The TechMobility Podcast

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! A $30,000 electric pickup truck made in the United States sounds like a fantasy until you look at what Ford is changing to make it real. We walk through Ford’s skunkworks approach to building affordable EVs, including fewer parts, large cast structures, rapid iteration, and a serious push toward a modern 48-volt electrical system that...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! Polestar might be on the clock in the United States, and it’s not because the cars aren’t good. We unpack the Connected Vehicles Rule and the national security rationale for restricting Chinese-linked Bluetooth, Wi‑Fi, cellular, and certain satellite systems, then follow the consequences down to real people: the 32 U.S. Polestar dealer...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! A $24,950 electric truck sounds like a typo, but it might be the clearest signal yet that the auto market is finally taking affordability seriously. We talk through the Slate Truck’s stripped-down approach: no infotainment system, hand-crank windows, minimal frills, and a 205-mile range that trades long-distance freedom for a price mor...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! Would you pay luxury prices for a Land Rover built under a Stellantis strategy designed to dodge tariffs? That question kicks off a wide-ranging Tech Mobility conversation in which we trace how manufacturing decisions, quality engineering, and consumer trust collide long before a vehicle ever reaches your driveway. We then shift into a...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! Mitsubishi still sells cars in the United States, but the numbers are thin, and the clock is loud. We dig into how a smaller automaker can secure the cash and engineering muscle to stay in the game, and why platform sharing and badge engineering can be the only realistic option.  Then we look at what Mitsubishi just teased for North Am...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! For many years, Cadillac was known as “the Standard of the World,” but for a long time it wasn’t the first name that came to mind when talking about luxury tech. That’s why we stopped and stared at the latest EV numbers: Cadillac has crossed 100,000 cumulative US EV sales, and roughly three-quarters of those buyers are new to Cadillac....

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! A truck just completed a paid commercial freight run with no human in the cab and no remote driver, and it still met a tight delivery window. That’s not sci-fi; it’s a real autonomous trucking milestone, and it raises a serious question: when the economics work, how fast does the freight world change? We start by sharing something pers...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! Bollinger Motors gets liquidated, CVS Health turns warehouses into robot-powered throughput hubs, and the global jet fuel squeeze quietly threatens what you pay at the pump. That sounds like three separate headlines, but we see a single pattern: modern mobility runs on capital, automation, and energy, and when any one of them shifts, t...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! “Radioactive batteries” sounds like a headline built to scare you, so we start by separating the science from the gut reaction. We walk through what “radioactive” actually means, then break down the practical differences among alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays, and explain why those differences matter for shielding, safet...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! GM is pulling the plug on a corner of the truck world most people forget exists, and the reason is brutally simple: math. We walk through Chevrolet’s modern medium-duty truck experiment, from the Silverado 4500HD, 5500HD, and 6500HD partnership with International/Navistar to the harsh reality of low sales in a capital-intensive industr...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! A $25,000-style electric pickup sounds impossible until you strip the vehicle down to what most people actually need. We dig into Slate Auto’s “blank slate” utility EV concept: no paint, phone-based infotainment, fewer factory options, and a platform that can switch between a small EV pickup and a small EV SUV. The promise is affordabi...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! A $200,000 Lexus with real supercar intent is not a rumor to shrug off, especially when the numbers floating around include 641 horsepower and a claimed 200 mph top speed. We kick things off by digging into what a GR-style Lexus performance sub-brand could look like, why Toyota might do it now, and what it would demand of dealers and o...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! A walkable city changes your brain for the better: you stop planning your day around parking and start noticing streets, storefronts, parks, and people. We kick things off by challenging a popular “walkable vacation” list and making a clear case for Boston as a place where you can truly ditch the car. From there, we size up what makes...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! “Eyes-off” driving sounds like the future, but trust is earned mile by mile. We dig into Ford’s plan to bring an eyes-off, hands-free driver-assistance system to its next universal EV platform by 2028, plus a near-term push to add an AI tool to the Ford and Lincoln app before it lands in vehicles. Along the way, we get candid about wha...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! Spending close to $100,000 on a luxury SUV should buy peace of mind, not a higher tolerance for problems. We dig into why “premium” and “reliable” don’t always go hand in hand, using real-world impressions of the Range Rover Sport as a jumping-off point and then zooming in on what the latest dependability rankings really tell buyers. W...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! A 300-horsepower, three-cylinder hot hatch. A midsize-truck strategy built around “powertrain-agnostic” flexibility. An overdue trillion-dollar infrastructure bill hiding in plain sight. If you’ve been wondering why mobility and technology stories feel disconnected, this one ties them together with a single question: Who pays when we d...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! Car tech is moving fast, but I keep coming back to one question: can we trust it when it matters? I start with the auto industry’s most expensive promise, reliability, and explain why Stellantis hiring 2,000 engineers for a quality “deep reset” is a bigger story than it sounds. When the average vehicle price is near $50,000, nobody get...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! The most interesting tech stories are the ones that collide with the real world: job sites, power grids, and your local gas station sign. We start with a refreshingly practical look at the Kenworth C580, a new severe service vocational truck built for the ugliest work environments where uptime is everything. We talk about why big diese...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! A driverless semi rolling through Michigan in winter is a different kind of test. Sunbelt miles are one thing, but snow, ice, road spray, lane shifts, and Detroit-area traffic pressure every sensor and every line of autonomy code. I dig into Torq Robotics, taking autonomous trucking north toward Ann Arbor, and ask the questions most pe...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! EV fatigue is real, but the market is not behaving the way the loudest voices would have you believe. We dig into what happened after federal EV tax credits shifted and why the “EV sales will crater” storyline misses what consumers actually do when a product hits the mark. The anchor example is Volvo’s EX60, a premium electric SUV seei...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! A $1,500 cordless robotic pool cleaner that claims it can scrub the waterline, climb walls, clean the floor, and even skim the surface sounds like the future of pool ownership. We dig into what that kind of home automation really replaces and what it doesn’t, because “fully automated” is a big promise when you’re staring at leaves, pol...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! A trucker takes a wrong turn with a 40-foot trailer and backs out as if it never happened, thanks to the cab layout and screens that finally make the job easier. That story kicks off a deeper look at the Tesla Semi and why electric Class 8 trucking is suddenly getting something close to genuine respect from people who live in diesel mi...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! A Buick sedan in America again? That idea feels like a throwback until you consider how crowded the crossover market has become and how quickly buyer preferences can change when something seems too common. We start by examining the rumor that General Motors might bring back a Buick-branded sedan in the U.S. and ask the tough questions:...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! Tesla aims to address EV range anxiety with what sounds like a punchline: a tow-behind battery trailer. I explore the patent details, the promise of “automatic” energy management, and the complicated real-world questions nobody can ignore, like safety in a rear-end crash, charging at a Supercharger, battery maintenance, and even whethe...

Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode! China’s automakers aren’t just “coming someday”; they’re laying track right now, and Canada might be the staging ground. We explore the real-world mechanics behind a North American expansion: import quotas, vehicle certification, dealer networks, and local financing. We also look at the uncomfortable question hanging over the U.S. auto...