Futurismo | An Automotive News Podcast

Adam Rodriguez, executive director of product and advanced driver-assistance systems at General Motors, shares the latest updates to the company’s Super Cruise feature.Further, he details how GM is integrating software from Cruise, the company’s abandoned robotaxi subsidiary, into blueprints for someday offering personally owned autonomous vehicles.

The senior vice president and general manager of automotive business at computing tech firm Arm underscores the importance of software-defined vehicles to the automotive future. Further, she explains how carmakers can keep up with the frenetic pace of industry innovation.

The founder and managing director of consulting firm Sino Auto Insights discusses BYD’s new “God’s Eye” automated driving system and how it ratchets up competition with Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature.Further, Le underscores the significance of BYD surpassing 4 million vehicles sold in 2024 and China’s broader automotive ascendance.

The Waabi co-founder and CEO of the autonomous-trucking startup discusses a new partnership with Volvo Autonomous Solutions. Further, she details the generative AI advances at the heart of the company’s end-to-end AI stack and approach to developing “AV 2.0.”

Self-driving trucks are expected to make substantial progress in 2025. Here, the Kodiak Robotics CEO and founder takes stock of the burgeoning industry while detailing how his company readied for driverless deployment with partner Atlas Energy in the Permian Basin area of Texas.

The General Motors senior vice president of software and service engineering details efforts to build a software-oriented culture, explains why the company eschewed Apple CarPlay and examines similarities between Apple and GM’s product-first focus.

Nuro COO Andrew Chapin and Vice President of Engineering Tilo Schwarz explain the company’s pivot from developing bespoke delivery bots toward licensing automated driving tech to carmakers and others. Further, they detail testing efforts on private and public roads.

The executive director of the Coalition for Reimagined Mobility, part of the Securing America’s Future Energy think tank, breaks down new Commerce Department rules that keep Chinese and Russian software and hardware out of the connected-vehicle supply chain.Further, he discusses the state of America’s competitiveness with China in commercializing new transportation technology at meaningful scale.

From Las Vegas, BCG analyst Augustin Wegscheider provides an overview of auto-tech trends at CES. Then Mobileye chief technology officer Shai Shalev-Shwartz details the company’s plans for evolving its driver-assist features into fully autonomous vehicles.

Ahead of CES, the CEO of DARPA-backed startup details artificial-intelligence advances that prioritize energy efficiency and eliminate memory bottlenecks. Further, he explains the impact of such gains in vehicle computing architecture and the ability to add new AI features.

The CEO of the Consumer Technology Association spotlights transportation technology headlines from the upcoming CES show in Las Vegas. Further, he offers candid thoughts on growing trade tensions and what it will take for American companies to survive and thrive amid global uncertainty.

The vice president at consulting firm Gartner, Inc. analyses General Motors’ decision to abandon robotaxi development and pivot its Cruise subsidiary toward personally owned vehicles. Further, he discusses the steep challenges legacy automakers like GM face in sustaining big technology bets.

Mobility strategist Selika Josiah Talbott and Michigan chief mobility officer Justine Johnson detail the prospect of a ‘mobility czar’ overseeing policy for autonomous and electric vehicles. Further, they discuss the role states can play in fostering innovation amid a changing federal landscape.

The founder and CEO of Bot Auto showcases his new startup, recounts his fraught experience at TuSimple and explains what it really takes to ensure self-driving trucks are profitable. Bonus: He details his passion for music, from classical to Judas Priest.

The co-founder and CEO of startup Croft unveils plans for a hydrogen-powered pickup truck, details new technology that circumvents an intractable infrastructure barrier, and explains how a hydrogen movement comprised of “gearheads, rednecks and mad scientists” can help sustain the legacy of the automobile.

Product planning will be difficult for automakers amid a changeover in the White House, said Jeff Schuster, global vice president of automotive research at GlobalData. He outlines the incoming Trump administration’s potential impact on electrification, affordability, automaker plant utilization and more.

The investment director at the LG Group’s venture capital arm discusses the investment atmosphere for battery startups, the race to develop low-cost battery chemistries and promising stationary energy storage developments.

The University of South Carolina professor and autonomous-driving safety expert discusses Tesla’s Cybercab rollout, Waymo’s growing operations, and how self-driving rules, regulations and laws might be shaped by upcoming elections.

The chief strategy officer at Zero Emission Industries details the startup’s work in developing a suitcase-sized device that functions as a portable hydrogen fueling station. Further, he discusses ZEI’s work in pioneering hydrogen fuel-cell systems for first-of-their-kind maritime applications.

Mobility expert Selika Josiah Talbott and SkillFusion CEO Elaina Farnsworth offer a pragmatic look at how the 2024 election results could bolster mobility innovation, affect the zero-emission transition and impact the American workforce of the future.