Shift: A podcast about mobility

Pedestrian deaths have risen by nearly 50 percent over the past decade. Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, analyses the long-running challenges, and provides fresh details on a troubling rise in fatality rates during the first six months of COVID.

The CEO of Optimus Ride discusses his company's strategy of placing self-driving shuttles in campus environments, its plans to raise additional capital and the transition to full autonomy.

Phil Koopman, co-founder and chief technology officer at Edge Case Research, offers a consumer-friendly complement to the SAE Levels of Automation. Further, he discusses safety standards for self-driving cars and methods for ensuring systems can handle rare driving scenarios.

Stewart Stropp, senior director of automotive retail, talks about the results of J.D. Power’s inaugural U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration study. For some consumers, a Tesla isn’t always tried and true. For others, one factor that makes them hesitant about a EV is a lack of information.

Shawn Kerrigan, chief operating officer and co-founder at trucking-tech company Plus, says his company will commercialize an advanced driver-assist system for trucks this year, and that’s a starting point on an evolution toward fully autonomous big rigs. He further discusses rising demand for freight movement amid the pandemic.

Alisyn Malek, executive director at the Commission On The Future Of Mobility, a nonprofit thinktank, discusses the infrastructure needs for electric vehicles, the role of public transit in a post-COVID world, and kickstarting a new effort to address global mobility challenges.

Tooling has always been an auto-industry backbone. In a software era, Qasar Younis and Peter Ludwig, the CEO and CTO, respectively, at Applied Intuition, argue it’s all the more important. The two discuss software and simulation that let others develop and test AVs, and their experiences bridging Detroit and Silicon Valley.

Otonomo CEO Ben Volkow delves into the Israeli startup’s plans to go public via a SPAC, how the company guards consumer privacy and the insights gleaned from more than 100 data points emerging from cars.

Anhalt, who took the helm of Elektrobit as CEO in January, talks about the company’s approach to software-defined vehicles, its strategy for this year, and her career experience going from software development to automotive.

Laura Major, chief technology officer of the Hyundai-Aptiv joint venture, talks about the company’s recent driverless permit approval in Nevada, its newly released voluntary safety self-assessment and its plans to deploy a robotaxi with Lyft in 2023.

Harman Chief Technology Officer Kelei Shen talks about the company’s connected vehicle strategy, unique in-vehicle cockpit experiences and evolving consumer demands for entertainment and safety features. Open configuration options

Glen De Vos, Aptiv CTO, talks about the company's new platform to manage ADAS software and ways to simplify a vehicle’s electrical architecture.

Sherif Marakby, executive vice president of Magna International, explains how the global supplier is building flexibility into its EV plans, talks about a new joint venture with LG and describes the company’s electric truck concept showcased at CES.

Scott Kirchner, president of Panasonic Automotive Systems, discusses the supplier’s CES innovations, such as a new head-up display, as well as the role that AI and augmented reality play in the company’s automotive strategy.

Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, discusses how the organization planned a virtual CES, how the show plans to combat "Zoom fatigue," and what's ahead in auto-tech developments.

Jessica Robinson, co-founder and board chair of the Michigan Mobility Institute, outlines the skills workers need in a new mobility economy and examines COVID-related changes in transportation trends.

Finch Fulton, U.S. deputy assistant secretary for transportation policy, and NHTSA general counsel Jonathan Morrison discuss the federal government’s recent Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on automated driving systems, other AV initiatives, and new complications facing connected cars.

Aurora CEO Chris Urmson delves into details on the engineering ‘horsepower’ provided by the groundbreaking acquisition, why he favors a trucking-first approach to autonomy and the versatility of the company’s virtual driver. Plus Pt. 2 of "Mobility at a Crossroads," featuring highlights from this month's Shift virtual event.

In Part 1 of our Mobility at a Crossroads series, Matthew Johnson-Roberson, co-founder and chief technology officer of Refraction, discusses the pandemic’s impact on delivery robotics in particular and the gig economy in general. Plus, highlights from Shift's virtual event.

Robbie Diamond, CEO and founder of think tank Securing America’s Future Energy, discusses the intersection of transportation and energy policy, the supply chain for EV batteries and the state of American innovation and competitiveness.

Gautam Narang, co-founder and CEO of self-driving truck startup Gatik, details a new partnership with Canada’s largest grocery chain and lays out the business and operational promise of concentrating on middle-ground delivery routes.

Marjory Blumenthal, senior policy researcher at RAND Corp., discusses her latest paper on automated vehicle safety, the idea of ‘roadmanship’ and how the industry can build a strong safety culture.

For Michigan’s burgeoning aerospace industry, the sky isn’t the limit. It’s the starting point. Gavin Brown, executive director of the Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association, details the state’s potential as a commercial space hub. Meanwhile, Adam Kall, co-founder of Kall Morris Inc., explains why his Marquette, Mich.,-based startup is laser-focused on collecting junk in space.

Jack Weast, senior principle engineer at Intel and vice president of automated vehicle standards at Mobileye, discusses driver-assist developments, including the partners' work with Geely. He also gives the lowdown on a mathematical model that provides a real-world safety framework for AVs.

Jennifer Haroon, chief operating officer at artificial-intelligence startup Nauto, discusses how driver-monitoring technology can help improve human driver habits, lower costs for fleets and anticipate and prevent collisions.