Anything that Moves

Igino Cafiero of Bear Flag Robotics recounts his entrepreneurial path to autonomous technology for farm tractors, culminating in the company's acquisition by John Deere. Cafiero delves into the pressing issue of labor shortages in agriculture and how autonomy offers a solution without displacing existing labor. He shares the specific technological hurdles involved, such as GPS-denied environments and complex obstacle detection. Finally, Cafiero discusses his current role at John Deere, emphasizing the synergy between startup agility and corporate scale in driving the future of farming, and articulates a vision for autonomy and AI to unlock unprecedented levels of agricultural productivity.

Blake Scholl of Boom Supersonic joins Anything That Moves to discuss the future of supersonic flight: why did it disappear with the last flight of the Concorde? Why is now the time to bring it back? And… despite the name, might supersonic cruise be boomless?After listening, check out the company's first supersonic flight here (and here for those itching for the full two hours.)

Ian Arthurs of Circular joins Anything That Moves to discuss why sourcing and procuring new materials is hard. Why has recycled plastic historically cost more than virgin plastic? Is that "green premium" possibly bridgeable with better data?

Gary Ong of Celadyne cuts through the noise to break down the "why" of hydrogen. What it is hydrogen useful for today, and why has so much hope been pinned on it for tomorrow? What needs to be true for it to be a game changer in the energy economy?

Mike Murphy shares insights from his work at EV Politics on how partisan political affiliations influence EV ownership and adoption dynamics. Mike also delves into the economic, infrastructural, and regulatory challenges facing EV adoption, as well as how seriously to take Chinese competition in the EV market.  If this episode so moves you to buy EV Politics merchandise, Mike has kindly offered listeners a 10% discount at the EV Politics store. Just enter the code MANIV at checkout.

What can be learned from the operational experience of a combined 3.2 million vehicles under management? Join Oana Duma and Zingha Lucien as they dive into the world of commercial fleets, unpacking key insights from Arval and Element's annual (in our opinion, blockbuster) Barometer Report. Discover why electrification of commercial vehicles seems to lag passenger vehicle electrification, what to make of telematics data, and possible contrasts emerging between North American and European markets. Brace yourself for bold perspectives on the future of fleets and some electrifying (forgive us) takes on the place of BEVs in today and tomorrow's commercial fleets.

Venki Padmanabhan joins the podcast to discuss all things manufacturing, supply chain, and labor in the mobility world. So many promises have been in mobility innovation... Venki talks about what is involved in actually building the damn thing. He also suggests a new paradigm for labor relations in the automotive world, and answers whether a sub-$20,000 vehicle is even possible anymore.

Mike Granoff, former Board Director at Better Place... and Maniv's Founding Partner, looks back at the audacious startup that tried - and failed - to spur large-scale vehicle electrification 15 years back. Mike explains the logic behind the startup's battery swap model, and explores why the company declared bankruptcy six years and $850M in investment after its founding. Mike even tackles his decision to back Better Place in place of Tesla's Series B investment round. For bonus Better Place reading, Mike's reflections on the ten year anniversary of the startup's founding can be found here.

Roy Fridman, CEO of ⁠C2A Security⁠, shares a (possibly) contrarian view of automotive cybersecurity: away from disaster prevention and towards product enablement. Roy shares why cybersecurity is not the "world's worst insurance policy" and what shifting in-car value from hardware specs to software capabilities means for players across the automotive value chain.

Steve LeVine, Editor of The Electric and author of The Powerhouse, joins Anything That Moves to talk about the battery supply chain, second life for lithium batteries, and where human psychology meets the charging challenge. Plus: a discussion of why this transition is so tricky for ICE automakers and why it is so hard to take new battery chemistries to market.   A note to our listeners:  You'll forgive Steve and Meir for geeking out with some deep industry battery acronyms – they couldn't help themselves; for the rest of us, here's a glossary of terms. Steve's book, The Powerhouse, is a great resource if you want to dig deeper.  LFP (Lithium-iron-phosphate) – Lower energy density, cheaper than the main alternatives; in theory, longer range and safer (less likely to blow up). NMC (Lithium nickel-manganese-cobalt) – Most common in today's vehicles. Higher energy density, longer life cycle, and more expensive than LFP.  NCA (Nickel-cobalt-aluminum) – Most common in Tesla's higher-end models. More expensive than LFP, batteries are similar to NMC packs with better lifespan. 

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

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

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

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

CEO and Co-Founder of Harbinger Motors, John Henry Harris, on the untapped sweet spot of electrification, the secret life of a 3PL bean counter, and the world record for the fastest hot tub. BONUS - lots and lots of chassis talk.

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

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

Rodrigo Martinez, Founder and CEO of Kolors, discusses why he believes that LATAM intercity busing is ripe for digitization. Rodrigo breaks down why intercity busing in Mexico and other emerging markets serves the role of domestic flights in the US and Western Europe, and explains how Kolors aims to improve the passenger experience with ancillary products and services. He argues that the industry can learn much from successful airline business models, and suggests that the “Uberization” of transportation has changed how mobility companies approach customer acquisition. For more information on Kolors, see https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/03/mexico-citys-kolors-wants-to-disrupt-intercity-busing-in-latin-america/

Graham Doorley, CEO of Solo AVT, discusses why he believes that fully electric, autonomous-enabled, long-haul trucking is coming sooner rather than later, and how Solo AVT's ground up Class 8 truck, the SD1, plays into the future of electric, autonomous trucking. Graham breaks down how the company approaches regulation, why diesel big-rigs can't be easily retrofitted for electrification or autonomy, and what redesigned trucks mean for millions of truck drivers worldwide - as well as the environment. For more information on Solo AVT, see https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-automated-electric-truck-startup-solo-avt-picks-battery-supplier-abs-2022-05-25/ and https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/16/solo-avt-heavy-truck-platforms-autonomous-freight-driverless/

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meir and Prof. John Paul MacDuffie of Wharton's Mack Institute discuss his recent whitepaper on why this round of vehicle electrification is real and why not to underrate traditional OEMs, despite Tesla's running start. Prof. MacDuffie's whitepaper can be found at https://mackinstitute.wharton.upenn.edu/2021/mobility-becomes-electric-new-white-paper-with-engine-no-1/

Meir is joined by Eytan Buchman, CMO @ Freightos, to breakdown the global supply chain, freight forwarding, the movement of goods, and what we can expect during the holiday season. Listen to Ship Happens here: https://www.freightos.com/resources/ship-happens-the-miniseries/

Meir and Daniel Esponda, CEO and co-founder of Odetta, break down the used car marketplace and share insights on where it's come from and what's in store for the future.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meir and Olaf from the Maniv team unpack ideas discussed in Olaf's recent piece: Is TSLA a tech stock or a fashion product? They discuss the evolving narrative of carmakers, challenges facing mobility software startups today, and the need for a standardized network architecture. Read more at www.maniv.com/tesla

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