle fleets from up to thousands of miles away – including forklifts, robots, trucks, and more.

By decoupling labor from location, the company increases labor access and retention, safety, productivity, and resilience across the supply chain. With Phantom, top-tier customers in the logistics sector can tap into drivers from anywhere — connecting people who want to work with jobs that need to be filled.

The company’s proprietary software delivers secure, low-latency communication over volatile wireless networks for reliable sensor streaming and safe vehicle control.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Sep 24, 202351:19
#173 – Vinay Shet | Teleo – Autonomy & Remote Operation for Heavy Equipment

#173 – Vinay Shet | Teleo – Autonomy & Remote Operation for Heavy Equipment

Vinay Shet is co-founder and CEO of Teleo, who is revolutionizing the construction industry by retrofitting traditional heavy equipment with autonomous and remote-operated technology to create supervised autonomous machines.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The challenging labor shortage for operating heavy equipment
  • How Teleo blends teleoperations and autonomy
  • The types of problems that Teleo solves for their customers

Links:

Short bio:

As Teleo’s co-founder and CEO, Vinay Shet is responsible for setting the strategic vision of the company and putting in place the elements needed to bring that vision to life. He previously was Director of Product Management at Lyft Level 5 leading the Mapping, Data, and Knowledge efforts for Lyft’s self-driving car initiative.

Before Lyft, Vinay was at Google leading Product Management for Google Street View, Google Maps, and Google reCAPTCHA, products that are used by millions of people worldwide. At Google, he led the team that pioneered the use of machine learning to create maps data from Google Street View and Aerial Imagery. Additionally, he was also one of the creators of Google reCAPTCHA’s “I’m not a robot” CAPTCHA.

Vinay has a Ph.D. in Computer Science focusing on Computer Vision from the University of Maryland, College Park and was a Scientist at Siemens Corporate Research, focused on Machine Learning and Computer Vision, for several years post-Ph.D. He has published over 20 papers and has over 25 issued/pending patents.

Company description

Teleo is revolutionizing the construction industry by retrofitting traditional heavy equipment with autonomous and remote-operated technology to create supervised autonomous machines. The Teleo Supervised Autonomy technology lets contractors operate existing heavy equipment without an operator in the cab, letting a single person control multiple pieces of equipment from a remote desk. This increases productivity, safety, and operator satisfaction—critical challenges in the construction industry. Teleo is backed by UP.Partners, Trucks Venture Capital, F-Prime Capital, K9 Ventures, YCombinator and a host of industry luminaries.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Sep 17, 202329:47
#172 – Kerry Renaud | WHILL – Autonomous Personal Mobility & Accessibility

#172 – Kerry Renaud | WHILL – Autonomous Personal Mobility & Accessibility

Kerry Renaud is CEO and managing director for WHILL & Scootaround North America. WHILL connects the world with personal transportation solutions and now provides autonomous mobility services for individuals with limited mobility, offered at airports and select public spaces around the world.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The importance of personal mobility
  • The challenge of providing freedom and mobility in large facilities, such as airports
  • The roots of Scootaround and acquisition by WHILL
  • The technology innovations enabling autonomous power chairs
  • What Kerry has learned in the entertainment, zoo, and mobility industries

Links:

Short bio:

Kerry Renaud is CEO & Managing Director for WHILL & Scootaround North America, a full-service personal mobility management company providing assistive device rentals to traveling individuals at their point of destination at hotels, convention centers, airports, hospitals, cruise ships, and large-scale events across North America and at ports worldwide. Kerry is responsible for corporate oversight of all operations in North America. Prior to his 17-year tenure with Scootaround, Kerry was the Director of an 1100-acre Canadian Zoo and previously served as Owner/President of a large-scale entertainment production company specializing in stadium concert production and artist management.

Company description

WHILL Inc. connects the world with personal transportation solutions. In addition to designing and selling mobility vehicles, WHILL provides Mobility-as-a-Service, offering autonomous and manual transportation services that make public spaces such as airports, hospitals, and vacation destinations more accessible. WHILL provides products and services in more than 20 countries and regions worldwide.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Sep 10, 202358:53
#171 – Corey Clothier | ARIBO – Effective AV Deployments & The Current State of AV Tech

#171 – Corey Clothier | ARIBO – Effective AV Deployments & The Current State of AV Tech

Corey is an automated mobility strategist, global thought leader, and innovator who is focused on commercialization strategies for the future of mobility and AV systems.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Where autonomous vehicles can provide meaningful benefits today
  • How to effectively vet AV companies and technology
  • The promise of campus applications for AVs
  • The right types of problems that can be solved by autonomy

Links:

Bio:

Corey is an automated mobility strategist, global thought leader, and innovator who is focused on commercialization strategies for the future of mobility and AV systems. He has more than 14 years of product and business development experience in AVs, and he has led product development and deployment strategy for startups, auto OEMs, defense, transit companies, major cities, insurance companies, and global entertainment companies.

Corey's main goal and passion is building AV programs and partnerships. This is why he founded GenerationAV in 2020, and has worked with 25 AV companies on over 50 projects. His work ranges from grocery delivery pilots to testing emerging technologies at airports, transit integration to military applications, and everything in between. He is actively reshaping mobility within our communities.

Corey co-developed the US Army's Applied Robotics for Installation and Base Operations program, and is working on several first-of-their-kind projects for deploying automated mobility worldwide under the new rebooted ARIBO mission. He is also the current Chair of ITS America's Advisory Committee on Automated Vehicles, where he works with other industry leaders to globally advance the creation of AV best practices.

ARIBO overview:

ARIBO is your ultimate partner for navigating the world of autonomous vehicles. We cover everything from planning to deployment. We're among the first to develop planning and safety tools for AVs. With our experienced team, we help you build a solid plan, check its feasibility, manage risks, ensure safety, and successfully test and launch AV systems. ARIBO has unmatched expertise to guide you through the entire AV planning and deployment process.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Sep 03, 202351:49
#170 – Larry Burns | Accessibility, Mass, Speed & The Keys to a Safer Future

#170 – Larry Burns | Accessibility, Mass, Speed & The Keys to a Safer Future

Larry Burns is a pioneer in the electrified and automated vehicle space, highly successful industry veteran, and author of Autonomy: The Quest to Build the Driverless Car – And How It Will Reshape Our World. Larry joins the Future of Mobility podcast for a second time, previously appearing on Episode 93: https://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/larryburns/

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The true objective for transportation, and why we buy cars
  • Why accessibility trumps speed
  • The need to get the crash out of the system and get the mass out of the system
  • What automakers have missed over the past few decades
  • How we can create a safer transportation ecosystem
  • Why Larry is so optimistic about the future

Links:

Larry’s Bio:

Larry Burns advises organizations on the future of mobility, logistics, manufacturing, energy and innovation. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Niron Magnetics. His current clients include Kitson & Partners, Nanoramic Laboratories, Neural Propulsion Systems and Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE).

Larry served as General Motors Corporate Vice President of Research & Development and Planning from 1998-2009. After leaving GM, Larry has been a Professor of Engineering Practice at the University of Michigan, the Director of the Program for Sustainable Mobility at Columbia University, a consultant to Google Self-Driving Cars/Waymo and an advisor to several major companies.

Larry is the author of Autonomy: The Quest to Build the Driverless Car—And How It Will Reshape Our World (with Christopher Shulgan and published by Ecco / HarperCollins on August 28, 2018).

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Aug 27, 202301:05:17
#169 – Dakota Semler | Xos – Electric Trucks, Charging Infrastructure & Fleet Electrification

#169 – Dakota Semler | Xos – Electric Trucks, Charging Infrastructure & Fleet Electrification

Dakota Semler is the Chief Executive Officer of Xos, a Los Angeles-based technology company, fleet services provider, and manufacturer of Class 5 through Class 8 battery-electric vehicles.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The true driving forces for fleets to adopt electric vehicles
  • The challenges of fleet electrification
  • Why Xos is providing the Xos Hub as a stopgap to solve charging infrastructure challenges
  • The importance of focus
  • Building a customer-centric organization
  • What Dakota has learned while leading Xos

Links:

Bio

Dakota Semler is the Chief Executive Officer of Xos, a Los Angeles-based technology company, fleet services provider, and manufacturer of Class 5 through Class 8 battery-electric vehicles. Xos’ mission is to decarbonize commercial transportation with the most durable trucking technology available. Dakota has been in the transportation and trucking industry for more than a decade and grew up working on his family’s fleet business. He came up with the idea for Xos to solve the exact challenge he faced as a fleet operator: to create a cost-effective, durable, and reliable electric vehicle that achieves the same, or better, performance benchmarks of an existing diesel vehicle—without compromising the air we breathe. Since 2018, Xos has deployed hundreds of its 100% battery-electric vehicles with leading fleets within parcel delivery, cash-in-transit, beverage distribution, and linen and textile services. Dakota was named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Manufacturing & Industry In 2019.

About Xos:

Xos is a leading manufacturer of fully electric, zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, powertrain components, and charging infrastructure. The company was founded in 2016 by Dakota Semler and Giordano Sordoni, two former fleet owners and operators, who sought to build an electric vehicle to solve the issues they were facing first-hand around increasing emissions regulations and the rising costs of maintenance and diesel. Xos’ mission is to decarbonize commercial transportation and facilitate a seamless transition for fleet owners from traditional internal combustion engines to fully-electric vehicles. Its proprietary battery system, the X-Pack, and modular chassis, the X-Platform, are purpose-built for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles in the last-mile sector. The fleet-as-a-service offering provides customers with a comprehensive suite of products and services, such as vehicle maintenance and purchase financing, to help fleets more easily make the transition from diesel to electric.

Xos vehicles have been in use by commercial fleets since 2018 and are currently operated by multiple Fortune 500 companies. Notable customers include FedEx ISPs, Loomis, UniFirst, and Wiggins Lift Co. to name a few. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, where its battery packs are built in-house, and has additional manufacturing facilities in Tennessee and Mexico, with more to come in the near future. In August 2021, the company went public and now trades on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol, XOS.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Aug 20, 202356:56
#168 – Quincy Lee | Electric Era – Meeting Growing Energy Demands & Above the Grid Charging

#168 – Quincy Lee | Electric Era – Meeting Growing Energy Demands & Above the Grid Charging

Quincy Lee is the CEO and Founder of Electric Era

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The importance of reliability for EV charging
  • Electric load growth and our broken electric grid
  • The hardware and software design details of Electric Era’s PowerNode
  • The nationwide virtual power plant that Electric Era plans to build
  • How Quincy thinks about hiring and leadership

Links:

Bio

Quincy Lee is the CEO and Founder of Electric Era. Prior to founding Electric Era he was a mechanical engineer at SpaceX where spent 7 years working on the Dragon Spacecraft, Falcon 9 rocket and Starlink constellation. He oversaw the global deployment of the Gateway ground station program for SpaceX Starlink. He was an All American and Olympic Trial qualifying swimmer for the Ohio State University.

About Electric Era:

Electric Era is building the future of car refill for the next generation of drivers with PowerNode, a battery backed and software optimized EV fast charging station designed for convenience stores and gas stations modernizing for the 21st century.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Aug 13, 202354:40
#167 – Allen Schaeffer | Diesel Technology Forum – Diesel as a Critical Piece of our Transportation Future

#167 – Allen Schaeffer | Diesel Technology Forum – Diesel as a Critical Piece of our Transportation Future

Allen Schaeffer is Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum, a not-for profit educational organization of global leaders in advanced diesel engine, equipment, and fuels technology

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Why diesel is a necessary part of our transportation and energy future
  • The latest technologies that have made diesel engines far more efficient and environmentally friendly
  • Renewable diesel
  • Diesel Technology Forum’s goals as an educational organization

Links:

● Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/allenschaeffer

https://www.linkedin.com/in/allen-schaeffer-8ba14612/

● https://dieselforum.org/

● https://dieselforum.org/news--resources/posts/57percent-of-all-commercial-diesel-trucks-on-the-roads-are-near-zero-emissions-models

Bio

Allen Schaeffer is Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum, a not-for profit educational organization of global leaders in advanced diesel engine, equipment, and fuels technology. The Forum’s work focuses on the sustainability of advanced diesel technology in a wide range of applications including commercial vehicle, power generation, marine, rail, construction, and other industrial applications. Schaeffer has helped lead the group since its founding in 2000. He is the forum’s primary spokesperson, and has appeared in reports by The Associated Press, The New York Times, and Automotive News, among others.

He has more than 30 years of experience working with environmental and public health issues, as well as transportation, climate, and energy policy.

About Diesel Technology Forum:

The Diesel Technology Forum is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the current and future role of diesel engines, equipment, and fuels. Forum members are leaders in advanced diesel technology, emissions controls, as well as petroleum-based and renewable biofuels. For more information please explore our website.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Aug 06, 202353:12
#166 – Marc Buncher | Siemens Mobility – The Role of Rail for More Sustainable & Effective Movement of Goods & People

#166 – Marc Buncher | Siemens Mobility – The Role of Rail for More Sustainable & Effective Movement of Goods & People

Marc Buncher is the President and CEO of Siemens Mobility North America.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Why rail plays a key role in improving transportation in the coming years
  • The path to widespread transit rail in the US by 2030
  • Improvements for freight rail
  • The potential for hydrogen fuel cells and electrification
  • Accessibility for transit rail

Links:

● Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/marcbuncher

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-buncher-6a711622/

● Siemens Mobility: https://www.mobility.siemens.com/us/en.html

● HSR: https://www.mobility.siemens.com/us/en/trends/high-speed-rail-in-us.html

● Hydrogen: https://www.mobility.siemens.com/global/en/portfolio/rail/rolling-stock/commuter-and-regional-trains/mireo/mireo-plus-h.html#:~:text=The%20hydrogen%20fleet%20will%20be,term%20of%20the%20transport%20contract.

● Signalling: https://www.mobility.siemens.com/us/en/portfolio/rail/automation/signaling-on-board-and-crossing-products.html

Bio

Marc Buncher is the President and CEO of Siemens Mobility North America. With more than 4,000 employees and more than 30 facilities across the United States and Canada. Buncher is responsible for overseeing the company’s growth within the region. This includes the leadership of five business segments: rolling stock, rail signaling and electrification, turnkey projects, maintenance and aftermarket parts and software solutions.

Under Buncher’s leadership, the organization has seen tremendous gains in growth and market share. This includes the largest order in the company’s 160 years it’s been doing business within the U.S., with a $2.4 billion contract from Amtrak to design, manufacture and technically support the new Amtrak Airo fleet. It also includes a recent announcement of a $220 million investment into a new east coast rail manufacturing and service hub in Lexington, Carolina.

Buncher has spent the last 30 years of his career serving the rail and transit industry. He has built up an extensive background of rail and transit acquisitions.

About Siemens Mobility, North America

Siemens Mobility is a separately managed company of Siemens AG. As a leader in transport solutions for more than 175 years, Siemens Mobility is constantly innovating its portfolio. Its core areas include rolling stock, rail automation and electrification, a comprehensive software portfolio, turnkey systems as well as related services. With digital products and solutions, Siemens Mobility is enabling mobility operators worldwide to make infrastructure intelligent, increase value sustainably over the entire lifecycle, enhance passenger experience and guarantee availability. In fiscal year 2022, which ended on September 30, 2022, Siemens Mobility posted revenue of €9.7 billion and had around 38,200 employees worldwide.

For more than 160 years, Siemens has been an integral provider of infrastructure, electrification, and transportation solutions in the United States. From the first light rail vehicles that were delivered to San Diego, California to the 30,000 rail crossings across America, Siemens Mobility has contributed to the power of connection, jobs and investment to our American cities with eight manufacturing facilities, nearly 4,000 employees, and more than 2,000 suppliers across the United States.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Jul 30, 202345:13
#165 – Siyu Huang | Factorial Energy – Solid State Batteries & The Journey to Scale a Game Changing Technology

#165 – Siyu Huang | Factorial Energy – Solid State Batteries & The Journey to Scale a Game Changing Technology

Dr. Siyu Huang is the co-founder and CEO of Factorial and its heritage company Lionano.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The fundamentals of solid state batteries
  • The technical innovations enabling Factorial’s success
  • How Factorial is approaching commercialization
  • Factorial’s development with global OEMs including Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai Motor Company

Links:

● Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/siyuhuang

● https://factorialenergy.com/

● https://www.linkedin.com/in/siyu-huang-6b126412/

Bio

Dr. Siyu Huang is the co-founder and CEO of Factorial and its heritage company Lionano. Dr. Huang is a passionate proponent of the clean energy revolution and believes that innovative battery technology will usher in a new age of EV performance and increased battery storage capabilities for any industry. Factorial has joint development partnership agreements with Stellantis, Hyundai, and Mercedes Benz. Dr. Huang received her Ph.D. in Chemistry and MBA from Cornell University and Cornell Johnson School of Management.

About Factorial

Based in Woburn, Massachusetts, Factorial Energy is developing breakthrough solid-state batteries that offer longer range per charge and increased safety and aim to be cost-competitive with conventional lithium-ion batteries. The company’s proprietary FEST® (Factorial Electrolyte System Technology) leverages a solid electrolyte material, which has the potential to enable safe and reliable cell performance with high-capacity cathode and anode materials. FEST® has been scaled in 40Ah cells, works at room temperature, and is compatible with existing lithium-ion battery manufacturing equipment. The company has entered into joint development agreements with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai Motor Company.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Jul 23, 202343:26
#164 – Scott Davidson | Revolv – Effective & Intelligent Fleet EV Adoption

#164 – Scott Davidson | Revolv – Effective & Intelligent Fleet EV Adoption

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The most promising use cases and applications for fleet EV adoption
  • Why BEVs aren’t the right solution for all situations
  • The importance of intelligent BEV introduction and utilization
  • Revolv’s unique business model
  • How the BEV industry today is similar to the solar industry 10 years ago

Links:

Bio

As the CEO of Revolv, Scott Davidson is simplifying corporate fleet EV adoption by offering customized, full-service solutions. A clean energy veteran, Scott previously spent over a decade helping corporates to adopt solar.

About Revolv

Revolv provides full-service electric fleet solutions delivering uptime, savings and zero-emission miles.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Jul 16, 202301:01:25
#163 – Jake Hall | The Manufacturing Millennial – Technology & Education for the Future of Automotive Manufacturing

#163 – Jake Hall | The Manufacturing Millennial – Technology & Education for the Future of Automotive Manufacturing

With Jake’s personal brand, the “Manufacturing Millennial,” he has created an audience of 70,000+ followers with over 80 million views on social media.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • How and why Jake became the Manufacturing Millennial
  • The importance of manufacturing as we strive for safer and more sustainable mobility solutions
  • The most promising technologies in the manufacturing space
  • Where automation makes the most sense
  • How we can use education and awareness to inspire the next generation of skilled manufacturing workers

Links:

Bio

Jake Hall is the Manufacturing Millennial. With over a decade of experience working with manufacturers, system integrators, and distributors in the manufacturing and automation industry, he understands the importance of advocating smart automation, robotics, and skilled trades. But more importantly, he recognizes the need and demand for companies and organizations to begin attracting and mentoring the future skilled workforce of upcoming generations.

With Jake’s personal brand, the “Manufacturing Millennial,” he has created an audience of 70,000+ followers with over 80 million views on social media. But Jake’s advocacy doesn’t stop online; he has given dozens of high-energy keynote presentations discussing the future of our manufacturing industry and how it needs to change through technology, culture, and workforce.

When Jake isn’t advocating manufacturing, you’ll find him at a Chicago Cubs game, smoking BBQ, fishing, or building Lego with his two daughters.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Jul 09, 202355:09
#162 – Raj Iyer & Jason Coffman | Deloitte – Risk Mitigation & Electrification Strategies for Automotive Suppliers

#162 – Raj Iyer & Jason Coffman | Deloitte – Risk Mitigation & Electrification Strategies for Automotive Suppliers

Raj Iyer is a managing director within Deloitte’s M&A and Restructuring practice and Jason Coffman is the US Automotive Supplier lead within Deloitte’s US Automotive practice overseeing Consulting, Advisory, Tax, and Audit functions.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Key findings from Deloitte’s 2023 Supplier Study
  • Their automotive supplier strategic option framework
  • Where existing suppliers should look to expand, defend, and pivot
  • The most attractive places for long term success for suppliers in the electrification space
  • Risk mitigation so suppliers can excel in a wide range of future scenarios

Links:

Bios:

Jason Coffman

Jason Coffman is the US Automotive Supplier lead within Deloitte’s US Automotive practice overseeing our Consulting, Advisory, Tax, and Audit functions. Jason has over three decades of industry experience and has been an integral part of shaping Deloitte’s recent 2023 Supplier Study and key offerings around self-funded application modernization and broader enterprise transformations tied to electrification. He is based out of Detroit.

Raj Iyer

Raj Iyer is a managing director within Deloitte’s M&A and Restructuring practice. With over 20 years of combined industry and consulting experience, Raj focuses on the automotive and industrial products sector. He has led and delivered many complex cross-border transactions, joint ventures, and has deep experience in serial transactions, carve-outs and operating model restructuring. He is based out of Detroit.

About Deloitte

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world’s most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500® and more than 7,000 private companies. Our people come together for the greater good and work across the industry sectors that drive and shape today’s marketplace — delivering measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to see challenges as opportunities to transform and thrive, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthier society. Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them. Building on more than 175 years of service, our network of member firms spans more than 150 countries and territories.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Jul 02, 202301:01:39
#161 – Josh Berg | Magna Technology Investments – Leadership, Navigating a Corporate Career & Growing a Start-up

#161 – Josh Berg | Magna Technology Investments – Leadership, Navigating a Corporate Career & Growing a Start-up

Josh Berg is Managing Director of Magna Technology Investments at Magna International. In this role, Berg oversees all direct investments, governance, portfolio management, and partnerships with startup companies, VC funds, accelerators and incubators.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • Vertical and horizontal career building
  • Prioritization, inspiration, and motivation
  • The #1 test to determine if you’re a good leader
  • The four things all founders need to do well
  • How to determine where you excel and where you need help

Links:

Josh’s Bio:

Josh Berg joined Magna in April, 2019. He currently serves as the Managing Director of Magna Technology Investments at Magna International. In this role, Berg oversees all direct investments, governance, portfolio management, and partnerships with startup companies, VC funds, accelerators and incubators.

Prior to joining Magna, Berg started his journey as a complex civil litigation Attorney at a prestigious boutique law firm in Southeast Michigan. In 2010, he joined General Motors as a Public Policy Manager. In that role he oversaw legislative and regulatory issues in the area of telematics and connected technologies working directly with Public Officials on behalf of GM. Soon after, OnStar’s COO recruited Berg to oversee Sales Operation where he successfully managed a large team, more than $1B in annual revenue and a dynamic customer experience. After rounding out his operations experience, Berg was asked to join GM Ventures as a Partner for GM’s corporate venture capital arm. He spent 3 years at GMV, where he experienced tremendous success, including 6 investments, 2 notable exits and multiple successful production commercial agreements between the startup companies and corresponding business units at General Motors.

Berg holds a bachelor of arts in political theory and constitutional democracy from the James Madison College at Michigan State University. His Juris Doctor is from Wayne State University School of Law. He is a member of the Epsilon Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, a proud mentor for Winning Futures, and active member of the Detroit Economic Club, having formerly served as a founding board member of the young leader wing of the club. Berg is on the Advisory Committee for Michigan Rise, a State of Michigan funded, early-stage venture capital fund. He is also the Managing Partner for Look Around Ventures, a pre-seed angel investment group that makes early-stage investments in areas unrelated to his work at Magna. Berg has backpacked in 28 countries around the world and enjoys traveling with his wife and 2 children.

About Magna

Magna is more than one of the world’s largest suppliers in the automotive space. We are a mobility technology company with a global, entrepreneurial-minded team of over 171,000 employees and an organizational structure designed to innovate like a startup. With 65+ years of expertise, and a systems approach to design, engineering and manufacturing that touches nearly every aspect of the vehicle, we are positioned to support advancing mobility in a transforming industry. Our global network includes 341 manufacturing operations and 88 product development, engineering and sales centres spanning 29 countries.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Jun 25, 202301:04:22
#160 – Tyler Cole | Net Zero Carbon – ESG & True Sustainability for Freight and Logistics

#160 – Tyler Cole | Net Zero Carbon – ESG & True Sustainability for Freight and Logistics

Tyler Cole is host of the Net Zero Carbon podcast on FreightWaves. Tyler has sixteen years of commercial experience, with a focus on supply chains, low-carbon fuels, and renewable energy.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The most common drivers for ESG initiatives
  • Why a range of technology solutions are required to make true sustainability impact
  • Common misconceptions about sustainability for freight
  • What Tyler has learned and how he’s grown hosting the Net Zero Carbon podcast

Links:

Tyler’s Bio:

Tyler has sixteen years of commercial experience, with a focus on supply chains, low-carbon fuels, and renewable energy. He has worked cross functionally in a variety of industries and organizations to develop and deliver emission reduction activities to help corporates achieve their climate targets. Experience includes GHG inventory, ESG disclosures, product stewardship, development and delivery of advanced biofuels, compliance and voluntary carbon credits, freight network design, natural gas mobility and power generation, and digital emissions monitoring tools.

Tyler is an active collaborator with several climate-focused NGOs and startup accelerators, host of the FreightWaves podcast Net-Zero Carbon, and contributes to several ESG-focused publications.

Tyler holds a BS in business administration from the University of Tennessee, a Micro master’s in supply chain engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing an MLA in sustainability from Harvard Extension School.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Jun 18, 202354:32
#159 – Gavin Jackson | Oxa – The Operating System for Autonomy & The Best Applications for Self-Driving

#159 – Gavin Jackson | Oxa – The Operating System for Autonomy & The Best Applications for Self-Driving

Gavin Jackson is CEO at Oxa.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • What is means to build the “operating system for autonomy”
  • Oxa’s unique business model and go to market strategy
  • The most promising near-term applications for autonomy
  • How much of ADS software is consistent between applications
  • Oxa’s approach to application-specific development for autonomy

Links:

Gavin’s Bio:

Gavin Jackson is CEO at Oxa. We was previously the Managing Director at Microsoft, and before that the Managing Director of Amazon Web Services, UK & Ireland. Gavin has more than 20 years’ experience working in some of the most prominent technology companies of their time. He spent 10 years in various leadership positions at EMC, and was the EMEA Vice President and General Manager of Cloud Services at VMware before joining Amazon Web Services. Gavin is a mentor to a number of start-up companies and an avid supporter of diversity in technology. Gavin is an alumni of Cranfield Business School and IMD School of Management, and also attended Harvard Business School, majoring in business finance.

About Oxa:

Oxa is accelerating the transition to self-driving technology today. It has developed the software solution for businesses wanting to deploy autonomy into their operations safely, efficiently and reliably. From the virtual testing environment, to the software driving the vehicles and the cloud-based management tools, Oxa helps any business with transportation in its value chain get the most from their fleets. The company has created a platform that can be deployed today across industries including mining, shared passenger transport, and agriculture.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Jun 11, 202301:01:33
#158 - Francesca Favarò | Waymo – Safety for Automated Driving Systems & Waymo’s Approach to Safety

#158 - Francesca Favarò | Waymo – Safety for Automated Driving Systems & Waymo’s Approach to Safety

Francesca Favarò is the Lead for the Safety Best Practices team at Waymo, where she coordinates external engagement with standards developing organizations

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The absence of unreasonable risk for automated driving systems
  • Waymo’s layered approach to safety, including hardware, the ADS behavioral layer, and operations
  • The dynamic approach to safety
  • Waymo’s credible approach to safety
  • The importance of collaboration and a common language amongst the automated driving community
  • IEEE Std 2846 and reasonably foreseeable behaviors of other road users

Links:

● Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/francesafavaro

● https://www.linkedin.com/in/ffavaro3/ 

● Waymo’s safety page: https://waymo.com/safety/

● Waymo’s safety case whitepaper: https://storage.googleapis.com/waymo-uploads/files/documents/safety/Waymo%20Safety%20Case%20Approach.pdf)

Francesca’s Bio:

Francesca Favarò is the Lead for the Safety Best Practices team at Waymo, where she coordinates external engagement with standards developing organizations. Prior to joining Waymo in 2020, she was an Associate Professor at San Jose State University’s Department of Aviation and Technology and a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute. Francesca earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech, and received her M.S. in Space Engineering and B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Milano.

About Waymo:

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they’re going. Since our start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has been focused on building, deploying, and commercializing the World’s Most Experienced Driver™ technology to improve the world's access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo One, the world's first fully autonomous ride-hailing service, as well as Waymo Via, our trucking and local delivery service. To date, Waymo has autonomously driven tens of millions of miles on public roads and tens of billions of miles in simulation, across 13+ U.S. states

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

Jun 04, 202301:02:12
#157 – Michael Wiesinger | Kodiak Robotics – The Path to Commercialization for Autonomous Long-Haul Trucking

#157 – Michael Wiesinger | Kodiak Robotics – The Path to Commercialization for Autonomous Long-Haul Trucking

Michael Wiesinger is the Vice President of Commercialization at Kodiak, and responsible for driving business development and major partnerships, defining Kodiak’s commercial product and deploying it with the mission to optimize value for Kodiak’s customers

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The true value of autonomous long haul trucking
  • How Kodiak is working to address the needs of their partners’ stakeholders
  • The key assumptions that need to hold true for autonomous trucking to take off
  • How Kodiak is helping their partners increase their total capacity
  • The impact of Chris Voss’s Never Split the Difference

Links:

● Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/michaelwiesinger

● https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-wiesinger-ab291590/

● Solutions page - https://kodiak.ai/solutions/

● Gen5 - https://kodiak.ai/news/smarter-faster-just-as-safe/

● 2022 Recap - https://kodiak.ai/news/2022-safety-partners-and-progress/

Michael’s Bio:

Michael Wiesinger is the Vice President of Commercialization at Kodiak, and responsible for driving business development and major partnerships, defining Kodiak’s commercial product and deploying it with the mission to optimize value for Kodiak’s customers. Michael spent most of his career in the automotive and supply chain industries. He worked for Detroit Diesel, a Daimler Truck subsidiary, before he joined BCG, where he focused on strategy, operations and supply chain topics for some of the world’s largest automotive OEMs. Michael was also part of the team that launched Ware2Go, a UPS company, where he built the company’s initial warehouse network and led all supply chain related topics

About Kodiak Robotics:

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 to develop autonomous technology that carries freight forward — so people, partners, and the planet thrive. The company is developing an industry-leading technology stack purpose-built for long-haul trucks, making the freight industry safer and more efficient. Kodiak's unique modular hardware approach integrates sensors into a streamlined sensor-pod structure that optimizes for perception, scalability, and maintainability. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the South, operating autonomously on the highway portions of the routes. Kodiak also leverages its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

May 28, 202359:35
#156 – Gene Berdichevsky | Sila – Deploying a Silicon Anode at Scale for Next Generation Automotive Batteries

#156 – Gene Berdichevsky | Sila – Deploying a Silicon Anode at Scale for Next Generation Automotive Batteries

Gene Berdichevsky is the Co-Founder & CEO of Sila.

Key topics in this conversation include:

  • The importance of a battery technology that can be integrated into existing gigafactories
  • The promise of silicon anodes, and how Sila has overcome the typical challenges faced by this technology
  • Sila’s entry into automotive scale with Mercedes-Benz
  • How Sila is thinking about scaling manufacturing
  • How Gene and Sila have navigated a few “false finishes” over their 12-year history

Links:

● Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/geneberdichevsky

● Company Website: https://www.silanano.com

● Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sila-nanotechnologies-inc-/

● Company Twitter: https://twitter.com/SilaNanotech

● Gene’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/berdichevsky/

Gene’s Bio:

Gene Berdichevsky is the Co-Founder & CEO of Sila. Prior to co-founding Sila, Gene was the seventh employee at Tesla Motors where he served as Principal Engineer on the Roadster battery, leading the development of the world’s first, safe, mass-produced, automotive lithium-ion battery system. Gene holds two degrees from Stanford University; an MS in Engineering with a focus on energy and materials, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He has co-authored over 45 patents and academic publications. Gene has been named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list, the MIT Technology Review 35 Under 35, and was a recipient of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.

About Sila:

Founded in 2011, Sila is a next-generation battery materials company with the mission to power the world’s transition to clean energy. Sila shipped the world’s first commercially available silicon anode for lithium-ion batteries in 2021. Sila’s materials drive battery performance enhancements in consumer electronics devices and will power electric vehicles starting with the Mercedes-Benz G-Class series. Committed to American leadership in clean energy production, Sila is scaling its technology at its manufacturing facility in Moses Lake, Washington.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/

May 21, 202354:26