SAE Tomorrow Today

Latest Episodes:

30. How Velodyne Became a Leader in LiDAR with Anand Gopalan Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

Today's episode is a special chat between host Grayson Brulte and Anand Gopalan, CEO of Velodyne LiDAR.

Grayson and Anand discuss the early days of Velodyne, being the CEO of a publicly-traded company, and the growth of the LiDAR market. Enjoy this episode! Please let us know what you thought.

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Learn more about Velodyne LiDAR at https://velodynelidar.com/

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29. Why Infrastructure Planning is Undergoing a Massive Shift with Malcolm Dougherty of Michael Baker International Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

A strong infrastructure is the backbone for transportation. This week, host Grayson Brulte sits down with Malcolm Dougherty, Sr. Vice President and National Practice Executive at global engineering firm Michael Baker International to talk about creating a seamless multimodal transportation system that positively benefits society.

He looks at his career journey, which began when the U.S. was finishing the interstate highway system, and how we’ve moved to a more strategic approach for handling transportation, mobility, access and demand.

Malcolm discusses planning for a frictionless mobility future through singular payment options and connected modes of travel; the infrastructure changes and energy grid improvements needed to further support the shift to electric cars and buses; and how airports and stadiums, especially those in dense urban environments, will be impacted by vehicle electrification.

Learn more about Michael Baker International at https://mbakerintl.com.

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28. Safety at the Forefront of Mobility Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

Jennifer Morrison, Manager of Vehicle Safety Compliance, Mazda North America joins host Grayson Brulte on SAE Tomorrow Today to discuss all of the facets of safety in the world of mobility.

Jennifer kicks things off by recounting her emotional experiences investigating highway crashes while at the National Transportation Safety Board.

She then digs into why safety must be a foundational element for every mobility company, the importance of standardizing safety features in vehicles, training dealers to inform car buyers on proper usage of safety features, how schools and groups can educate themselves on their transportation service providers, and how autonomous mobility will shift our future driving habits.

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27. Innovating Commercial Trucking – Bill Combs of Penske Transportation Solutions Oct 15, 2020

Show notes

There is more to Penske than meets the eye. As the largest non-governmental commercial trucking fleet in the world, Penske has instilled a culture of learning to tackle practical innovations to improve and advance the industry.

This week, host Grayson Brulte chats with Bill Combs, Vice President of Connected Vehicle Strategy and Experimentation at Penske Transportation Solutions, about the world of commercial trucking.

The conversation kicks off in a unique way as Bill compares the lessons he learned experimenting with food ingredients in culinary school with the technology experimentation he now works on at Penske. Bill discusses how some of Penske’s partnerships with companies like Daimler and TuSimple have enabled the organization to better serve all of its fleet and maintenance partners through learnings about electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles and data analytics.

Bill explores the changing landscape of the commercial vehicle industry, tackling the issues of electrification, autonomy, deploying a hub-and-spoke distribution model, and how data analytics is critical for fleet scalability and vehicle utilization.

Learn more about Penske at www.penske.com.

For more on this topic, check out Bill’s recent appearance on SAE LIVE with partner, TuSimple: https://www.sae.org/livechat/request-form1.

Subscribe to SAE Tomorrow Today or visit www.sae.org/podcasts to stay up to date on all the latest information from SAE.

If you like what you’re hearing, please review and comment on your podcast app. Follow SAE on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

26. Reinventing Transportation in a Positive Way - Bryan Salesky of Argo AI Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

Pittsburgh has become a hotbed for mobility innovation and one of the leaders is undoubtedly Argo AI.

This week, host Grayson Brulte is joined by our Steel City neighbor Bryan Salesky, co-founder and CEO of Argo AI, to discuss Argo’s approach to automated vehicles, the role of autonomy in improving mobility for all, and how the education system should develop smarter thinkers and future leaders.

Throughout the conversation, Bryan discusses how safety plays an essential role in establishing autonomous vehicles as a trusted technology that people will understand, adopt and support. And as such, the defining legacy of eliminating cars crashes to improve society is touched upon.

Bryan talks about how Argo has built relationships and partnerships with cities based on mutual trust and respect. He details Argo’s approach to solving specific needs in cities; the company’s efforts in Washington, DC, Austin, Texas, and Miami; the importance of a playbook to operationalize consistency in every city; and how learnings must be adjusted to scale for naturalistic driving tendencies within specific cities, regions, environments.

As the conversation shifts to Argo’s workforce, Bryan explains how the company prioritizes employing a diverse group of people from all walks of life and backgrounds to help Argo outmaneuver and out-pivot other companies in the industry.

This transitions into a larger conversation about rethinking the American education system as Bryan offers his take on how encouraging students to take a non-linear path while providing opportunities to spark their naturally eclectic sense of curiosity can help them grow into the leaders and thinkers of tomorrow.

Learn more about Argo AI at www.argo.ai.

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25. Let's Do Electric and Decarbonization Faster – Rob Grant of Cruise Oct 01, 2020

Show notes

Cruise is creating an entirely new transportation experience. Rob Grant, Vice President of Global Government Affairs at Cruise, joins host Grayson Brulte this week to talk all things Cruise and offer his perspective on the importance of autonomous and electric vehicles as we strive for a clean and equitable future.

Rob explains some of Cruise’s core philosophies: that AVs should be accessible to everyone regardless of socioeconomic and physical status; the importance of reinforcing vehicle safety so it becomes engrained in minds; and attacking climate change with EVs.

He shares emotional details on the 100,000 contactless deliveries that Cruise vehicles have made to San Franciscans in need during COVID-19, then pivots to some forward-looking efforts including partnership opportunities, community and educational engagements and investments, and how learnings from the current pandemic are being applied to better prepare society for future pandemics.

Rob also lets us in on some details around the new Cruise Origin, a completely redesigned, multi-factor transportation experience, as well as GM’s Ultium battery that will power the vehicle.

The conversation also looks at some of the larger industry challenges being tackled: energy backhaul and sourcing; improving speed to market and scaling; and teaching vehicles to become better adept at recognizing gestures, signals and notifiers from cyclists, law enforcement and first responders.

Learn more about Cruise at www.getcruise.com.

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24. We Can Learn So Much From Watching Paint Dry – Calum Munro of PPG Industries Sep 24, 2020

Show notes

Paints and coatings surround us so much that we take them for granted. But beyond their visual appeal, coatings play an invaluable role in protecting our cars, aircrafts and structures to make our lives better and safer. Calum Munro, Senior Scientist, Mobility at PPG Industries, joins host Grayson Brulte this week to give us a crash course on how the coatings industry is adapting, innovating and leading in the changing mobility landscape.

We look at the practical and scientific elements within the coatings industry and how they differ across various transportation mediums, from electric vehicles to autonomous vehicles to micromobility vehicles to aircraft. Calum explains how coatings are more than just fun colors as they are being developed in ways that incorporate visible light wavelengths, ultraviolet wavelengths and near-infrared wavelengths, which become especially relevant as mobility further adopts radar and LiDAR technologies in sensors.

The conversation explores how the coatings industry is able to quickly adapt to new forms of mobility by applying solutions used in other industries to meet modern challenges. Calum also gives us some insight into the psychological, sociological and emotional appeal behind our color preferences.

Learn more about PPG at www.ppg.com.

23. One Day Kids Will Play in the Streets Again – Ashwini Chhabra of Electric Avenue Sep 17, 2020

Show notes

What will cities look like as we come out of the COVID-19 pandemic? Ashwini Chhabra, Co-Founder & Principal of Electric Avenue, joins host Grayson Brulte this week to offer his take on how trends that have emerged during the shutdown can, and likely will, transfer as cities begin to open back up.

First, Grayson talks with Ashwini’s about his background that has transitioned from the financial service sector to the New York City education system to the urban transportation space, and how he has applied private sector thinking to public sector problems. With Ashwini’s background in education, the conversation looks at how schools in New York are taking advantage of available outside space and how prioritizing public space will play an important role in city planning.

Ashwini discusses the importance of planning ahead to move people around in the ways they need to properly function the city by using all forms of transportation. The New York City subway system gets a long look as well with the need to rebuild confidence in a mode that is safer and cleaner than most believe. The conversation also looks at the taxis and how safety measures put in place years ago will help it rebound post COVID-19, and how ride sharing services may need to adopt similar measures to achieve growth potential.

The conversation closes out with the question: What do cities look like in the future? Ashwini shares insight on how we will move, house, work and feed people as urbanization continues to rise; how we need to prioritize our use of space; his message to elected officials on zoning concerns and questions; and what hyperlocal, 15 minute cities can do to help create a sense of community and evoke a sense of comfort on streets and sidewalks.

Learn more about Electric Avenue at www.electricavenue.city.

Subscribe to SAE Tomorrow Today or visit www.sae.org/podcasts to stay up to date on all the latest information from SAE.

If you like what you’re hearing, please review and comment on your podcast app.

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22. Chipotle’s Pioneering Approach to Digital – Nicole West of Chipotle Mexican Grill Sep 11, 2020

Show notes

How does a quick service restaurant transform itself into a lifestyle brand? For Chipotle Mexican Grill, its all about being real and staying ahead of digital trends to create the ultimate customer experience. Nicole West, Vice President of Digital Strategy and Product for Chipotle, joins host Grayson Brulte this week to discuss the digital experience that Chipotle has pioneered within the industry.

Nicole shares her experience building Chipotle’s digital commerce business and how consumer adoption of digital ordering and experiences has led to digital making up 61% of company sales in Q2 2020. She discusses what trends the company saw when it developed the industry’s first ordering app and how they continue to experiment with new ways to engage with customers and drive sales.

As the conversation continues, Nicole explains the ways that Chipotle has innovated and disrupted the industry when appropriate, including its ordering app, Chipotlanes, Digital Kitchen, packaging, walk-up contactless pickups, and voice ordering with “Pepper,” all of which uniquely positioned the company to handle consumer shifts to digital when COVID-19 hit.

The conversation concludes with some forward-looking observations, how delivery drivers are essential to their business, and a pie in the sky look at delivery methods using autonomous vehicles and drones.

Learn more about Chipotle Mexican Grill at www.chipotle.com.

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21. Safer Air Travel Through Predictive Analytics – Rhonda Walthall of Collins Aerospace Sep 03, 2020

Show notes

This week, Rhonda Walthall, Fellow, Prognostics & Health Management at Collins Aerospace, joins host Grayson Brulte for a conversation that looks at the role of predictive analytics and aircraft health management systems in creating safer and more efficient air travel.

Rhonda brings us back to her early memories of idolizing fellow Ohioan Neil Armstrong and how he influenced her childhood dreams of being an astronaut and ultimately attending Purdue University to become an aeronautical engineer. She shares stories of her role in the development of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster, including becoming the first civilian woman to fly on the aircraft, and what that aircraft’s legacy is to history.

The conversation covers how aircraft health management systems are helping reduce tarmac delays to eliminate delays and create smoother travel experiences; what efforts Collins Aerospace is undertaking as a leader in this space; and how detailed monitoring can reduce heavy maintenance checks that mean less work and less costs for airlines.

Rhonda digs into her other passion of supporting young women entering STEM fields and some of the programs that she and Collins are involved with to get more kids interested in science and engineering. The conversation closes out with some insight into when commercial travel will rebound and what role urban air mobility technology will play in the future of aviation.

Learn more about Collins Aerospace at https://www.collinsaerospace.com/.

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