Future Engineering Bets

What happens if the companies that built the automotive industry no longer control where the value sits? In this episode, Fred Warner asks whether legacy automotive OEMs have lost control of their own market. As electrification accelerates, the power in automotive is shifting away from traditional vehicle manufacturing and towards batteries, software, supply chains, IP, and technology platforms. F...

In this episode of Future Engineering Bets, Fred Warner examines the growing pressure on the UK’s EV regulations - and why the government is now set to weaken the 2030 target under pressure from OEMs, trade unions, and market realities. As fines rise and demand continues to lag behind policy ambition, the episode looks at what happens when regulation moves faster than consumers are willing to foll...

In this episode of Future Engineering Bets, Fred Warner breaks down the key insights from the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit 2026 - and what they mean for the future of automotive, investment, and global competition. Is the EV transition going to plan… or starting to unravel? With OEMs now reconsidering EV strategies, rising geopolitical tensions, and growing reliance on China across the...

In this episode of Future Engineering Bets, Fred Warner explores how the Iran war is reshaping the global automotive market in real time. What happens when geopolitics suddenly shifts demand overnight? As oil prices surge due to conflict in the Middle East, EV demand across Europe is rising faster than expected. But this shift raises much bigger questions around global competition, supply chains,...

In this episode of Future Engineering Bets, Fred Warner is joined by Dan Fung, Head of Strategy and Performance at the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), to unpack one of the biggest challenges facing the UK industry: Why we’re great at innovation… but struggle to scale. From £4bn of funding and EV strategy to global competition with China, this conversation breaks down the reality of industrial st...

Hydrogen fuel cells have long been positioned as the next evolution in automotive powertrains, but the reality is proving far more challenging. In this episode of Future Engineering Bets, Fred Warner examines whether hydrogen is still a viable long‑term bet for automotive, or whether the market has already moved on. Drawing on direct experience in hydrogen fuel cell programmes across aerospace and...

The EV market is entering a period of recalibration - and the consequences are already showing up in financial write‑downs, paused programmes, and shifting boardroom priorities. In this episode of Future Engineering Bets, Fred Warner (Founder, 7Q) examines why many EV‑led strategies are being reassessed. As adoption slows outside of fleet and incentive‑driven buyers, OEMs are being forced to refoc...

Motorsport has long been a proving ground for how complex engineering decisions are made under extreme constraints. In this episode of Future Engineering Bets, Fred Warner is joined by Mark Preston - Lola Yamaha ABT Team Principal and one of the most experienced engineering leaders in modern motorsport - to explore how competitive racing environments shape real‑world engineering strategy. Drawing...

The EV transition is not going to plan - and the engineering bets being made now will shape outcomes for years to come. In this episode, Fred Warner (Founder, 7Q) looks beyond headlines to examine electrification, powertrain strategy, and sustainability from the perspective of leaders making major capital and R&D decisions.  Why the EV transition is uneven and, in places, stalling  Consumer de...

In this first episode of Future Engineering Bets , Fred Warner (Founder, 7Q) dissects the Aston Martin–Honda Formula One programme - a multi‑hundred‑million‑pound engineering bet that has unravelled under the pressure of governance, integration, and execution failure. Using the programme as a live case study, the episode examines how capital investment, engineering strategy, and organisational rea...