Forterra has been around the defense and driving automation sectors for years, under names like Robotic Research. Now the firm's VP of Commercial Growth Gabe Sganga joins the show to explain Forterra's new name, new ambitions, and work bringing together new opportunities in defense and logistics.
Kirsten rides Waymos in Austin, Alex valet parks a Citroen, and Ed stops protesting Tesla for long enough to find Alex's newest eBike.
Raquel Urtasun came to the AV sector from academia, first leading research for Uber's Advanced Technology Group, and for the last four years with her own startup Waabi. She joins the show to cast light on Waabi's unique approach to Level 4 trucking, some of the differences between so-called "AV 2.0" approaches, and where AI breakthroughs are poised to change AV development.
With Kirsten traveling for work, Ed and Alex get back to the topic that they've been tussling over since this podcast began: Tesla and Elon Musk. Of course, that topic has evolved considerably lately, so buckle up.
Alex shares the struggle of fixing a vintage Citroen SM and what it means for software defined vehicles, the whole gang discusses the unique vehicles in their garages, and sneak in a little discussion of BYD's God's Eye news, just so the whole episode isn't one big digression.
Aircraft design may be a mature space, but Mark Groden sees the entire control scheme for aircraft as an opportunity for transformative change, from the cockpit to the electronic architecture to actuators. He joins the gang to explain Skyryse's work on this opportunity, and where it's taking aviation.
Ed and Kirsten kick off the latest episode with a discussion of Tesla's latest earnings report, and are joined by Alex as the conversation turns to a pair of stories out of San Francisco, and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's recent comments about AV safety in Davos.
With another CES in the books, the gang gathers to discuss the highs and lows of the show, the annual Autonocast CES party, and the long-overdue debut of the Autonocast merch shop. Surf over to autonocast dot com and click on the store link to buy shirts, mugs, stickers and support the show.
After years of intense effort and turmoil, Zoox is nearing the finish line in its pioneering ground-up robotaxi, possibly the most ambitiously novel vehicle of our time. Ed and Kirsten join Zoox CTO Jesse Levinson for a ride along the famous Las Vegas strip, taking in and discussing this unique new autonomous experience.