Episode 316 | Is the Future of Autonomy Licensing and Contract Manufacturing?

David Welch, Detroit Bureau Chief, Bloomberg joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the future of autonomy.Is Waymo preparing to pivot away from owning and operating robotaxi fleets towards licensing the Waymo Driver to companies such as Toyota, and perhaps even Ford and GM? If Waymo were to fully pivot to a licensing model, it could establish a new model in which legacy OEMs become contract manufacturers for autonomous driving developers. With legacy OEMs acting as contract manufacturers, a new ecosystem would emerge in which OEMs build the vehicles, finance companies carry them on their balance sheets, service providers manage operations, and autonomous driving developers supply the autonomous driving systems under licensing agreements.Meanwhile, Foxconn has ambitions to become the contract manufacturer of choice for robotaxi developers. If Foxconn were to enter the sector at scale, who would become the fleet operator? Who would finance the vehicles and own them on their balance sheet?Today, there are still more questions than answers when it comes to the future of autonomy. Yet despite this current uncertainty, the outlines of the industry’s next era are beginning to take shape.Episode Chapters0:00 Ford’s LiDAR Demands4:16 Financing Autonomous Driving Platforms 5:44 Would GM Sell The Origin Platform to Cruise?13:24 GM & Politics 15:38 Foxconn21:34 Licensing Autonomous Driving Systems 23:15 Fully-Electric Pick-up Trucks30:21 Tesla32:35 Breaking out Robotaxi Revenue 36:11 Waymo41:41 May Mobility on Lyft43:16 Toyota44:53 Waymo OEM Partnerships 46:02 What To Look For in the MarketsRecorded on Monday, July 7, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe 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/ae/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 headed to Austin, Texas to experience Robotaxi firsthand.After spending the week in Austin and experiencing Robotaxi firsthand, we came away truly impressed. Tesla did it, they cracked full self-driving with a vision-only system. From our very first ride we noticed how the autonomous driving system was confident, yet not risky. It performed at a high-level and even out performed Waymo in several instances when we tested both autonomous driving systems side by side in a variety of real-world scenarios.Over dozens of fully autonomous rides, Robotaxi navigated city streets, handled tricky parking situations, and adapted seamlessly without a single intervention. The experience exceeded our expectations, and further validated that Tesla’s vision-only approach is not just a technical milestone, but it is the future of autonomy.Episode Chapters0:00 Robotaxi Special Edition1:29 First Robotaxi Ride and Our Impressions7:47 Robotaxi Learnings11:33 Expanding Austin ODD14:46 Robotaxi, Waymo on Uber20:44 Grocery Stores25:24 Austin, Safety Attendants, & Maintenance29:53 Blending InRecorded the Week of July 7, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe 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/ae/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dean Foreman, Chief Economist, Texas Oil & Gas Association joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how the powerful intersection of traditional energy and emerging technology are fueling the growth of AI data centers. The Permian Basin with its layered geology and massive reserves continues to attract investment as this prolific oil and natural gas region remains essential to U.S. energy independence. Despite geopolitical uncertainties and high interest rates in the United States, oil markets have proven remarkably resilient.Natural gas is quickly becoming the engine fueling the growth of AI data centers and the digital economy. From pipelines and LNG exports to the economics of co-located power generation, oil and gas aren’t just legacy fuels, they’re foundational to the future of automation, AI, and global prosperity.Episode Chapters0:00 Current Events Impact on Oil Markets2:59 Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)4:02 Permian Basin 6:33 Global Oil Demand11:58 Natural Gas Markets 16:16 AI Data Centers22:42 Natural Gas Production and Consumption 27:10 Pipelines28:23 Geology of the Permian Basin30:25 Quarterly OutlookRecorded on Tuesday, July 1, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe 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/ae/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 gradual move away from owning and operate a fleet of robotaxis, Moove’s growing fleet ownership ambitions and Ford’s LiDAR demands. Moove, a company backed by Uber, is in the process of raising $1.2 billion in debt to purchase Waymo vehicles. Is this yet another signal that Waymo is preparing to shift away from operating a capital-intensive robotaxi business and instead focusing on licensing the Waymo Driver? If this is indeed a signal, what impact will this have on the rideshare industry?As Waymo business appears to be evolving, Ford CEO Jim Farley has publicly declared that any autonomous driving system Ford licenses must use LiDAR. Is this bravado aimed at Tesla, or a genuine strategy?Closing out the episode, Grayson and Walt discuss the failure of the AI preemption clause in the Big Beautiful Bill.Episode Chapters0:00 Moove's $1.2 Billion Dollar Debt Raise4:30 Rideshare Usage in 20 Years12:55 Breaking Down AVOMO and Moove16:45 Uber's Growing Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Asset Ambitions 20:38 Ford's LiDAR Demands22:32 Is Ford Talking to Waymo Again?24:50 Wayve Drive in The Big Apple27:56 Big Beautiful Bill30:29 Next WeekRecorded on Thursday, July 3, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe 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/ae/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Qasar Younis, CEO and Peter Ludwig, CTO, Co-Founders of Applied Intuition joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss Applied Intuition’s evolution from a tooling platform to a multi-domain vehicle intelligence powerhouse.As Applied Intuition continues to grow, they remain focused on staying paranoid, avoiding arrogance, and learning from companies such as Microsoft to navigate technological shifts. Whether it’s building autonomous trucking stacks, enabling collaborative autonomy, or creating seamless digital passports for drivers and passengers, Applied Intuition is positioning itself to become the de facto platform for vehicle intelligence.Episode Chapters0:00 What's Next for Applied Intuition? 9:16 Autonomous Trucking11:46 Autonomy for Defense 15:37 OpenAI Partnership 21:59 Applied Passport25:10 Microsoft of Autonomy30:04 Vehicle Intelligence42:33 Over-the-Air Software Updates 45:34 Meta V-JEPA 249:29 Licensing 54:44 HiringRecorded on Friday, June 20, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe 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 Tesla’s robotaxi launch in Austin, OpenAI’s growing autonomous driving ambitions, Waymo’s future and Foxconn’s strategic partnership with Elektrobit.The launch of Tesla’s robotaxi has sparked polarized reactions with some hailing it as revolutionary, while others have focused on the safety attendant and the limited ODD (Operational Design Domain). During the episode, Grayson and Walt discussed how this measured rollout contrasts with the overhyped expectations, while also emphasizing that no company, including Waymo has scaled robotaxis without any operational issues. Beyond Tesla, the hosts explored how Foxconn’s new partnership with Continental’s Elektrobit could position it as a contract manufacturer for next-generation autonomous fleets, potentially opening doors for tech giants with autonomous driving ambitions, OpenAI, Nvidia, and Meta to enter the sector.While Waymo is the clear leader in the development and commercialization of robotaxis today, their long-term business ambitions remain shrouded in mystery.Episode Chapters0:00 Tesla Robotaxi Launch6:19 Robotaxi and Waymo Cost Structure Comparsion10:59 Tele-Operations13:28 The Growth of Robotaxi15:15 NHTSA19:00 What’s Next for Robotaxi?24:36 Uber & Waymo Open Atlanta Market25:49 Waymo at Airports26:33 Waymo Needs Policy Help29:25 Will Waymo and Lyft Be Friends Again?30:24 Does Waymo Want to Be in the Robotaxi Business?33:49 Is Travis Kalanick Buying Pony AI’s U.S. Operations with Uber’s Backing?36:30 Foxconn / Elektrobit Partnership43:17 Will Waymo Via Ever Come Back?44:03 Autonomous Delivery Bots47:44 VW ID. Buzz AD50:46 Next WeekRecorded on Thursday, June 26, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe 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.

Zach Rash, Co-Founder & CEO, Coco Robotics joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the growing autonomous delivery market and how Coco is scaling operations to meet demand. Coco Robotics has built and deployed thousands of cost-efficient, urban-optimized delivery robots designed for high-throughput in dense cities like Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and Helsinki. From rising consumer demand and tipping fatigue to tightening labor regulations, market conditions are accelerating the need for scalable, autonomous delivery solutions. As the conversation evolves, Zach shares insights into Coco Robotics hybrid autonomy approach, the economics of remote supervision, and the company’s growing partnership with OpenAI to build next-gen driving models.Episode Chapters0:00 Current State of Robotic Delivery Market04:29 Advertising 09:04 Form Factors11:28 Delivery Logistics 14:01 Weather Extremes16:32 Packaging 21:17 Merchant Partners 24:01 Robot Operations 31:22 OpenAI Partnership 35:26 End-to-End Model38:27 Manufactoring Robots 41:12 Deploying Delivery Robots into Markets 47:41 Future of Coco Robotics Recorded on Monday, June 9, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe 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 return to the Big Apple, a revealing new Waymo rider survey, political grandstanding in Texas aimed at delaying Tesla’s robotaxi launch, and the emergence of potential new players in autonomous driving sector, Meta and OpenAI.Waymo announced plans to resume testing in New York City this summer, the first time operating in the city since 2021. While the move signals growing confidence in their technology, regulatory hurdles remain, as current New York state law prohibits fully driverless operations until at least 2026 when a new law could come into effect.While Waymo is actively focusing on scaling operations and expanding into New York, a recent rider survey offers rare insight into the company’s future ambitions. Questions about luxury positioning, loyalty rewards, ride reservations, and premium services suggesting that Waymo is exploring a strategy that moves beyond their tenuous limited partnership Uber, and towards a fully integrated premium mobility platform.Meanwhile, a group of Democratic lawmakers in Texas sent a letter to Tesla urging the company to delay its planned driver-out robotaxi launch until new State autonomous vehicles laws take effect in September. Based on social media reports, Tesla is not waiting and they will be launching Robotaxi in the coming days.Then there is the growing ambitions of both Meta and OpenAI. Will they be the next companies to potentially enter the autonomous driving sector?Episode Chapters0:00 Waymo Eyes NYC Expansion3:05 Waymo Loves New York as They Leave Uber Behind4:15 Waymo’s Regulatory Path Forward in New York7:47 Waymo’s LA & Bay Area Expansions9:06 Waymo Fleet Size10:54 What is Behind Waymo’s Lack of Highway Service?13:03 Is Waymo Getting Closer to Unlocking SFO?14:23 Waymo Rider Survey34:35 Texas State Representatives Tesla Letter38:53 Zoox40:13 Kodiak/Roush Partnership44:11 Does Meta and OpenAI Have Autonomous Driving Ambitions?48:51 Applied Intuition50:39 Next WeekRecorded on Thursday, June 19, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe 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.

Kaity Fischer, Vice President, Commercial and Operations, Wayve joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how Wayve is scaling their end-to-end AI autonomous driving system globally.Wayve’s ability to operate autonomously across multiple countries and on both sides of the road without the need for pre-mapped environments or geo-fences is a significant competitive advantage. By licensing the Wayve Driver to global OEMs, the company is building a scalable solution that adapts to diverse vehicle platforms and sensor configurations, unlocking the path to both consumer-owned and fleet-owned autonomous vehicles. The future is mapless, borderless, and powered by end-to-end AI.Episode Chapters0:00 Wayve / Nissan Deal1:14 Wayve Driver10:30 Fleet Operators 15:57 End-to-End AI Driver19:49 Mapless23:58 Adopting to Different Platforms 28:36 Scaling End-to-End AI31:35 Powered by Wayve34:46 Future of WayveRecorded on Friday, May 16, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe 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 start of Tesla’s driver-out operations in Austin, the tenuous relationship between Waymo and Uber, and the UK’s pmomentum on autonomous vehicle regulation, while the EU remains at a standstill.Now that Tesla is testing is testing driver-out operations, they are one step closer to launching commercial robotaxi operations in Austin, bringing Elon Musk’s long-held vision closer to reality. What does Tesla’s impending robotaxi launch mean for Uber, Waymo and the broader robotaxi market? Could this launch impact the relationship between Uber and Waymo? Are they true partners, competitors, or something in between? With a growing supply of vehicles in Austin and new international opportunities emerging, including in the UK, we examine the market signals that could define the next phase of their relationship and how that will impact the autonomy markets.Episode Chapters0:00 Waymo Suspends Service in LA3:18 Tesla Goes Driver-Out in Austin5:54 Boring Company 9:27 Tesla’s Focus on Safety10:34 Uber & Waymo’s Tenuous Relationship 18:06 Uber / Wayve Partnership20:53 Does the Uber / Wayve Partnership Put Pressure on Waymo?22:11 Economics of the Waymo / Uber Partnership 24:00 Dedicated Waymo Uber Tier25:32 Do Autonomous Vehicles Expand the Rideshare Market?31:12 NHTSA Part 555 / Regulatory Update 37:19 Next WeekRecorded on Saturday, June 14, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe 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.