Shift: A podcast about mobility

Latest Episodes:

Bryant Walker Smith on Cruise’s suspension and what it means for the self-driving industry Oct 29, 2023

Show notes

University of South Carolina law professor Bryant Walker Smith, an expert on legalities of automated driving, dissects the California DMV’s suspension of Cruise’s driverless permits and details the best ways to build a transparent and trustworthy safety culture.

EV slowdown fears mount, Hydrogen Hubs winners revealed and Cruise sets sights on Tokyo Oct 22, 2023

Show notes

Automotive News reporters Pete Bigelow and Hannah Lutz dissect a busy week of news on the electrification and autonomous-vehicle frontiers. Plus, they discuss Pete’s visit with the Toyota Research Institute and Hannah’s takeaways from the GlobalData Automotive Outlook Conference.

Greg Winfree explains how Texas became a transportation technology hotbed Oct 15, 2023

Show notes

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute director details autonomous-vehicle deployments in the Lone Star State, examines how new technology can reach users in an equitable way, and sheds light on the fragility of GPS.

Nth Cycle’s Megan O’Connor uses new tech to boost EV metals supply Oct 08, 2023

Show notes

The co-founder and CEO of the refining technology startup details the supply squeeze for nickel and cobalt. She describes how her company can pioneer domestic production while decarbonizing dirty recycling and mining processes.

Tony Posawatz plugs EVs into grid resilience blueprints Oct 01, 2023

Show notes

The Fermata Energy CEO explains how car owners can reap financial rewards from vehicle-to-grid technology while bolstering the electric grid. Further, the former General Motors executive recounts his time developing the Chevy Volt.

David Zipper on the problems with 'vehicular obesity' Sep 24, 2023

Show notes

The writer and visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School details the financial, safety and climate-related costs associated with pickups and SUVs and the potential of minicars and micromobility to change transportation.

Legal landscape around automated driving remains murky Sep 17, 2023

Show notes

Automakers are introducing more sophisticated driving systems that complicate determining who or what may be held liable in the event of incidents. ZF board member Martin Fischer, Butzel attorney Jennifer Dukarski and Carnegie Mellon professor Phil Koopman scrutinize the details in a discussion pulled from last week’s Automotive News Congress in Detroit.

Margo Oge underscores the urgency behind reducing emissions Sep 10, 2023

Show notes

The chair of the International Council on Clean Transportation discusses her role in spurring change at Volkswagen following the company’s emissions-cheating scandal and says 2023 marks a critical juncture in a shift toward green mobility.

BlueSpace.ai’s Christine Moon forges a fresh approach to autonomy Sep 03, 2023

Show notes

The president and co-founder of BlueSpace.ai offers an alternate path to developing self-driving software, shares lessons learned from her first startup experience, and details the state of driverless deployments in San Francisco.

How technology could change the makeup of the auto industry Aug 27, 2023

Show notes

Thilo Koslowski, board member for Arbe and a longtime industry advisor, says traditional automakers must change their cultures and attitudes now to keep their status in the future. He predicts that 10 percent of legacy automakers will be redefined or defunct because they failed to embrace the digital transformation.