The Road to Autonomy

Ali Kashani, Co-Founder & Serve Robotics joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how sidewalk delivery robots are transforming the economics and experience of last-mile delivery. Ali shares the origin story of Serve Robotics, which was incubated within Postmates and later spun out of Uber into a publicly traded company. What began as a simple idea, delivering small items with small autonomous robots has grown into a rapidly scaling business operating in cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles, Miami, and Dallas. As Serve Robotics continues to expand, the company is evolving into a full-fledged robotics platform with multiple revenue streams spanning advertising, delivery, licensing, and potentially something even bigger in the future. Episode Chapters 0:00 Founding of Serve Robotics 2:07 Deliveries 4:26 Deploying Sidewalk Robots 9:53 Deployment Markets 15:11 A Robotics Company 19:37 Wing Partnership 21:20 Restaurant Deliveries & Packaging 27:53 Comparing Gen 2 to Gen 3 Robots 29:59 Testing Before Deploying 32:37 New Markets 33:49 Advertising Business 37:33 Growing Delivery Volume 39:37 The Evolution of Sidewalk Robots 42:07 Key Takeaways Recorded on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo’s recall, Tesla’s most recent NHTSA letter and Sterling Anderson’s surprise move to join GM as EVP & Chief Product Officer. For the first time ever, Waymo had a fleet-wide recall after a series of minor collisions involving stationary objects, a recall that was fixed with a simple over-the-air update. As Waymo updated their vehicles, Tesla was once again under regulatory scrutiny, this time about their upcoming FSD Unsupervised launch in Austin. Could NHTSA’s request for more information, give Elon Musk and Tesla an off-ramp as they work to further develop FSD prior to deploying fully autonomous robotaxis. In an unexpected twist, former Aurora co-founder Sterling Anderson joined GM as EVP & Chief Product Officer. His move to GM signals a potential major strategic shift for GM, especially in the wake of its decision to shutdown Cruise. With Mr. Anderson’s background in autonomy, software-defined vehicles, and hardware integration from his time at Tesla and Aurora, the hire suggests GM may be quietly rebuilding its autonomy strategy. Whether this positions him as a future CEO candidate or simply as the architect of GM’s next-generation vehicle roadmap, it’s a development that we will be following on Autonomy Markets. Episode Chapters 0:00 Sterling Anderson Joins GM 3:34 The Impact of Sterling’s Departure on Aurora 5:53 Uber’s Autonomy Investments 7:16 Aurora, a Company in Crisis 13:04 Kodiak 15:30 Bot Auto 17:45 Wayve / Uber Partnership 21:58 WeRide’s Hong Kong IPO 22:46 Waymo’s Lingering Zeekr Problem 25:27 Waymo’s NHTSA Recall 27:18 Waymo Road Trips 28:47 Is Waymo Expanding Too Quickly? 30:10 Could NHTSA Delay Tesla’s June Robotaxi Launch? 33:38 Market Perception of Tesla FSD 36:29 Unforced Error of The Week 38:40 Next Week Recorded on Thursday, May 15, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Welch, Detroit Bureau Chief, Bloomberg joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss Waymo’s growing competitive advantage in the market, Uber’s strategy and the many challenges facing Tesla. Waymo continues to strengthen its market share in the robotaxi sector, recently announcing a strategic partnership with Magna to significantly expand autonomous vehicle manufacturing capabilities. While Uber leverages its robust marketplace platform to drive substantial demand for autonomous rides through key partnerships, Waymo has diversified manufacturing to meet demand. Tesla, despite its ambitions with Full Self-Driving (FSD), faces ongoing technical challenges, including difficulties accurately identifying pedestrians, animals, and school zones, underscore the complexity in deploying fully autonomous vehicles at scale. Simultaneously, the autonomous vehicle industry’s competitive landscape remains fluid, as traditional automakers struggle with limited autonomy programs and unclear strategies. With renewed investor interest, fresh funding rounds, and upcoming commercial deployments, the autonomous mobility market is entering a pivotal phase. Autonomy companies must now navigate strategic decisions concerning scale, partnerships, and profitability. Episode Chapters 0:00 Scaling Waymo’s Operations 3:58 Tesla FSD 5:17 Tesla’s Upcoming Austin Robotaxi Launch 7:47 Did GM Pull the Plus on Cruise Too Early? 11:33 GM’s Continued Investments in EVs 14:48 Software 16:35 Licensing Autonomy & OEM Partnerships 20:41 Foxconn Contract Manufacturing AVs 25:53 Uber’s Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Strategy 28:50 Uber / Waymo Relationship 34:33 Zoox 35:31 Alphabet’s Commitment to Waymo 37:28 Merge Waymo One into Uber? 39:12 Car Rental Companies 40:32 Autonomy as a Business 44:52 Key Takeaways Recorded on Thursday, May 8, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss the abrupt resignation of Aurora Co-Founder Sterling Anderson, why Waymo needs more vehicles and the continued fragmentation of the robotaxi market. Mr. Anderson’s sudden departure sent shockwaves through the industry, raising critical questions about his next move and the potential impact on Aurora’s partnership with Volvo, along with Uber’s reaction. Yet, curiously, none of these questions were raised by analysts on the company’s earnings call, leaving investors and industry insiders to speculate. Meanwhile, Waymo appears to be scaling faster than its fleet can support. With 1,500 vehicles on the road today and another 2,000 expected by next year, the company has yet to activate highway operations, likely due to the increased wait times it would cause in already constrained markets. As Uber doubles down on global autonomous vehicle partnerships, Waymo appears to have cooled on Lyft, potently leaving them at a competitive disadvantage. As Uber aggressively ramps up its global autonomous vehicle partnerships, Waymo appears to have cooled on Lyft, potentially putting Lyft at a growing competitive disadvantage in the evolving autonomy economy. Episode Chapters 0:00 On The Road 2:03 Sterling Anderson Resigns from Aurora 7:55 Autonomous Trucking Revenue Metrics of Success 9:39 Waymo’s New Factory 12:38 How Many Cars Does Waymo Need in a Market? 15:41 Autonomy Markets On The Road in D.C. 20:30 Growth of Robotaxis on Uber & Lyft 25:48 Is Uber Accelerating the Growth of Chineses AVs in Europe? 30:13 What’s Going on at Zoox? 34:25 Rivian’s Autonomy Ambitions 37:42 Next Week Recorded on Friday, May 9, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Earl Adams Jr., Vice President for Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Plus joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how autonomous trucking is poised to transform local communities, economically, socially, and operationally. In Texas, Plus is actively working to deploy fully autonomous trucks in partnership with International by 2027. As part of the preparation for launch, Earl is meeting with community leaders, elected officials and community colleges in an effort to build transparency and trust with the local communities. When autonomous trucks are deployed, they will make our roads safer and they will have a positive economic benefit on society. The economic benefits of autonomous trucking will be felt in local communities as they will strengthening local businesses through increased spending in local communities. Autonomous trucking isn’t just about moving freight, it’s about creating opportunity without debt, while revitalizing communities, one route at a time. Episode Chapters 0:00 Autonomous Trucking Policy 4:20 Economic Impact of Autonomous Trucking 5:58 Public Trust 10:51 Community Colleges 12:28 Impact on Society 17:29 California DMV Autonomous Trucking Rulemaking 22:48 Hours of Service 27:57 Building & Maintaining Trust 35:21 Autonomous Trucking Industry 40:35 Key Takeaways Recorded on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo’s potential new partnership with Toyota, the launch of Aurora’s driver-out commercial operations and Uber’s continued effort to challenge the autonomy duopoly. On Tuesday, Waymo announced a potential partnership with Toyota to develop personally-owned autonomous vehicles, confirming a business pivot in an effort to counter Tesla’s upcoming robotaxi launch in Austin. Wile Waymo signals a shift in strategy, Aurora launched fully autonomous commercial operations in partnership with Uber Freight. As Uber became Aurora’s first commercial customer, the rideshare side of their business continued to double-down on autonomy, as they further fragmented the autonomy market when they announced a strategic partnership with May Mobility to deploy AVs on the platform. Recorded on Thursday, April 24, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sergey Litvinenko, Co-Founder & CEO, Koop joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the emergence of autonomous vehicle fleets and why the fleet model is becoming the model for scaling autonomous vehicles globally. In the autonomous vehicle market there are new emerging business models for owning and operating the fleets from leasing to REIT-like structures to vertically integrated fleet mangers with each model posing it’s own unique challenges. From insurance requirements to financing to operational complexities, making entering the sector difficult without the right partners. Yet despite these complexities, there are vast opportunities. Episode Chapters 0:00 Autonomous Vehicle Fleets 5:51 Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Franchises 8:30 Individual Fleet Owners 14:42 Personally-Owned Autonomous Vehicles 18:41 Autonomous Driving Developers / OEM Partnerships 22:46 Insuring Autonomous Vehicle Fleets 26:51 Bundling Autonomous Vehicle Insurance with Fleet Management 31:33 Rental Car Companies 33:25 Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Model Challenges 36:40 Future of Autonomous Vehicle Fleets Recorded on Friday, April 25, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo's potential pivot away from HD maps, their 250,000 fully autonomous rides per week milestone, Tesla's pending robotaxi launch and Aurora's long-promised driver-out launch. In a post announcing the milestone on X, Waymo used the term "generalizable Waymo Driver”, potentially hinting that the company may move away from HD maps. Could Waymo be moving towards an end-to-end approach in similar fashion to Tesla? Tesla that is actively preparing to launch their robotaxis in Austin this June. Will they launch in June, or will they delay until July as Elon Musk hinted at on Tesla's Q1 2025 earnings call. When Tesla launches their robotaxi network, the market will change and the question becomes how does Waymo react? For the time being, all eyes are on Aurora, with just days left in April to meet their driver-out launch deadline, anxiety is building as the clock is ticking. The pressure is on to launch fully-autonomous, driver-out operations. Episode Chapters 0:00 Waymo 250k Paid Rides a Week 1:04 Generalizable Waymo Driver 3:12 Highways Coming Soon for Waymo? 4:33 Personally-Owned Waymo Vehicles? 5:55 Personally-Owned Waymos Impact on Uber & Lyft 9:39 Tesla Robotaxi Launch 16:59 Tesla vs Waymo Robotaxi Costs 18:07 Testing FSD Supervised in Europe 19:02 Wayve Expands to Japan 22:48 Uber / VW Robotaxi Partnership 26:29 Toyota 27:46 U.S. DOT Automated Vehicle Framework 30:58 Aurora Driver-Out Countdown Recorded on Thursday, April 24, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what’s coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Christian John, President, TIER IV North America joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how TIER IV is scaling open-source autonomous driving platform software globally. Tier IV is using the foundational elements of Autoware, an open-source autonomous driving software stack to build scalable, modular reference platforms for everything from robotaxis to autonomous buses and industrial logistics. This open platform approach allows multiple companies to collaborate, innovate, and distribute development costs across the ecosystem, similar to Meta’s open-source LLama model for AI. In Japan, TIER IV is experiencing particular success with autonomous buses in Japan, where they’ve secured approximately 50% of municipal contracts as part of Japan’s Mobility DX initiative addressing the country’s aging population and driver shortage. As autonomy scales globally, open-source autonomous driving software could play a vital role. It’s a role that TIER IV wants to play in the global autonomy market. Episode Chapters 0:00 TIER IV Platform 6:27 Open-Source Software 8:25 Autoware 9:52 Building on the TIER IV Platform 11:52 Japanese Autonomy Market 17:32 Nippon Steel 21:46 Vehicle Platforms 23:51 Developing Public Trust 26:31 Robotaxis 31:58 Scaling in North America 36:00 Future of TIER IV Recorded on Friday, April 18, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what’s coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Kodiak starting the process to become a publicly traded company, the anxiety leading up to Aurora’s driver-out commercial launch and Lyft’s expansion into Europe through the acquisition of FREENOW. Kodiak has officially filed to go public in a $2.5 billion SPAC deal, backed by a $100 million PIPE and a 100-truck order from Atlas Energy that signals strong market confidence. Aurora’s long-anticipated driver-out commercial launch is drawing closer, with industry watchers counting the days and parsing every signal for an indication of launch. On the platform side of autonomy, Lyft is expanding to the UK and Europe through a $197 million acquisition of FREENOW. Now that Lyft has European operations, there is a path for the company to scale robotaxis on two continents. It appears that Lyft is gearing up to compete with Uber more aggressively, while in the U.S., Waymo continues to grow their Waymo One service which overtime will capture marketshare from both Uber and Lyft. Meanwhile, Walt headed out to LA to get an on the ground understanding of how Waymo is scaling in the City of Angles and how Angelenos are currently thinking about autonomous vehicles. Episode Chapters 0:00 Walt’s LA Adventure 2:08 Waymos in LA 9:40 Kodiak Files to Go Public 17:10 HD Maps 20:41 Aurora’s Driver-Out Moment 24:22 Lyft Acquires FREENOW, Expands to Europe 30:00 Nuro Expands to Japan 31:10 Sidewalk Delivery Bots 35:10 Tesla FSD 38:27 Waymo’s Upcoming Atlanta Launch on Uber 41:04 Next Week Recorded on Thursday, April 17, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what’s coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jim Liefer, CEO, Ambi Robotics joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how physical AI is transforming warehouse automation and redefining global supply chain efficiency. Ambi Robotics systems have logged over 200,000 hours of real-world autonomous operations, equivalent to 22 years of experience. As the foundation models powering these systems continue to ingest more data, their performance and accuracy will only improve with time. While scaling its autonomous systems, Ambi Robotics remains focused on human-robot collaboration rather than full automation. The company is actively working to transform physically demanding warehouse roles into higher-paying robot operator positions that require minimal training. Despite all of the current economic uncertainties, large logistics companies are continuing to invest in automation, recognizing it as an essential tool for managing the ever-increasing volume of goods moving through global supply chains. Episode Chapters 0:00 Future of Robotics 1:56 Training Data 3:50 AmbiSort 6:42 Unlocking Efficiencies 7:58 Deploying an Ambi System 10:06 Customer Data 13:13 Fully Automated Warehouses and Jobs 18:33 Humans in the Loop 22:46 Packaging 25:50 Warehouse Trends 27:58 Investing in Automation & Autonomy 29:54 Business of Ambi Robotics 34:48 Future of Ambi Robotics Recorded on Monday, April 7, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what’s coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Wayve’s OEM partnership with Nissan, Nuro’s Series E capital raise and why the Uber/Waymo partnership in Austin does not guarantee future deployments. Wayve is going to power Nissan’s next-generation ProPILOT technology starting in fiscal year 2027. The deal with Nissan validates Wayve’s business model of licensing and raises the question of is Nuro next in line to secure a major OEM partnership? As the autonomy economy evolves, licensing autonomous driving systems is going to accelerate fragmentation, potentially benefitting both Uber and Lyft. In Austin, Waymo is available exclusively through Uber. While early signs point to success, it’s far from guaranteed that the partnership will scale beyond Austin and Atlanta, especially as Waymo continues to expand on it’s own with Waymo One. Episode Chapters 0:00 Wayve Partners with Nissan 3:12 Autonomous Driving OEM Partnerships 5:24 Nuro Series E 7:12 Autonomous Driving Partnerships Ecosystem 13:01 Could Tesla xAI Swap Assets? 17:19 Zoox Expands Testing to LA 18:27 Will Zoox Launch Commercial Service in 2025? 20:25 Waymo Needs More OEM Partnerships 23:40 U.S. / China Policy 28:00 Europe / China Policy 31:19 Uber / Waymo Austin Data 36:49 Unforced Error of The Week 38:52 Next Week Recorded on Friday, April 11, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what’s coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pete Bigelow, Senior Reporter, Automotive News joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how Detroit is handing tariffs, the slow adoption of electric vehicles and consumers increasing interest in autonomous vehicles. Detroit’s automakers are grappling with a future that is no longer electric, it’s autonomous. After racing full steam ahead towards electric vehicles, the momentum has stalled as consumers are opting for hybrids. Even as consumers opt for hybrids, they are increasingly interested in autonomy and the emergence of personally-owned autonomous vehicles. However, the question still remains whether traditional OEMs have the will or the ability to develop in-house and commercialize an autonomous driving system that is reelable and scaleable. If they can not develop it in-house, they will have to license the technology with the risk of becoming a contract manufacturer for the autonomy industry. Episode Chapters 0:00 The Mood in Detroit 4:17 Tariffs / Exporting Detroit 6:54 Electrification 9:30 Will Economic Uncertainty Lead to the Rise of Personally-Owned Autonomous Vehicles? 15:03 Jeep, an Autonomy Brand 17:26 GM & Ford’s Fully Autonomous Aspirations 19:55 Rising Road Fatalities 26:59 Tesla Will Drive Me Home Trend 28:49 No Steering Wheel, No Pedals 30:58 Waymo Hyundai Robotaxis are Made in America 31:45 Factories of The Future 35:19 Scaling Waymo 40:56 Tesla’s June Robotaxi Launch 43:20 Aurora Driver-Out in Texas 48:51 What To Look for in The Markets Recorded on Monday, April 7, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what’s coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo’s unforced error with the Zeekr RT robotaxi, Uber’s future with autonomous vehicles and the winners and losers from the latest round of tariffs. Waymo’s Zeekr RT robotaxi has seen its price double due to a 100% tariff on Chinese-made vehicles, igniting a debate over whether Waymo made an unforced error with their Zeekr partnership. Could tariffs either accelerate a new OEM partnership for Waymo or see them abandon it all together? Meanwhile, Uber’s autonomy ambitions are accelerating and gaining momentum globally. This week, Uber announced a partnership with WeRide and the Dubai Road and Transport Authority to deploy robotaxis in Dubai. Could Uber’s largest autonomy market end up being outside the U.S.? Grayson and Walter debate the issue, while exploring the implications that tariffs will have on the autonomy ecosystem. Episode Chapters 0:00 Tariffs 1:05 Impact of Tariffs on Waymo 6:26 Does Waymo Need to Slim Down? 9:10 Tesla FSD Unsupervised Launch 11:41 Tariffs and The Trucking Industry 13:57 May Mobility 14:27 LiDAR Market 18:25 Energy 22:46 Uber’s Global Ambitions 25:15 Scaling Waymo 31:00 Uber App 37:23 Waymo Messaging 40:17 Zoox 41:23 Lyft 46:37 Personally-Owned Autonomous Vehicles 49:58 Next Week Recorded on Thursday, April 3, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what’s coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jeremy Bird, EVP, Driver Experience, Lyft joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss Lyft’s approach to autonomous vehicles and why Lyft is embracing a hybrid network strategy. As part of their autonomous vehicle strategy, Lyft is developing partnerships with autonomous vehicle developers and vehicle manufacturers that will enable them to put their AVs on the Lyft network. Lyft envisions a hybrid network, one where autonomous vehicle fleets, individually owned autonomous vehicle, and human drivers are all utilizing the and profiting from the Lyft network. Episode Chapters 0:00 Lyft’s Current Thinking on Autonomy 1:42 ETAs 2:46 Airports 6:43 Personally-Owned Autonomous Vehicles 9:31 Autonomous Vehicle Fleets 11:16 Lyft Ready Autonomous Vehicles 12:43 Hybrid Network Operations 18:12 May Mobility 23:31 Waymo 24:32 J.P. Morgan Partnership 26:08 Lyft AV Tier 27:18 Motoring Down the AV Superhighway 30:17 Tesla 31:31 Insurance 35:53 Lyft Culture 39:11 Future of Lyft Recorded on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what’s coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss their road trip to Forward Forth Worth, Waymo’s expansion to Washington, D.C. and the emerging opportunity in autonomous trucking. Texas is thriving capital of autonomous trucking with Aurora, Bot Auto, Kodiak, Torc and Waabi all having a presence in the state. Now autonomous vehicle companies are flocking to the state with Avride, May Mobility, Waymo and Zoox all having a presence in the state. While Texas emerges as the capital of autonomy, Waymo continues to solidify its lead as the world leader in robotaxis. With their lead in tact and the demand for their service growing, Waymo announced this week that they are expanding service to Washington, D.C. in 2026. As both Waymo continues to grow and expand, the economic impact of autonomy is only just beginning to be felt. Episode Chapters 0:00 Waymo Subreddit 01:17 Forward Fort Worth 03:10 Insurance 06:55 Investing in Autonomous Trucking 11:56 May Mobility Arlington Deployment 13:56 Autonomy Markets on the Road 17:28 Waymo Announces Service is Coming to D.C. in 2026 21:41 Waymo / Uber Relationship 26:50 Waymo Testing Zeekr Robotaxis on I-85 in Atlanta 27:44 Waymo, The World Leader in Robotaxis 30:46 London 31:56 New York 33:34 Autonomy Markets Confessions 34:34 Waymo Scheduled Rides 38:05 Waymo Pricing 41:08 Tesla’s June Robotaxi Launch 48:03 Next Week Recorded on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what’s coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nat Beuse, Chief Safety Officer, Aurora joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the development of Aurora’s Safety Case Framework and how the company is preparing to safely launch fully autonomous commercial trucks. Aurora’s rigorous safety case framework is built around trust, transparency and continuous improvement. From fostering a deeply ingrained safety culture to closely collaborating with OEM partners Volvo and PACCAR, as well as hardware partner Continental, Aurora is focused on deploying commercial autonomous trucks that operate safely and reliably without human intervention. Episode Chapters 0:00 NHTSA Experience 2:38 Roadway Safety 8:03 Aurora’s Culture of Safety 21:20 Developing the Safety Case Framework 25:22 Closing the Safety Case 26:41 Preparing for Commercial Launch 31:21 Driver-Out Operations 39:38 OEM Partners 42:19 Redundancy 43:50 Remote Monitoring 49:37 Launch Day 53:38 Key Takeaway Recorded on Friday, March 14, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what’s coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo’s mapping expansion to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), their continued Bay Area expansion and Tesla’s ambitious plans for launching a FSD Unsupervised. As Waymo begins mapping SFO, there are still hurdles that the company has to overcome before offering commercial service, as their current permit prohibits transporting commercial goods or passengers. When Waymo applies for their ground transportation operating permit, The Teamsters are expected to oppose Waymo’s permit application it in an effort to block the service. Despite this potential challenge, we expect commercial operations at the airport to begin by this summer, as there is a clear economic benefit to San Francisco’s economy. Down at Giga in Austin, Elon Musk held an all-hands meeting where he outlined his bold plans for FSD Unsupervised and the company’s upcoming robotaxi service. At some point, Tesla will “crack” full self-driving and when they do, Waymo will have their first true competitor. Episode Chapters 0:00 Waymo Begins Mapping SFO 9:14 Waymo Airport Predictions (SFO, SJC, LAX) 11:13 Waymo Nashville Prediction 13:16 Waymo / Hyundai Prediction 14:38 Waymo’s Continued Bay Area Expansion 19:13 Uber, Lyft and the Growth of Waymo 21:04 Waymo Zeekr Robotaxis 26:43 Waymo on Uber in Austin 30:59 Could Waymo be Expanding to the UK? 34:16 Tesla Unsupervised 35:43 Tesla All-Hands Meeting 37:36 Tesla CPUC Permit 38:47 NVIDIA GTC 42:04 Truck OEMs 46:57 Unforced Error of The Week 48:51 Next Week Recorded on Friday, March 21, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what’s coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Adrienne Gildea, Deputy Executive Director, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how CVSA developed enhanced inspections and the positive impact that they will have on roadway safety. CVSA is preparing for autonomous trucks to scale by working with the autonomous trucking industry, law enforcement and various stakeholders to develop enhanced inspections. Enhanced inspections will increase safety on the roadways as autonomous trucks will undergo rigorous “zero defect” inspections before being dispatched (or every 24 hours) and when they are on the road, the trucks will be able to communicate their inspection status to law enforcement officials in real-time. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo’s Bay Area expansion and what it means for the great highway and airport unlocks, our visit to May Mobility in Ann Arbor and Amazon’s struggles with Zoox. Waymo has expanded its service area in the Bay Area by 50%, adding 27 square miles in Silicon Valley, for residents only at this time. Is this restriction due to a vehicle shortage? It very well could be, as Waymo continues to scale at a rapid pace in multiple markets. Is airport pick-up and drop-off at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) next? With Waymo’s growing service area in the Bay Area, it seems to only be a matter of time. Demand for Waymo at SFO is there as in December 2024, there were approximately 13,366 searches for “SFO” on the Waymo app, and 718 people installed the app while physically at the airport. Once Waymo is allowed to operate at SFO, the economic impact is projected to be nearly $100 million. The positive economic impact is immense and California’s economy needs Waymo to succeed. When Waymo succeeds, California’s economy succeeds. Episode Chapters 0:00 Autonomy Markets Visits May Mobility 7:28 Waymo’s Silicon Valley Expansion 11:25 Waymo’s Fleet Challenges 14:52 Waymo’s Eventual Expansion to SFO 24:20 Waymo LAX Service 29:20 Wayve‘s ChatGPT Moment 34:41 What Does Amazon do with Zoox? 37:22 Could Autonomy Reaccelerate Growth at Apple? 40:36 Did Uber Make a Mistake Selling ATG? 43:33 Unforced Error of The Week 44:33 Next Week Recorded on Friday, March 14, 2025 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.