#340: On The Ground In Austin

Austin Texas was already one of the hot spots of AV activity, even before Tesla's robotaxi deployment ratched up the hype. With Ed back from a week on the ground, and Alex and Kirsten watching events there closely, the gang has a lot to discuss this week.

The summer heat is getting to the gang, as they discuss Tesla's attempt to go driverless in Austin and engage in the burning Waymo discourse that has been roiling the internet.

After a brief update about their old, unreliable cars, the gang dives into the latest effort to pre-empt local regulation of AVs, and its many implications.

Spring has sprung, and the AV sector is full of happenings. From Sterling Anderson's surprise move from Aurora to GM, to a series of recalls at Waymo and Zoox, the gang discusses the AV sector's busy spring.

This week: Aurora goes driverless, Waymo hooks up with Toyota, Uber hooks up with everyone, and the gang gathers to piece together what it all means.

Before co-founding the medium duty electric truck startup Harbinger, John Harris lived through some of the wildest highs and lows of the post-Tesla EV startup bubble. On this week's episode, he explains how lessons learned from those experiences shaped Harbinger, why medium-duty trucks are so ripe for electrification, how tariffs are creating new challenges, and much more.

The gang comes together to chat about Wayve's deal with Nissan, Kodiak's decision to SPAC, China's ban on "self-driving" terminology — and of course Tesla. Plus, Alex and Kirsten commiserate on their increasingly expensive classic cars.

Reilly Brennan, the godfather of the Autonocast and Trucks VC general partner, returns to the pod for a wide-ranging discussion on the business of robotaxis, how AVs have evolved in the past decade, his latest fund, and some surprising insights into Tesla.

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.