Building Better with Brandon Bartneck

Tomi Ristimäki is the CEO of Kempower , which designs and manufactures DC fast charging solutions for electric vehicles and machines. Key topics in this conversation include: How DC charging works Differences in charging requirements for various mobility applications The role of software in optimizing the charging experience Charging solutions for fleet owners Why 150 kW charging might be enough (...

Nino Di Cara is the founder and president of Electric Autonomy Canada Key topics in this conversation include: Why Nino started Electric Autonomy Canada How to think about the role of media and providing an accurate perspective on emerging technology Why we need to move to decarbonize now if we want to save our way of life The Electric Fueling Station of the Future: A Design Competition Decarboniz...

Dr. Ameya Joshi is the director of emerging technologies and regulations at Corning Incorporated Key topics in this conversation include: The importance of clearly defining our objective – to reduce CO2 and particulate emissions What to do when science and public perception point in different directions Why environmental justice is so critical as we clean up transportation The disproportionate rol...

Tarik is co-founder and CEO of GPR. Key topics in this conversation include: The current state of assisted and automated driving Why these technologies likely can’t excel using only the dataset that’s available to humans GPR’s roots in military applications How ground penetrating radar provides an additional, reliable dataset for accurate positioning of the vehicle The importance of working toward...

Porter Harris is CEO and founder of Power Global . Key topics in this conversation include: Comparing battery technology for space, automotive, forklift, and rickshaw applications Why it’s so important to improve the sustainability of transportation in India and other parts of Asia How Power Global chose swappable batteries on a subscription basis for their initial offering Why Porter started Powe...

Jack McCauley was co-founder and chief engineer at Oculus VR, and is Jack McCauley is Innovator-in-Residence, Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at the UC Berkeley College of Engineering, an American Engineer, Car Expert, Inventor, Hardware Designer, Gaming & Gaming-Interface Developer and Philanthropist. Key topics in this conversation include: Encouraging innovation The biggest opportuni...

Kevin Antcliff is the Product Lead of Xwing, a startup whose mission is to dramatically increase human mobility using fully autonomous aerial vehicles Key topics in this conversation include: What Kevin learned in nearly a decade of work on electrified aircraft at NASA The promise of regional air mobility The history of automated flight How Xwing is approaching autonomous aircraft development The...

Nathan Armstrong is CTO of Aptera Motors. Key topics in this conversation include: Challenges and benefits of utilizing a solar roof Vehicle design choices to minimize weight and improve sustainability The importance of weight and drag reduction when developing a sustainable vehicle – even (or especially) if it’s an EV Tom Robbins, Terry Pratchett, and Douglas Adams Links Show notes: http://brando...

Mitch Marks is in business development for electrification at HBK. Key topics in this conversation include: - Testing of electric vehicles - How electrification has put additional pressure on the performance of measurement equipment - The challenge of communicating technically complex topics to a wide range of audiences - Why electrification has changed much more than the powertrain - Parallels to...

Ryan Duffy launched Emerging Tech Brew and is an emerging tech writer at Morning Brew. Key topics in this conversation include: Emerging Tech Brew’s transformation into a media company The state of ADAS/AD, including Ryan’s experience riding in driverless Waymo vehicles The state of the electric vehicle market Ryan’s deep dive into artificial intelligence Trends to keep an eye on Links Show notes:...

Charlie Levine is Chief Marketing Officer at ElectReon Key topics in this conversation include: How wireless charging for electric vehicles works ElectReon’s role in enabling smaller battery packs and consequently more environmentally friendly electric vehicles Common objections to wireless charging and how these are overcome ElectReon’s decision to offer financing options for charging system inst...

Sandra Witzel is Chief Marketing Officer at SkedGo. Key topics in this conversation include: The role of Mobility-as-a-Service in the mobility ecosystem The current state of MaaS, and key developments on the horizon Common misconceptions about accessibility How SkedGo is addressing sustainability while also increasing user convenience The big “aha” moment that propelled Sandra’s marketing efforts...

Max Liben is co-founder and CTO of H3X. Key topics in this conversation include: How electrified Regional Air Mobility (RAM) can have a huge impact on the mobility sector The need for drastically improved electric drives to enable widespread electric flight How H3X is reimaging electric drives from the ground-up Key levers H3X is pulling to radically exceed the state-of-the-art for electric drive...

Shweta Shrivastava is Senior Product Leader at Waymo, leading product management for autonomous driving capabilities. Key topics in this conversation include: Waymo’s mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they’re going Benefits of focusing on fully automated driving Keys to successful product management How Waymo is learning from real-world applications, including the...

Danielle Harris is Managing Director of Engagement & Innovation at Elemental Excelerator. Key topics in this conversation include: How Danielle is helping to inspire action in the push for social justice and climate action goals Why we should be optimistic, despite all of the climate challenges we’re facing Proactively identifying and overcoming the common challenges that founders face Common...

Ethan Escowitz is CEO and Founder of Arris Composites. Key topics in this conversation include: How lightweighting can cut emissions – independent of the propulsion system Arris’s revolutionary Additive Molding process Composites in aerospace and high-volume automotive applications Turning 17 components into 1 Aligned composite fibers for maximum strength-to-weight ratio Links: Show notes: http://...

Jay Giraud is co-founder and chief executive officer of Damon Motors. Key topics in this conversation include: The role of motorbikes in the transportation ecosystem Damon’s 10-year vision for creating the optimal motorbike of the future The role of rider assistance technology in increasing motorbike safety How their flagship HyperSport is paving the way for the future Building a team and maintain...

Jean-Louis Kindler is Co-Founder and CEO of Ways2H Inc., a global provider of facilities that convert the world’s worst waste into renewable hydrogen for mobility and power generation. Key topics in this conversation include: Jean-Louis’s experience spending the past two decades working on hydrogen generation The technology deployed by Ways2H How waste can provide hydrogen with net negative emissi...

Badr Abduljawad is Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer, and Patrick Steiche is Manager of Hydrogen Systems Integration for Hydra Energy, the world’s first Hydrogen-as-a-Service provider for commercial fleets. Key topics in this conversation include: · Diesel and hydrogen co-combustion · Hydrogen combustion compared to fuel cell and battery electric propulsion systems for commercial vehicles...

Dr. Kimmo Rauma is Vice-President of Danfoss Editron. Key points include: - The case for electrification of heavy duty machinery - Why electric rock crushers are so much more productive than diesel - Comparing heavy duty electric propulsion systems to automotive applications - Electric motor and inverter design decisions Links Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/kimmorauma/ Kim...

Kelly and Felix join to talk about their new book Racing Toward Zero – The Untold Story of Driving Green . Kelly Senecal is a co-founder and owner of Convergent Science. Felix Leach is an Associate Professor of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, a post held jointly with that of Fellow and Tutor in Engineering Science at Keble College Order the book now: https://www.sae.org/publicatio...

John Zelasko is Vice President of Business Development at FEV North America. Key topics in this conversation include: FEV’s role within the mobility ecosystem Challenges and opportunities presented by the rapid pace of technology development Evolving from powertrain specialists to full vehicle engineering Humility and leadership Links: Show notes: brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/johnzelasko J...

Chris Thomas is a Co-Founder and Partner at Assembly Ventures and he previously co-founded Detroit Mobility Lab and the Michigan Mobility Institute. Key topics in this conversation include: Rethinking the mobility ecosystem The ISA framework for identifying and creating value for mobility The unique approach taken by Assembly Ventures The importance of candor in Chris’s life and career How Chris b...

Josh Sobil is Chief Commercial Officer at Exro Technologies, a clean technology company pioneering intelligent control solutions in power electronics to help solve the most challenging problems in electrification. Exro has developed a new class of control technology that expands the capabilities of electric motors, generators, and batteries. Exro enables the application to achieve more with less e...

John McElroy is the president of Blue Sky Productions, and is a legend in the automotive media landscape. He has decades of experience as a journalist, lecturer, commentator, and entrepreneur. Some of contributions include his TV program, Autoline This Week, and his weekly live webcast, Autoline After Hours. He also broadcasts three daily radio segments in the Detroit area, in addition to seemingl...