Shift: A podcast about mobility

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On Shift: A podcast about mobility, Automotive News reporter Pete Bigelow takes an optimistic yet skeptical eye at the new tech and business models planned for the auto industry. Join Pete for a recap of the news of the week and a chat with a leading newsmaker in the industry. Shift is a productio…

Automotive News


    • Jan 26, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 38m AVG DURATION
    • 321 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Shift: A podcast about mobility

    Bye-bye bots: Nuro concentrates on licensing its self-driving tech (Episode 285)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2025 42:05


    Nuro COO Andrew Chapin and Vice President of Engineering Tilo Schwarz explain the company's pivot from developing bespoke delivery bots toward licensing automated driving tech to carmakers and others. Further, they detail testing efforts on private and public roads.

    Avery Ash examines U.S. crackdown on Chinese connected-car tech (Episode 284)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2025 36:52


    The executive director of the Coalition for Reimagined Mobility, part of the Securing America's Future Energy think tank, breaks down new Commerce Department rules that keep Chinese and Russian software and hardware out of the connected-vehicle supply chain. Further, he discusses the state of America's competitiveness with China in commercializing new transportation technology at meaningful scale.

    CES: BCG's Augustin Wegscheider | Mobileye's Shai Shalev-Shwartz (Episode 283)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2025 34:35


    From Las Vegas, BCG analyst Augustin Wegscheider provides an overview of auto-tech trends at CES. Then Mobileye chief technology officer Shai Shalev-Shwartz details the company's plans for evolving its driver-assist features into fully autonomous vehicles.

    EnCharge AI's Naveen Verma pioneers chips that could upend vehicle computing architectures

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2025 31:14


    Ahead of CES, the CEO of DARPA-backed startup details artificial-intelligence advances that prioritize energy efficiency and eliminate memory bottlenecks. Further, he explains the impact of such gains in vehicle computing architecture and the ability to add new AI features.

    Gary Shapiro outlines a ‘pivot or die' strategy ahead of CES 2025 (Episode 281)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2024 48:18


    The CEO of the Consumer Technology Association spotlights transportation technology headlines from the upcoming CES show in Las Vegas. Further, he offers candid thoughts on growing trade tensions and what it will take for American companies to survive and thrive amid global uncertainty.

    Gartner's Mike Ramsey sorts through the Cruise rubble (episode 280)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2024 42:25


    The vice president at consulting firm Gartner, Inc. analyses General Motors' decision to abandon robotaxi development and pivot its Cruise subsidiary toward personally owned vehicles. Further, he discusses the steep challenges legacy automakers like GM face in sustaining big technology bets.

    How a ‘mobility czar' could bolster transportation innovation

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2024 42:25


    Mobility strategist Selika Josiah Talbott and Michigan chief mobility officer Justine Johnson detail the prospect of a ‘mobility czar' overseeing policy for autonomous and electric vehicles. Further, they discuss the role states can play in fostering innovation amid a changing federal landscape.

    Bot Auto's Xiaodi Hou takes his second stab at self-driving trucks (episode 278)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2024 46:36


    The founder and CEO of Bot Auto showcases his new startup, recounts his fraught experience at TuSimple and explains what it really takes to ensure self-driving trucks are profitable. Bonus: He details his passion for music, from classical to Judas Priest.

    Croft's Roderick Blevins foments a ‘hydrogen rebellion' (episode 277)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2024 48:35


    The co-founder and CEO of startup Croft unveils plans for a hydrogen-powered pickup truck, details new technology that circumvents an intractable infrastructure barrier, and explains how a hydrogen movement comprised of “gearheads, rednecks and mad scientists” can help sustain the legacy of the automobile.

    GlobalData's Jeff Schuster on potential EV incentive, tariff changes under Trump (episode 276)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2024 30:47


    Product planning will be difficult for automakers amid a changeover in the White House, said Jeff Schuster, global vice president of automotive research at GlobalData. He outlines the incoming Trump administration's potential impact on electrification, affordability, automaker plant utilization and more.

    LG Technology Ventures' Sungkwon Kang warns of battery-investment headwinds (episode 275)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2024 35:21


    The investment director at the LG Group's venture capital arm discusses the investment atmosphere for battery startups, the race to develop low-cost battery chemistries and promising stationary energy storage developments.

    Bryant Walker Smith examines the state of the self-driving industry

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2024 49:31


    The University of South Carolina professor and autonomous-driving safety expert discusses Tesla's Cybercab rollout, Waymo's growing operations, and how self-driving rules, regulations and laws might be shaped by upcoming elections.

    ZEI's John Motlow on solving hydrogen infrastructure challenges

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2024 35:51


    The chief strategy officer at Zero Emission Industries details the startup's work in developing a suitcase-sized device that functions as a portable hydrogen fueling station. Further, he discusses ZEI's work in pioneering hydrogen fuel-cell systems for first-of-their-kind maritime applications.

    Looking at how the election outcome might sway U.S. transportation policy

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2024 43:20


    Mobility expert Selika Josiah Talbott and SkillFusion CEO Elaina Farnsworth offer a pragmatic look at how the 2024 election results could bolster mobility innovation, affect the zero-emission transition and impact the American workforce of the future.

    Sion Power's Pam Fletcher | EV Adoption's Loren McDonald

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2024 37:12


    Pam Fletcher, a former leader at General Motors and Delta Air Lines, discusses her move to the battery startup world as CEO of Sion Power. Then Loren McDonald, CEO of analyst firm EV Adoption, provides a status report on the rollout of federally backed EV chargers.

    Here's how a leading utility company has prepared for the EV transition

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2024 44:57


    Kristy Fleischmann Groncki and Stephanie Leach, both of the clean energy solutions team at Baltimore Gas and Electric, detail first-of-their-kind initiatives which allow EV owners and utilities to explore time-of-use charging cooperation and vehicle-to-home power used in parallel with the grid.

    Navigating the path toward developing software-defined vehicles

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2024 33:11


    False starts and missteps define the auto industry's initial attempts to build software-defined vehicles. In this panel discussion from Automotive News Congress, experts detailed the right way to prioritize software and unlock its transformative potential. The panel includes Bosch's Stefan Buerkle, Intel Automotive's Rebeca Delgado, Gentex CEO Steve Downing, General Motors' Achim Pantfoerder and Ford Motor Co.'s Alex Purdy.

    Luminar CEO Austin Russell | Forth director Jeff Allen

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2024 45:42


    Shift brings two timely conversations this week. First, Austin Russell explores what it takes to industrialize lidar at a time of turbulence in the industry. Then, Jeff Allen, previews the Forth electric transportation conference as it moves to Detroit.

    Tifani Sadek on keeping human drivers aboard ‘driverless' cars

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2024 43:03


    The director of the University of Michigan's Law and Mobility Program argues against removing humans from self-driving vehicles and suggests the autonomous-vehicle industry can learn a lot from aviation on building trust.

    Ariel Wolf examines California's tipping point on self-driving trucks

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2024 45:38


    The chair of the automated and connected vehicle practice at law firm Venable breaks down California's new draft regulations regarding autonomous trucks. Further, he details the state of AV laws and regulations –- or absence thereof -- across the country.

    Kameale Terry on what we don't know about charging reliability

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2024 32:12


    The CEO of ChargerHelp weighs in on the industry's inaccurate uptime calculation and what issues actually underlie charger unreliability.

    Sam Abuelsamid delves into Ford's EV retreat and GM's software cuts

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2024 41:48


    The Guidehouse Insights principal analyst examines forces driving Ford Motor Co. to scale back its electric-vehicle plans, steady sales growth in the overall EV market, and why it's hard for legacy automakers to get software right.

    Shailen Bhatt delivers a new national V2X deployment plan

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2024 37:37


    The administrator of the Federal Highway Administration details a new U.S. DOT plan for rolling out a long-simmering technology capable of saving thousands of lives on American roads. Further, he discusses the ways artificial intelligence and infrastructure can accelerate safety improvements and reduce the more than 40,000 traffic deaths that occur in the U.S. every year.

    Electrify Expo's BJ Birtwell on the ways to win EV curious consumers

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2024 49:58


    The founder and CEO of the multi-city EV festival details the impact of a shift from early adopters to mass-market consumers and identifies counterintuitive ways to drive adoption of electric vehicles.

    FM Capital's Mark Norman on EV pain points and a ‘return to normal'

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2024 51:15


    The managing partner at FM Capital examines barriers to electric-vehicle proliferation. Further, he discusses investing in transportation-tech startups and the economic conditions ending the “order taking” era in the auto industry.

    FirstElement Fuel's Shane Stephens on hydrogen trucks' long-term advantage (Part II)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2024 29:23


    Although hydrogen may cost more initially, the FirstElement Fuel co-founder and chief business development officer argues hydrogen-powered trucks will be more efficient and viable than battery-electric counterparts at scale.

    FirstElement Fuel's Shane Stephens unlocks hydrogen-powered transportation (Part I)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2024 30:04


    The chief business development officer and founder of FirstElement Fuel details what it really takes to build hydrogen fueling infrastructure and the overall state of the nascent hydrogen ecosystem in California and beyond.

    Sarasina Tuchen previews air mobility's third chapter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2024 44:53


    The investor, advisor and former U.S. DOT senior scientist links the emerging eVTOL industry with America's global innovation leadership. She further explains how aviation must be better integrated with other transportation options.

    Grayson Brulte on the rocky rollout of software-defined vehicles

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2024 52:03


    The founder and CEO of The Road To Autonomy examines the new Rivian-Volkswagen joint venture, casts some doubts on the auto industry's electrification push and explores the broader mobility business landscape.

    John O'Leary on the affordability gap for zero-emissions vehicles

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2024 33:24


    John O'Leary, CEO of Daimler Truck North America, discusses where he thinks hydrogen fits in commercial trucking and what role incentives play in increasing vehicle affordability. He also shares his perspective on charging infrastructure availability.

    Steve Kiefer on eradicating the scourge of distracted driving

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2024 54:33


    Ahead of the July 4th holiday, historically a deadly date on U.S. roads, the Kiefer Foundation chairman details the steps that tech companies, automakers, lawmakers and individual drivers can all take to stop distracted driving and improve traffic safety.

    Chevron's Kaustav Sinha explores multiple paths in the energy transition

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2024 37:20


    The oil company's director of strategic partnerships details efforts in renewable fuels, hydrogen and carbon capture, examines energy and auto industry synergies, and updates Chevron's work with Toyota and Cummins.

    What should an EV sound like?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2024 17:12


    On a special episode of Shift, Automotive News staffers are contestants on a game show about electric vehicle sounds. That is followed by an explanation of the factors driving electric vehicle sound design.

    Gatik's Arjun Narang firms up plans to scale self-driving trucks

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2024 47:32


    The co-founder and chief technology officer details the latest developments in the company's driverless operations and shares how customers are replacing Class 8 big rigs with Gatik's box trucks on repeatable, “Middle Mile” routes.

    Ford's Lisa Drake on the EV, hybrid future

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2024 39:51


    Drake, Ford's vice president of electric vehicle programs and energy supply chain, shares her outlook on the EV future amid a slowdown in sales growth and explains why systemic change is necessary to create more opportunities for women in the industry. Drake was a keynote speaker at Automotive News Leading Women conference May 21. She spoke with reporter Hannah Lutz.

    Wayve's Alex Kendall raises $1 billion for shot at self-driving breakthrough

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2024 56:59


    The CEO and co-founder of the U.K. automated-driving startup details a fundraising round that includes investment from SoftBank, Nvidia and Microsoft. Further, he explains the company's ChatGPT-like approach to utilizing AI in the traffic realm.

    Toyota Ventures' Jim Adler finds fresh opportunity for mobility investments

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2024 49:21


    The founder and general partner of the venture-capital firm details a new $300 million infusion from its namesake automaker, separates hype from reality in the AI boom, and discussions automotive's convergence toward the energy realm.

    Gartner's Mike Ramsey ponders Tesla's strategy shift

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2024 45:30


    The vice president of automotive, transportation and cross-manufacturing at research and advisory firm Gartner Inc. breaks down the disbanding of Tesla's EV charging team, Elon Musk's latest robotaxi promises and the company's fresh “AI and robotics” focus.

    Amazon's Wendy Bauer accelerates the auto industry's AI push

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2024 48:14


    The vice president of automotive and manufacturing at Amazon Web Services (AWS) talks about the proliferation of generative AI advances across different areas of the auto industry. Further, she details efforts to ensure women thrive in auto-tech careers.

    Megan Kimble probes the high price of America's highways

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2024 48:46


    The author of “City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality and The Future of America's Highways” examines the financial, environmental and human costs of highway expansions, explains the way interstates are funded, and details prospects of highway removal.

    Greg McGuire explores Mcity's next chapter

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2024 51:55


    The managing director of the connected-and-autonomous vehicle test track details the facility's evolution into a makerspace for mobility innovation that encompasses a data engine and mixed-reality tech development.

    Shay Natarajan on confident mobility investing through uncertain times

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2024 44:02


    The partner at investment firm Mobility Impact Partners explains how she looks beyond transportation-tech hype when investing and details a viable path for electrification through charging and infrastructure uncertainty.

    Jay Joseph sketches out Honda's hydrogen strategy

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2024 43:15


    The vice president of sustainability and business development at American Honda Motor Inc. details the automaker's new CR-V fuel-cell variant, an H2-focused joint venture with General Motors, and the state of hydrogen infrastructure.

    Justine Johnson touts Michigan as a hub for mobility

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2024 40:58


    Michigan's chief mobility officer shares the state's efforts to ensure that transportation is equitable, clean and innovative across land, air and waterways.

    Energy Department's Chelsea Sexton finances transportation's future

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2024 37:47


    The program officer in the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office explains how EV and energy policy gets implemented through billions in federal loans, and how that work underpins a clean-energy economy.

    Impact of the DARPA Grand Challenge reverberates 20 years later

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2024 36:07


    March 13 marks the 20-year anniversary of the inaugural DARPA Grand Challenge race which catalyzed interest in self-driving technology. DARPA director Tony Tether, Carnegie Mellon University's Red Whittaker, Waymo's Melissa Dumas Grimm and Pronto's Anthony Levandowski offer reflections on that race and how it steered the course of automated-driving development.

    BCG's Augustin Wegscheider explores the nuances in AV, EV forecasts

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2024 45:42


    The co-leader of Boston Consulting Group's Center for Mobility Innovation discusses complications in deploying automated-driving technology and points to limited EV offerings a contributing factor behind a sales slowdown.

    Larry Burns identifies the biggest threat to the automotive future

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2024 52:06


    The retired General Motors vice president of R&D and adviser to Google and Waymo believes the way digital technology is reshaping our lives will impact both vehicle development and whether we need vehicles at all.

    Union of Concerned Scientists' David Reichmuth unpacks the plug-in hybrid revival

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2024 31:34


    Reichmuth, a senior engineer in the organization's Clean Transportation Program, examines if plug-in hybrids will lead to reduced emissions amid renewed interest and calls out automakers with inefficient PHEV offerings.

    revival plug in hybrid phev union of concerned scientists
    Morningstar and Pitchbook experts on what VC investment says about the mobility sector

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2024 27:29


    Sanjay Arya, the head of innovation for index product at Morningstar, and Jonathan Geurkink, a senior research analyst for mobility and supply chain tech at Pitchbook, explain what venture capital investment says about mobility tech and why there is optimism about a competitor for Tesla's supercharger network.

    Panasonic's Andrew Poliak on automotive's seismic software push

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2024 37:27


    The chief technology officer at Panasonic Automotive details advances on software-defined vehicles and what they mean for consumers.

    automotive panasonic seismic software

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