I had the opportunity to meet Roger Atkins, EV-angelist (and much more!) in-person. We had the opportunity to chat and talk about the future, EVs and his recent experiences at the Nordic EV Summit held in the Oslo region. The future of mobility is changing and those changes are huge. Listen for more insights, and don’t forget to subscribe! :)

Und wir haben unsere Show in Deutsch angefangen…

What is the USER EXPERIENCE with EV’s - charging is still an issue.

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It was very insightful talking with my friend Robert Widell, Teradata on how data is enabling business improvements with examples taken from the automotive sector.

How important the product creation is, and the data gathering and possibilities to utilize use/user data to reduce the amount of required testing and simulation.

This also made me refer to Munro&Associates/Sandy Munro’s “who casts the biggest shadow”:

The amount of data will just increase, the business systems will take even more of AI and deep learning in use.

Data is also an enabler for ESG monitoring and enabling decarbonization - listen to the podcast for more insights. This will probably also support the further work to change value chains and ways of manufacturing and producing goods and services - we have pollution and emissions from all activities - the lifecycle aspect for the Bill of Material is key but also complex to figure out. But certainly more research, development and work in this field is going to support the further push towards carbon-neutral activities.

Going digital allows us to spend more time on creative activities:

Robert and myself were “early-adaptors” of electronic music, utilizing computers (from the early age of Commodores…) and software to create music. It gave us so many opportunities using and manipulating sounds and samples in the product creation phase. This probably also contributes today to us both working with making data useful for industry and users to improve efficiency and making an effort to make the future better.

More insight you can find on the blog by Robert/Teradata:

https://www.teradata.com/Blogs/Connecting-R-D-to-the-Digital-Thread

And what about the music - have a listen to DPOINT (available on Spotify):

My favorite lead is “The Higher I Fly”, which I once made a cover version of and also performed that live.

Thank you for the great talk Robert!

Rate this episode:

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/Mika

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About industrial design, and learning more about industrial design guru Einar Hareide how design and artistic expressions belong together.

I have been looking so much forward to this talk with Einar, I remember in my early career days that I had the fantastic opportunity to visit SAAB Automobile’s Design Center where Einar was leading the design efforts. It was just a fantastic experience!

What is so interesting is that Einar has background also as a welder, building things. His focus on ergonomics and materials is at the core. Actually I wanted to hear more from him on the SAAB story, but that will be another time…

Did you know that Einar took the Mercedes-Benz heritage with round headlamps and brought it back as a statement of the design.

Cars are sculptures! Aren’t we missing this today in car design?

And do business people have more fun in the US?

Material science is pushing the boundaries - design very much starts with what type of materials you select.

We also hear Einar’s views on the future of automotive.

My learnings from this talk: To do great design, also see how you can express your artistic sides and embed that with ergonomics and smart use of materials.

Thank you Einar, you are one of my industry heroes, and I look forward to talking to you again.

/Mika

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With clean energy investment banker Laurent Segalen.

This was in a sense part two on the hydrogen development - are going to use a fuel to produce another lower grade fuel... I agree with Laurent’s comments - show me the buyers! But if you find the right use cases, there are some potential.

But there was so much more:

Gas - not cheap (look at the huge price hikes recently), not reliable and not clean.

Do we need more inventions, or do we need innovation to be scaled up (make an impact)?

So what is the future of energy? The outlook and opportunities are enormous - and think about how you are managing the risks…

A big thanks to Laurent for the inspiring talk!

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A fantastic talk with Erik Rakhou on the European energy sector and his own reflections from the last 20 years. We have an ongoing energy transition taking place. Having been working on the EU energy policies on the gas market, which also resulted in a book, he is now gathering thoughts and ideas for his upcoming hydrogen book (please get in touch with him for any input and aspects to consider!).

Erik gets to the point with hydrogen, the added production volume should be using renewable energy for the generation and also be utilized for steel mills and similar (and not as a fuel). We need to approach industrial applications with a net-zero mindset.

And he talks about his teddy bear moment…

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It’s time for a new season!

We start with a BANG - racing driver Matt Cowley is back to tell about his recent racing experiences and what has changed compared to pre-COVID. Actually the competition got tougher!

If you are interested to learn more or sponsor Matt’s further success, then contact him via his homepage or twitter.

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I had a highly interesting talk with Asif Moghal from Autodesk UK. Asif’s role in business development is to screen the markets, understand the upcoming trends and enable new developments together with a lot of various companies. He is also seriously into mountaineering and trekking. No mountain seems to be too high or steep to climb - from Aconcagua and a planned/postponed trip to Himalaya.

What is happening in the industry in terms of digitization, the Industry 4.0 as a broad and general aspect for industry, is now a more grounds-up approach for digital transformation of companies. And actually the COVID-19 pandemic is an accelerator for this to happen.

Sustainability and digitization - do they belong together?

The world is changing rapidly, we are in the midst of a variety of transformations; digital, transportation and mobility - we are seeing the electrification speeding up and it also affects the industrial value chains drastically and energy sources with more renewables.

The future is cool!

The future of work with the evolution of job descriptions are definitely changing. You need to have multi-skills and soft-skills. And a great quote from Asif: “Engineers will definitely save the world”.

At the same time, work interaction is a hot topic in terms of flexibility, home/remote office and hybrid models. Still we need human interaction, and how does this affect both motivation and productivity. Flexibility will be key for most people.

And climate change carries weight in the actual microchip shortage - listen to learn more. Sustainability is also here a key factor. We need to take care of our planet.

Yet again, this is another example how we need to couple capabilities and in an agile way connect demand and supply. Collaboration is just getting even more important to make an impact.

Wrapping up talking about mountaineering, we came to talk about mental health and Asif mentioned a great charity - Mind over Mountains.

A great thanks to Asif and Autodesk for sharing all these valuable insights.

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My podcast started with Sandy, and now he is back. Listen to the recent developments in the BEV market - Sandy Munro has been testing (and doing or planning teardowns - some insights shared on components and system engineering) the VW ID.4, Polestar 2 and Ford Mustang Mach E. He tells his verdicts and impressions - both on good and bad. One vehicle was a disappointment (but still with a lot of good features) and two were really good - which ones? And what rating does he gives his old employer (Ford)?

Shortly about Sandy Munro and his Munrolive channel:

“Don't miss your chance to take a step behind the doors of a world-renowned engineering and manufacturing consulting firm and get direct access to thoughts and insights from the man himself, Sandy Munro.” Text from Munrolive.

CHARGING - that is still a challenge…

And the acceleration of the death of the ICE age…(see also my previous article):

The quick transition speed should not be underestimated - remember in the 1900s the horse and carriage was removed in 5 years in New York, so what about ICE to BEV?2030 is a milestone, and the transition is going quicker than we think!

The future of mobility is inseparably coupled with the future of energy.

Innovation is more about psychology than technology, listen why…and what are the sources of energy in the future?

I believe even Sandy is starting to get convinced about electrical vehicles…

The US is also the prime market for pick-up trucks, so there’s going to be interesting times with the Cybertruck, Rivian and the Lightning. And what about the Hummer?

Further, the electrical vehicles need batteries - gigafactories are being built many places and the real crunch might be concerning minerals and chips.

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Italian car design of the past was filled with glory from Turin, but the whole automotive atmosphere has changed. The city is still searching for its’ identity in the 3rd millennium. Matteo was a designer in this motor city, but did not find it fulfilling. With the transformation and challenges in the industry, Matteo did find himself in a crisis but turned that to an opportunity. Now pursuing a passion for cars with being an automotive historian. And what I have heard from also other entrepreneurs - social media has enabled pivoting and opened career opportunities.

Matteo’s YouTube Channel - Roadster Life is so filled with quality, rich in details of past models design and history. Matteo’s passion and interest shines through and brings all those vintage models alive again. For any car enthusiast - you have to check out his channel. It is a fantastic gem!

Sports cars will never die, says Matteo and it is as late Ferdinand Porsche stated: “the last car produced will be a sports car”

Has car design lost its’ touch? With all the digital tools available, has it more brought temptation to add more than create a great design? What is the greatest roadster…?

Listen also how Matteo is trying to preserve automotive history, but the auctioning of Bertone’s archives and other automotive gems being lost forever. In that sense, our discussion also touched on SAAB and how the heritage is preserved in the SAAB museum in Trollhättan.

I believe Matteo hinted a bit about future potential knowledge that will be shared, as he recently spoke and met with Mr. Fioravanti, a legend in the automotive history.

This is our first discussion together, and definitely not the last. I hope to have the opportunity to do some future episodes both in Italy and in Sweden together with Matteo. In the meantime - stay tuned to this channel and check out the Roadster Life!

You should also check out Matteo’s books.

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Future of Energy: How to build a successful business seeing the energy transition as an opportunity.

What could be more appropriate when talking about the energy transition with the ongoing societal changes and drive for carbon-neutrality, than to have two energy professionals from HOUSTON - the energy capital, participating?

Well, I am very glad that Aruna Viswanathan, COO of Alpha Decision Sciences and Kareemah Mohamed, Global Energy Transition Advisor at KBR could join and share their views on the topic. Between the both of them, there is a combined expertise working with complex energy questions in corporates, startups, committees, private equity and venture capital.

First of all; solving the energy issues are complex and takes time. It is not just a matter of renewables or oil & gas, it is a matter of enabling the global population to have access to energy and resources. There are societal changes taking place, where low-carbon or carbon-neutral industrial activities are transforming our thinking and actions. The need for energy is not going away, we need to think also about regulations and policies. At the same time less-developed countries can take a direct leap into renewables or transition quicker. The global dynamics are changing!

It is clear that innovation is required, both in corporates and enabled by startups. Don’t wait for the regulatory frameworks to change, we need to be agile and make our big ideas count. “Pressure makes diamonds”, as Kareemah put it, and at the same time we need patience and persistence, being agile and with full speed ahead.

What are investors looking at, how can you attract funding? Corporate investing in oil and gas are actually going for Cybersecurity and IoT having a footprint in multiple sectors and taking part in high-growth sectors, according to Aruna. Even as an entrepreneur, you need to have a long-term perspective and your solution gains attraction having a multi-sector usability. Technology transfer is important, and at the same time can be very complicated - so what about the Oil&Gas sector. Are people/ideas/startups stuck? Well, it is probably both - you need sector specific technology as well as universal solutions. Being multi-domain it is easier to find interested investors and funding.

The energy transition is a huge opportunity for all and carries a big importance for our joint future.

Hopefully this discussion can give some sparks to fuel your ideas, development and contributions for the energy transition and innovation required for the future in a collaborative manner.

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