Inside Transportation

This is Episode 17.5 of the Inside Transportation Podcast. This podcast was made possible by Ford Motor Company (www.ford.com) and Fenwick (www.fenwick.com).

Featuring Johan Moreno (Inside.com) and Kunal Phalpher(Li-Cycle).

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This week, we have a bonus edition of the Inside Transportation Podcast, a 1 on 1 interview with the chief commercial officer of Li-Cycle Corp., Kunal Phalpher.

Kunal has been involved with Li-Cycle since 2017, bringing extensive international experience in the lithium-ion battery and renewable energy sectors to Li-Cycle, with experience primarily in business development and corporate strategy.

This is Episode 17 of the Inside Transportation Podcast. This podcast was made possible by Ford Motor Company (www.ford.com) and Fenwick (www.fenwick.com).

Featuring Johan Moreno (Inside.com) and Michael Burtov (GeoOrbital).

Subscribe to Inside Transportation newsletter: inside.com/transportation

Subscribe to Inside Electric Vehicles newsletter: inside.com/evs

Recorded on August 13, 2020.

Today on the Inside Transportation Podcast, we have a very special guest — Michael Burtov, an inventor, entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of GeoOrbital. If that company name sounds familiar, you may recognize it from Season 9 of Shark Tank. GeoOrbital is a wheel that allows you to retro-fit your bike into a personal electric vehicle.

Learn more about GeoOrbital: https://geoo.com

Watch Michael's Shark Tank pitch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofv3dEy6nx0

Learn more about Michael's book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087C3LH1Z

SHOW NOTES

1:40 - Johan asks Michael the burning question: “What was it like to be on Shark Tank?”

2:50 - Michael gives us a bit about his background and why he’s passionate about micro-mobility

4:10 - Johan asks about the development process and what it was like to execute a wild idea into production

9:30 - Michael talks about the challenges GeoOrtibal and other startups face with raising capital

12:25 - Johan asks Michael about the future of GeoOrbital and where it may be going in the future.

13:00 - Michael talks about other applications for GeoOrbital’s technology away from e-bikes to wheelchairs and other devices.

15:00 - Johan asks Michael where how he sees micro-mobility after the pandemic

19:30 - Michael talks about the capital that is currently funding micro-mobility startups and how sustainable these companies are

22:00 - Johan asks Michael whether the future of electric bikes will be shared or owned

25:00 - The two discuss the potential challenges in obtaining enough batteries for electric vehicles in the near future

28:00 - Johan talks about the power of corporate or enterprise deals for EV makers

31:00 - Michael argues that Tesla is not an automaker, but is more of a software company. The two discuss.

33:00 - Johan argues that Tesla is going to be one of the few operating systems that will be powering electric vehicles in the future

34:00 - Is it possible that Tesla is going to provide their software into other vehicles?

35:30 - Johan asks on the federal level, what do you think the government can do to support EV adoption?

37:40 - The two discuss the lack of clarity where new modes of transportation, like electric scooters, should go.

43:20 - Michael shares some thoughts on what lessons he would give to a transportation startup founder

This is Episode 16 of the Inside Transportation Podcast. This podcast was made possible by Ford Motor Company (www.ford.com) and Fenwick (www.fenwick.com).

Access the full show notes here: https://www.notion.so/EP-16-Ridin-Shotgun-with-The-Rideshare-Guy-dfd0c4b4d3474fcba5919f0301cd2d4f

Featuring Johan Moreno (Inside.com) and Harry Campbell (The Rideshare Guy)

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Recorded on August 11, 2020.

Joining us on today's episode as a special co-host is Harry Campbell, also known as The Rideshare Guy. Harry runs one of the largest driver communities online, dedicated to ride-hailing driver resources and more. You can visit his website at therideshareguy.com or listen to his podcast here!

Harry's latest podcast where he interviewed Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi: https://therideshareguy.com/rsg140-dara-khosrowshahi-on-ubers-third-way/

**8:10 - UBER CEO SUGGESTS AN ALTERNATIVE TO MAKING DRIVERS EMPLOYEES**

- For years, ride-hailing and other gig economy companies have been criticized for their decision to classify workers as independent contractors.

- In an op-ed for the New York Times, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi suggested the government act to create a new worker classification for gig economy workers: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/10/opinion/uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-gig-workers-deserve-better.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

**17:55 - DO UBER DRIVERS WANT TO BE COMPANY EMPLOYEES?**

- A recent survey, commissioned by Uber shows app-based drivers don't want to be company employees.

- A recent estimate from Barclays said Uber would pay about $2,040 per employee per year if they were to re-classify workers as employees. An estimate from Khosrowshahi's op-ed said the company said a driver would receive about $1,350 in benefit pay under proposal (driver in Colorado working 35 hours).

**32:00 - GIG ECONOMY COMPANIES FACE ANOTHER CHALLENGE IN CALIFORNIA: PROP 22**

- Yesterday, Uber and Lyft were dealt a blow, as a San Francisco Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction that would require both companies to classify workers as employees.

**42:00 - EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC ON DRIVERS**

- In the company's latest earnings call, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said ride bookings in core U.S. markets were down as much as 85% during Q2. Lyft has also reported similar declines in ridership.

- Independent, gig-economy workers were eligible for additional unemployment pay ($600 per week) but now, many of those benefits dried up.

This is Episode 15 of the Inside Transportation Podcast. This podcast was made possible by Ford Motor Company (www.ford.com) and Fenwick (www.fenwick.com).

Access the full show notes here: https://www.notion.so/EP-15-In-A-World-Of-Connected-And-Self-Driving-Vehicles-35148ada9e8047f79389ddb2a185e873

Featuring Jason Calacanis (Angel investor, LAUNCH, Inside.com), Johan Moreno (inside.com), Jim Koenig (Fenwick & West) and Jim Gregoire (Fenwick & West).

Subscribe to Inside Transportation newsletter: inside.com/transportation

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Recorded on July 28, 2020.

We often talk about the future of transportation being centered around automated and autonomous driving technology. But we seldom think about what that type of transportation will look like, who will own the experience, who will have access to our data and most importantly, who will own our data?

On this week's episode, we sit down with James Koenig and James Gregoire of Fenwick & West, two experts on privacy, related to connected and autonomous vehicles.

2:50 - SEGMENT 1 - Jim, Jim, Jason and Johan discuss user experience, regulations and autonomous vehicle safety.

17:06 - SEGMENT 2 - Jim K. discusses affiliated consent, an innovative approach that balances privacy and convenience.

34:00 - SEGMENT 3 - Johan asks Jim and Jim about the development of autonomous vehicles in China and what the U.S. is doing to spur innovation in the self-driving space.

45:00 - SEGMENT 4 - Johan asks about connected and autonomous vehicle hacking and what’s preventing vehicles from being hacked.

This is episode 14 of the Inside Transportation Podcast. This podcast was made possible by Ford Motor Company (www.ford.com) and Fenwick (www.fenwick.com).

Access the full show notes here: https://www.notion.so/EP-14-The-Inside-Transportation-Inbox-52c83283ee1f46bebc90e8e59bfa11b9

Featuring Jason Calacanis (Angel investor, LAUNCH, Inside.com)and Johan Moreno (inside.com).

Subscribe to Inside Transportation newsletter: inside.com/transportation

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Recorded on July 20, 2020.

3:00 - TO KICK THINGS OFF

In Episode 12, Jason suggested we stage a fake viral video of a Tesla owner trying to fill up at a gas station. One reader tweeted us this video: https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1283807773936033798

4:20 - Producer Nick shared a Bloomberg article that said KPMG research suggests COVID-19-related changes to driving habits will reduce up to 270 billion miles per year. It is likely a vaccine will not change habits of staying home and driving less.

8:05 - Did COVID-19 kill the car dealership?

One listener asked us about the future of online shopping and car dealerships, after the COVID-19 pandemic.

18:45 - Is the public ready for eVTOLs?

One listener asked us whether the public will be ready for eVTOLs (and autonomous eVTOLs) when they are ready for release.

39:00 - Is it the end of the cruise ship?

The CDC recently extended a ban on cruise ship sailing until the end of September. Some cruise ship lines had hoped to begin sailing again by August, but COVID-19 case concerns continue to rise.

52:00 - DOPE OR NOPE - The Wey P01

Not even a few days after Ford showed off the new Bronco, Chinese automaker Wey showed off renderings of the P01 SUV, which look very similar to the Bronco.

This is episode 13 of the Inside Transportation Podcast. This podcast was made possible by Ford Motor Company (www.ford.com) and Fenwick (www.fenwick.com).

Access the full show notes here: https://www.notion.so/EP-13-Back-To-The-Fisker-1fe18d72acc34291a4d91196a9c91e96

Featuring Jason Calacanis (Angel investor, LAUNCH, Inside.com)and Johan Moreno (inside.com).

Subscribe to Inside Transportation newsletter: inside.com/transportation

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Recorded on July 15, 2020.

1:47 - TO KICK THINGS OFF

Johan and Jason talk burgers and COVID-19 vaccines

8:45 - TOPIC 1: Fisker Inc. is going public

The deal, which would raised $2b and be completed via a reverse acquisition, would be modeled after recent public listings from Nikola and Velodyne Lidar.

22:37 - TOPIC 2: How can the U.S. become the leader in electric vehicles?

Michael Stumo, CEO of the Coalition for a Prosperous America, believes the U.S. is losing the EV arms race to China.

47:05 - TOPIC 3: Uber will allow drivers in California to set their own rates

The pricing experiment was first launched in Palm Springs, Santa Barbara and Sacramento in January, as the company battles initiatives to classify its fleet of independent contractors as employees.

1:01:12 - TOPIC 4: DOPE OR NOPE - The Model V

One Twitter user, @blue_bnd, mocked up this potential Tesla eVTOL that would be called the "Model V."

1:05:53 - TOPIC 5: DOPE OR NOPE - Ford Bronco

This week, Ford unveiled the "Bronco," a revamped version of its SUV that was discontinued in 1996, to make way for the Ford Explorer and the Ford Expedition.

I wanted to send a big thank you to the listeners of the Inside Transportation podcast! We have some exciting additions to our podcast, including our brand-new Notion page that features detailed show notes. You can access it here: https://www.notion.so/insidetranspo/EP-12-The-One-Where-Uber-Acquires-Postmates-5309b25a16e946fba13c6c54bdd2a638

This is episode twelve of the Inside Transportation podcast. This podcast was made possible by Ford Motor Company (www.ford.com) and Fenwick (www.fenwick.com).

Featuring Jason Calacanis (Angel investor, LAUNCH, Inside.com)and Johan Moreno (inside.com).

Subscribe to Inside Transportation newsletter: inside.com/transportation

Subscribe to Inside Electric Vehicles newsletter: inside.com/evs

Recorded on July 6, 2020.

1:48 - TO KICK THINGS OFF

Tesla sold out of "short shorts"

13:00 - TOPIC 1: Uber is acquiring Postmates

Uber’s board approved an all-stock acquisition of Postmates, in a deal worth $2.65b.

27:00 - TOPIC 2: Are vehicle subscription services still the future of automotive?

Attempts from automakers and technology companies to popularize these services have not been successful to date.

39:40 - TOPIC 3: Will Americans buy a Chinese-made car?

Will American consumers, who also shunned Korean automakers a few decades back because of quality issues, avoid Chinese-made vehicles?

54:20 - TOPIC 5: WHO IS THE WORST?

For today’s wrap-up game, we will watch two viral videos involving two different drivers and we will decide which one of the two videos is worst.

VIDEO 1 - Being cut off by a Range Rover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA5S3VBMVzk

VIDEO 2 - Woman has trouble filling up gas tank

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fUJgFfWCKo

On this week's Inside Transportation podcast, we have John McNelis as a guest. John is a leading advisor, writer and speaker in the field of autonomous vehicle technology, John chairs the California Technology Council’s Autonomous Transportation Initiative and serves as the industry lead for Fenwick’s autonomous transportation and shared mobility practice.

He works with some of Silicon Valley’s top investment firms on their diligence related to intellectual property and emerging technologies. Note: Fenwick is a sponsor of this podcast

This is episode eleven of the Inside Transportation podcast. This podcast was made possible by Ford Motor Company (www.ford.com) and Fenwick (www.fenwick.com).

Featuring Jason Calacanis (Angel investor, LAUNCH, Inside.com), John McNeils (Law Firm of Fenwick & West) and Johan Moreno (inside.com).

Subscribe to Inside Transportation newsletter: inside.com/transportation

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Recorded on June 26, 2020.

3:33 - John, Jason and Johan briefly discuss the Amazon-Zoox deal, which he worked on.

8:08 - As self-driving technology becomes more ubiquitous, automated driving software is bound to fail, which brings questions on who will be responsible for its mistakes. Who is responsible for autonomous cars gone wrong?

16:41 - J, J & J discuss when we’d see a Level 5 autonomous car.

21:48 - Jason asks John about weather and how that might affect the performance of automated vehicles.

26:00 - Johan asks whether developers of autonomous vehicle developers are looking for more guidance or less guidance from the government.

30:00 - The three talk about consumer trust with autonomous vehicles and what it will take for people to accept automated cars.

35:00 - The three talk about Tesla Autopilot and issues presented with lane markings on roads.

43:00 - Johan brings up whether insurance companies will become obsolete after autonomous vehicles are on roads.

47:00 - The three discuss partnerships between automakers and autonomous vehicle technology developers and what the future of those prospects are.

50:00 - Jason asks Johan and John whether they’ll see an eVTOL service, Level 5 autonomy or a woolly mammoth first

This is episode ten of the Inside Transportation podcast. This podcast was made possible by Ford Motor Company (www.ford.com) and Fenwick (www.fenwick.com).

Featuring Jason Calacanis (Angel investor, LAUNCH, Inside.com) and Johan Moreno (inside.com).

Subscribe to Inside Transportation newsletter: inside.com/transportation

Subscribe to Inside Electric Vehicles newsletter: inside.com/evs

Recorded on June 22, 2020.

3:25 — Jason and Johan discuss the best path forward for autonomous vehicles to appear roads today. Do we take a centralized route where the government works with autonomous developers to set guidelines, or do we continue with the de-centralized, hands off approach?

Supporting link: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2020/06/15/michigan-fiat-chrysler-join-federal-self-driving-car-initiative/3194309001/

21:00 — The Model Y is here and...there are problems. Tesla forums have documented issues with the vehicle. Jason and Johan discuss whether these quality issues are going to impact sales and whether demand for the Model Y will weaken as a result. Jason talks about his own experience ordering a Model Y.

Supporting link: https://electrek.co/2020/06/16/tesla-model-y-quality-issues/

37:00 — Amid ride-hailing demand declines, Uber becomes a SaaS company, as it reaches an agreement to manage Marin County’s on-demand public transportation service, Marin Connect. Johan and Jason discuss Uber’s move and whether it represents a “panic” button for the company.

Supporting link: https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/17/uber-pushes-into-on-demand-public-transit-with-its-first-saas-partnership/

46:00 — United said that it may ban passengers not wearing face masks from boarding planes. Jason and Johan discuss why there is a lack of federal legislation in mask wearing and why the current administration is apprehensive about enacting these rules on a federal level.

Supporting link: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/airlines-face-masks-passengers/

53:00 — DOPE OR NOPE - Mazda BT-50 pickup truck

Jason and Johan discuss the design of the Mazda BT-50 pickup truck and whether it should arrive in the U.S.

Supporting link: https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/mazda-bt50-pickup-truck-isuzu-dmax-us-availability/

This is episode eight of the Inside Transportation podcast. This podcast was made possible by Ford Motor Company (www.ford.com) and Fenwick (www.fenwick.com).

Featuring Jason Calacanis (Angel investor, LAUNCH, Inside.com), Sunny Madra (Ford X) and Johan Moreno (inside.com).

Subscribe to Inside Transportation newsletter: inside.com/transportation

Subscribe to Inside Electric Vehicles newsletter: inside.com/evs

Recorded on June 16, 2020.

SHOW NOTES —

4:00 - Sunny explains how he landed at Ford and his history with Jason.

6:00 - Jason, Sunny and Johan share observations and thoughts on what shifts we’re going to see in the transportation space post-COVID-19. The three also discuss micro-mobility and how it can solve some transportation problems.

13:45 - Johan asks Sunny how Spin re-assures customers that their shared scooters are safe to ride.

20:00 - Johan asks about the city of the future and how far we are from revolutionizing the way we move, along with potential regulatory challenges.

34:00 - Sunny, Jason and Johan discuss transportation inequality and how some of those challenges can be solved.

43:00 - Johan asks Sunny about how we can possibly use vehicles as living and working spaces.

Note: Sunny recently personally invested in Cabana, but Ford was not involved with this investment. : https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cabana-travel-tech-startup-merging-163000899.html

47:00 - The three talk briefly about Ford, electric vehicles, the upcoming Mach-E and other projects.

50:00 - Jason asks Sunny a bit about the future of the rental car market.

57:00 - Johan asks Jason and Sunny about recent transportation innovations that excite them.