MotoManTV Podcast

When Nissan was on the brink of bankruptcy in 1999, it threw the fight of its life—delivering a renaissance of unforgettable machines. But how does a company that created legendary nameplates like the Z, GT-R, Maxima, and Xterra find itself repeatedly fighting for survival from the inside out?

In this rare, unfiltered sit-down in Miami, MotoMan reunites with longtime friend and retiring Senior Vice President of Global Design, Alfonso Albaisa. Over a 38-year career spanning from Brooklyn art school rebel to the head of design for Nissan and Infiniti, Alfonso pulled back the curtain on the triumphs, near-death alliances, and boardroom battles that shaped modern Japanese motoring.

From the secret "country club" slush fund at Nissan Design America in San Diego to clashing with Carlos Ghosn over the 350Z, Alfonso reveals why 90s icons struggled commercially, what really happened during the R35 GT-R development, why Infiniti is making a hard pivot toward rugged trucks, and what the future holds for the next-generation Xterra and the Skyline sedan.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Nissan's Greatest Contradiction
01:40 – 38 Years at Nissan: Alfonso's Journey
13:37 – The Nissan Z32 and Figaro
17:32 – How GM Influenced Nissan Design
23:30 – Inside Nissan's Rebel Design Studio
32:53 – Nissan's Lost Icons and Identity
35:35 – How Nissan's Best Cars Failed
44:41 – Renault, Ghosn and Nissan's Revival
56:36 – How Ghosn's Ambition Hurt Nissan
1:11:33 – The GT-R and Nissan's Performance DNA
1:19:00 – Infiniti's Identity Crisis
1:25:28 – Why Nissan Design Wasn't Enough
1:30:30 – The Nissan Z Nearly Didn't Happen
1:37:04 – Designing Cars Against the Odds
1:46:12 – Why Nissan Stopped Making Icons
1:51:44 – The New Xterra and Nissan's Future
1:53:23 – NISMO, Horsepower and Regrets
1:57:32 – Alfonso's Greatest Nissan Designs
2:02:34 – The Future of Xterra
2:06:10 – Alfonso Albaisa's Legacy

#Nissan #AlfonsoAlbaisa #CarlosGhosn #NissanGTR #NissanZ #MotoManPodcast

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What do Porsche, Tesla, Chinese automakers, and the decline of affordable cars have in common? According to automotive journalist and racer Jack Baruth, the industry may be building faster, more technologically advanced, and more expensive cars while losing sight of the people who actually drive them.

Jack Baruth returns to the MotoMan Podcast for a provocative conversation in our Michigan Cigar Lounge about the future of the automotive industry, American manufacturing, Chinese EVs, Tesla's business model, Ford's challenge to Slate Motors, and the growing divide between luxury car culture and everyday drivers.

Having experienced Chinese automobiles firsthand, Jack challenges the assumption that rapid innovation automatically produces better cars. Are BYD and other Chinese automakers engineering vehicles for long-term durability—or simply for an impressive showroom experience?

The debate moves to Tesla, where Jack questions Elon Musk's direct-to-consumer model and whether it really serves the average American car buyer. He also makes a bold prediction: Ford's affordable electric pickup could threaten Slate Motors before the startup establishes itself.

Then the conversation turns personal.

From Singer's million-dollar Porsche creations to Pebble Beach and the Woodward Dream Cruise, Jack questions whether automotive culture has become more concerned with status, exclusivity, and wealth than the joy of driving.

And after decades of racing, owning a Porsche 911, and pursuing experiences most enthusiasts only dream about, Jack shares an unexpected conclusion about what actually makes life worthwhile.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – The Automotive Dream: What Are We Chasing?

02:33 – Jack Baruth Returns to the MotoMan Podcast
04:19 – American Manufacturing Makes a Comeback?
07:34 – GM, Cadillac and the Escalade Problem
10:09 – Apple, Tariffs and Reshoring Manufacturing
17:19 – Will American Manufacturing Stay?
21:45 – Jack Baruth and George Experience Chinese Cars
23:44 – BYD and the Question of Long-Term Quality
28:47 – China, Competition and American Car Buyers
31:39 – Why Buying American Still Matters
34:49 – Tesla's Future Beyond the Model S and Model X
38:13 – The EV Industry's Battery Problem
40:28 – Why Ford's Cheap EV Could Kill Slate
42:44 – Tesla vs Traditional Car Dealerships
51:05 – Who Will Actually Buy a Slate Truck?
53:00 – Why Dealers Make Affordable Cars Expensive
58:15 – Pebble Beach vs Woodward Dream Cruise
1:00:06 – Jack Baruth Takes on Singer Porsche
1:07:04 – Why Woodward Represents Real Car Culture
1:10:00 – Predictions for the Automotive Industry
1:16:01 – Racing, Success and the Meaning of Life
1:19:29 – Why Owning a Porsche 911 Won't Fix Your Life

Subscribe to the @MMTVPodcast for in-depth conversations with automotive executives, designers, engineers, industry insiders, and the people shaping the future of mobility.

#MotoManPodcast #JackBaruth #Porsche911 #Tesla #CarCulture #AutomotiveIndustry #BYD #SlateMotors #Ford #WoodwardDreamCruise #PebbleBeach #SingerPorsche #MotoManTV

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Is Scout Motors building the anti-Tesla?

While Tesla, Rivian and other automakers embrace futuristic electric vehicles, Scout Motors is taking the opposite approach: physical buttons, traditional truck engineering, a solid rear axle and less technology between the driver and the road.

In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, Scout Motors Chief Design Officer Chris Benjamin reveals the strategy behind the Scout Traveler SUV and Scout Terra pickup truck.

Benjamin, whose career includes BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Jeep, explains why Scout is rejecting modern EV design trends, how Volkswagen Group influences the company, and why a gasoline range extender could change the electric truck equation.

He also reveals why he rejected Scout's original design direction and had just three weeks to present an alternative.

Can the future of electric trucks succeed by going backwards?

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Why Scout Is Building the Anti-Tesla
01:51 – Chris Benjamin Returns to MotoMan
02:15 – From Startup to Scout Traveler and Terra
03:06 – Bringing Back the Original Scout DNA
04:27 – Why Scout Rejects Modern Styling Trends
06:33 – What Jeep Taught Scout's Design Chief
09:46 – Real Off-Road Experience vs Studio Design
12:03 – Building a Startup Inside Volkswagen Group
14:18 – Scout's Small Team and Big Ambitions
15:12 – Why Scout Added a Gasoline Range Extender
17:29 – Designing a Real Electric Off-Road Truck
19:18 – How Scout Plans to Differentiate From Rivian
20:36 – Why Scout Chose a Solid Rear Axle
21:29 – Rejecting the High-Tech EV Experience
23:22 – Are Automakers Finally Abandoning Touchscreens?
24:41 – Physical Buttons, Switches and a Real Compass
26:13 – Does Volkswagen Control Scout's Design?
28:12 – How Much Freedom Does Scout Really Have?
29:40 – Europe's Reaction to the American Scout
32:13 – Three Leadership Lessons From Chris Benjamin
33:01 – Why Benjamin Rejected Scout's Original Design
34:30 – Designing for the Original Scout Community
35:40 – Why Scout Isn't Building a V8
37:19 – Building and Trusting the Scout Design Team
40:25 – Leadership, Autonomy and Corporate Culture
41:30 – How Fatherhood Changed His Leadership Style
43:13 – The Importance of Raising Debt-Free Children

#ScoutMotors #ScoutTraveler #ScoutTerra #ChrisBenjamin #MotoManPodcast #ElectricTrucks #ElectricVehicles #Volkswagen #Rivian #Tesla #AutomotiveDesign #OffRoad

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The global auto industry is changing faster than it has in decades — and Bob Lutz has some very strong opinions about who is getting it right, who is getting it wrong and which automakers may be in serious trouble.

This week on the MotoMan Podcast, Bob Lutz returns for a wide-ranging conversation about China, the future of the German auto industry, electric vehicles, Porsche, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, General Motors, Ford, Tesla, Hyundai, Kia, Ferrari, Corvette and the rapidly changing economics of building cars.

Are Chinese automakers really leaving the West behind? Bob argues the real Chinese advantage may have less to do with EV technology than many people think — and far more to do with cost, development speed, vertical integration and the ability to improve products at a pace legacy automakers struggle to match.

Then there’s Germany.

Bob explains why he no longer considers companies like BMW, Mercedes and Audi as bulletproof as he once did, why China has become such a major problem for European automakers, and why Volkswagen and Porsche face particularly difficult decisions. He also weighs in on Porsche’s EV strategy, the enormous cost of failed vehicle programs and whether the German government would ever allow its biggest automotive companies to fail.

Bob and MotoMan debate GM’s current strength, why Hyundai and Kia continue to move so quickly, Tesla’s shrinking product portfolio, the future of EV batteries and fast charging, Slate Auto, Rivian, software-defined vehicles, humanoid robots in automotive manufacturing and whether automation could ultimately help Western automakers close the cost gap with China.

They also get into enthusiast cars, Corvette, the possibility of a Corvette SUV, why performance vehicles still matter to automakers, Ferrari design, the Pontiac Aztek and one of the most important questions facing the industry:

Who adapts — and who gets left behind?

CHAPTERS

00:00 Bob Lutz Returns
01:26 Bob’s Wild Custom Pontiac
08:00 Are EVs Still the Future?
15:20 The Battery Breakthrough Coming Next
20:10 Are German Automakers in Trouble?
21:52 China Changes the Equation
26:19 The Real Chinese Automotive Threat
30:26 Can China and the West Coexist?
38:20 Why Car Development Takes Too Long
45:42 Tesla’s Radical Product Strategy
50:10 Slate Auto, Rivian & the Maverick
52:26 Who’s Winning — and Who’s Losing?
54:30 Volkswagen and Porsche in Trouble
57:28 Should Governments Bail Out Carmakers?
1:00:01 The Economy and the Auto Business
1:10:29 Do Enthusiast Cars Still Matter?
1:14:41 Should Corvette Become a Brand?
1:17:46 What CEOs Must Learn From China
1:20:26 Can Robots Save Legacy Automakers?
1:24:14 Why China Can Improve So Quickly
1:27:46 Ferrari and “Adult Supervision”
1:28:32 What the Pontiac Aztek Teaches Us
1:32:09 What Happened to German Car Design?

#BobLutz #AutomotiveIndustry #ChinaCars #Porsche #Volkswagen #BMW #MercedesBenz #Audi #ElectricVehicles #EV #GeneralMotors #Tesla #Corvette #CarIndustry #MotoManPodcast

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Are EVs actually failing—or did the automotive industry simply promise too much, too soon?

This week on the MotoMan Podcast, George sits down with EVgo product leader Alex Keros for a candid reality check on electric vehicles, EV charging infrastructure and where the industry goes from here.

Alex has spent years working on alternative-fuel vehicles, from hydrogen at General Motors to today’s public EV charging network. And his view of the electric future is far more nuanced than the usual pro-EV vs. anti-EV debate.

His philosophy? Stop dealing in “hopeful math” and deal with reality.

That means admitting EVs aren’t the right solution for every driver. It also means recognizing where electric cars genuinely offer a better experience—and confronting why public EV charging can still be frustrating, unreliable and unnecessarily complicated.

George and Alex dig into why EV charging still feels like “Windows 3.1,” why Tesla approached charging differently, whether America’s aging power grid can actually support millions more EVs, and why China’s extraordinary pace of battery and charging development should have Western automakers paying attention.

They also explore BYD and megawatt charging, 5–10 minute charging technology, 800-volt and 1,000-volt architectures, solid-state batteries, the future of hydrogen and why learning to fail faster may be one of the most important lessons the American auto industry can take from its global competitors.

This is not an argument for EVs or against them. It’s a conversation about where the technology actually works, where it doesn’t, what the industry got wrong—and what needs to happen next.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 The EV Reality Check
1:36 Reuniting After 16 Years
3:05 Stop Using “Hopeful Math”
9:30 Hydrogen vs. Batteries in 2010
13:30 Why We Need to Fail More
19:00 Where EVs Really Stand in 2026
21:08 Who Should NOT Buy an EV?
23:27 EVs Don’t Need to Work for Everyone
25:02 How EVs Became a Movement
27:40 Why Automakers Sold EVs Wrong
32:17 The Reality of EV Road Trips
35:17 Hopeful Math vs. Charging Reality
38:03 The Ohio EV Road Trip Challenge
41:03 Why Public Chargers Still Fail
44:47 EV Charging Is “Windows 3.1”
47:01 Why Charging Isn’t Frictionless
53:56 Why Tesla Got Charging Right
59:17 Can the Power Grid Handle EVs?
1:04:32 Can the Grid Handle 20M EVs?
1:07:24 Is China Beating America in EVs?
1:09:20 BYD & 5-Minute EV Charging
1:13:00 Why America Needs to Fail Faster
1:14:50 Who Is Actually Innovating?
1:20:25 EVs That Get It Right
1:23:58 What Comes After 800 Volts?
1:25:48 Solid-State Batteries: How Far Away?
1:26:46 Is Hydrogen Really Dead?
1:27:48 Advice for the Next Generation
1:32:18 Final Thoughts

What do you think: Have EVs been oversold—or is the technology simply going through the growing pains every major innovation faces?

#ElectricVehicles #EVCharging #EVgo #EV #Tesla #BYD #ElectricCars #EVInfrastructure #AutomotiveIndustry #FutureOfCars #MotoMan #MotoManPodcast

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How does a young engineer from the Greek island of Crete go from selling buses to leading Mercedes-Benz in America?

Dimitris Psillakis never mapped out the career that followed. He joined Mercedes-Benz through an international management-trainee program, took responsibility for a small bus division in Greece and then accepted a series of increasingly complex assignments across four continents.

Along the way, he oversaw operations across 29 Latin American countries, helped establish a Mercedes-Benz factory in Brazil, encountered customers armoring everything from C-Classes to Smart cars, navigated the cultural and business challenges of South Korea and ultimately arrived in the United States during the height of the pandemic.

In this episode, Dimitris shares how curiosity, adaptability, discipline and resilience shaped his rise—and why he believes the best careers are built by focusing on the next decision rather than trying to plan the next 20 years.

A production note: This is one of our final vault episodes, recorded before we upgraded to our current camera equipment. The picture quality may look different, but the audio, post-production and storytelling remain the same.

What do you think matters most when building a truly global career: ambition, adaptability or resilience? Share your thoughts in the comments.

CHAPTERS

00:00 One of Our Final Vault Episodes
01:07 From Crete to a Global Career
02:44 Studying in Britain—and Buying a Renault 5 Turbo
04:33 Military Service and a Multinational Dream
05:40 Joining Mercedes-Benz
07:14 His First Leadership Role: Buses
09:26 The Importance of Discipline and Resilience
10:54 Growing Mercedes-Benz in Greece
11:18 Why Mercedes Sent Him to Brazil
14:05 Managing 29 Countries
15:49 Reinventing Mercedes-Benz in Brazil
17:09 Building a Factory—and Armoring Smart Cars
20:16 The Move From Brazil to South Korea
23:03 His Greatest Cultural Challenge
25:42 Making Korea a Top Mercedes-Benz Market
27:30 The Move to Canada
28:50 Arriving in America During COVID
30:27 The Challenge of Running Mercedes in the US
32:05 What Four Continents Taught Him
33:06 His Best Career Advice
34:15 The Best Places He Lived
35:01 The Future of Mercedes-Benz

#MercedesBenz #DimitrisPsillakis #Leadership #AutomotiveIndustry #CareerAdvice #GlobalBusiness #MotoManPodcast

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Slate is promising a $25,000 electric truck with no traditional trim levels, no sprawling options list and a radically different approach to personalization. But can that idea survive contact with manufacturing, service and the realities of launching a new car company?

CJ Waelti joins the MotoMan Podcast to explain why the electric powertrain may be the least interesting part of Slate. Drawing on a career that has taken him from Harley-Davidson to Tesla, Rivian and now Slate, CJ lays out how the company is combining old-school mechanical expression with modern manufacturing.

We dig into Slate’s blank-canvas philosophy, the risk that personalization becomes an expensive upsell, its DIY accessory strategy, removable seat covers, swappable body panels, simplified vehicle wraps and the company’s plan to begin delivering trucks in late 2026.

More importantly, CJ answers the question hanging over every automotive startup: Why should anyone believe Slate can actually deliver?

Chapters

00:00 Why Slate may be different
01:45 CJ Waelti joins the podcast
02:23 From Harley-Davidson to Tesla
04:26 Why CJ believes in Slate
06:31 The EV may be the least interesting part
07:46 No options, no trims
09:09 Can personalization work on a $25K truck?
10:31 Avoiding the upsell trap
11:12 Removable seats and swappable accessories
12:17 Why affordability is the real message
14:36 Bringing DIY back to the automobile
16:42 Can Slate reconnect young people with cars?
18:56 Have automakers gone too far with screens?
20:30 How Slate plans to handle service
21:45 Designing accessories for DIY installation
24:17 How Slate made wrapping a car easier
27:37 Three reasons Slate will deliver in 2026
28:36 What should Slate build next?

#SlateAuto #ElectricTruck #ElectricVehicles #EVStartup #AutomotiveIndustry #CarPodcast #MotoManPodcast #MadeInAmerica #Tesla #Rivian

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Chris Benjamin’s path to the top of automotive design was anything but straightforward.

Long before becoming Chief Design Officer at Scout Motors, Benjamin arrived at design school unable to properly draw a car in three dimensions, learned a painful lesson after being labeled “unreliable,” and eventually landed what looked like a dream job at Mercedes-Benz. There was just one problem: he was so deep in debt that he spent his days designing Mercedes and his nights working a full-time shift at Taco Bell—sometimes surviving on barely three hours of sleep.

That experience helped shape a career that would span Mercedes-Benz, BMW Designworks, Volvo and Stellantis. Benjamin explains how a last-minute design proposal changed his trajectory at Mercedes, how he helped establish the proportions that would define a new generation of Volvos, and how his luxury-car experience influenced the transformation of Jeep interiors in vehicles like the Grand Cherokee and Grand Wagoneer.

Then came an entirely different challenge: bringing Scout back.

Recorded before the new Scout vehicles were revealed, this conversation explores what attracted Benjamin to the dormant American nameplate, what made the original Scout different from Jeep and Bronco, and why he believes reviving an icon requires understanding more than its styling cues.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Mercedes by day, Taco Bell by night
02:27 How a childhood obsession with cars began
11:16 Discovering design could become a career
15:54 Three weeks from Miami to design school in Detroit
20:33 Learning the unwritten realities of car design
24:08 Being labeled “unreliable”
29:44 Working three jobs just to stay in school
31:01 Starting his career at Mercedes-Benz
35:14 The secret Taco Bell night shift
40:13 The Mercedes boss who changed his life
42:18 Breaking through as a Mercedes designer
47:31 Moving to Volvo—and getting a design into production
49:05 How Volvo changed after Ford
53:22 Joining Chrysler and Stellantis
56:21 Transforming Jeep interiors
58:37 What actually makes an interior feel expensive
59:26 Fighting for better Grand Cherokee and Grand Wagoneer interiors
01:02:47 The renegade culture inside Chrysler
01:10:08 Why he left for Scout Motors
01:11:49 Was the original Scout really first?
01:13:54 The vision for bringing Scout back
01:19:09 What design elements should survive
01:20:50 Why good design isn’t always free

#ChrisBenjamin #MercedesBenz #ScoutMotors #Jeep #Volvo #CarDesign #AutomotiveDesign #MotoManTV #MotoManPodcast

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What will car collectors want when today’s roads are filled with electric, autonomous computers on wheels? According to Tommy Mica of TFLcar, the answer may be the exact opposite of a Tesla Model Y.

In this very different MotoMan podcast episode, Tommy makes the case for the strange, tactile and overlooked cars hiding in plain sight. They discuss why analog experiences are returning, what actually makes a car collectible and which affordable cars could be tomorrow’s classics—from Land Rover LR3s and Pontiac Fieros to early Aston Martin V8 Vantages, forgotten Cadillacs, 1990s GM performance cars and manual V8 muscle.

Before they get there, MotoMan reveals how his nearly new Porsche accumulated an astonishing $46,000 in warranty work—including an $11,000 headlight—and Tommy explains the difference between a car being reliable, fixable or simply defended by a very loyal owner.

They also get into subscription fatigue, modern-car complexity, the psychology behind collector values, Tommy’s unusual personal fleet and the lessons that helped TFL grow into one of YouTube’s largest automotive brands.

Which overlooked car do you believe will become the next major collectible?

CHAPTERS

00:00 The Opposite of a Tesla01:45 Tommy Mica Has a Problem03:28 $46,000 in Porsche Warranty Work05:11 The $11,000 Porsche Headlight07:37 Cars You Should Never Own Past Warranty10:07 Maintenance vs. Reliability13:08 Are Modern Cars Built to Last?16:18 Reliable or Just Easy to Fix?17:16 Tommy’s Unusual Car Collection18:26 The Land Rover That May Become Collectible19:43 Will People Really Stop Buying New Cars?21:17 Tommy’s Aston Martin Insurance Problem22:41 Drag Racing the CEO of Hagerty24:14 What Makes a Car Collectible?28:52 Why Analog Cars Are Coming Back30:44 The Split Between Analog and Digital32:53 People Are Tired of Computers on Wheels34:26 The Next Underappreciated Classics35:34 Cheap Bentleys, Phantoms and V12 Luxury38:13 Should We Buy a Bentley Mulsanne?39:02 Forgotten SUVs and Trucks41:56 Will Pontiac Fiero Values Keep Rising?44:01 The Overlooked Cars of 1990s GM46:49 Why Manual Cars Will Matter48:24 The $33,000 Aston Martin Bargain50:37 The Business Case for Giving Buyers What They Want52:49 Building the Anti-Tesla Collector Car54:02 How Tommy Helped Transform TFL55:48 Tommy’s Rules for Growing on YouTube

#TommyMica #TFLcar #MotoManPodcast #ClassicCars #FutureClassics #CollectorCars #AnalogCars #CarCulture #Porsche #Tesla

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Slate Auto has been described as a Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup building a $25,000 electric truck — but that is only part of the story.

In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, we sit down with Rod Copes, Slate Auto board director and employee number one, to discuss the real strategy behind Slate: radical simplicity, American manufacturing, affordability, and avoiding the mistakes that crushed so many EV startups.

Rod explains what he learned from Harley-Davidson, Royal Enfield, and Rivian, including what “production hell” really means and why Slate is deliberately doing less on purpose. The conversation goes deep into the $24,950 price promise, why Slate chose a two-door pickup layout, how the company plans to build in Indiana, and why the future of affordable transportation may depend on bringing manufacturing back to the United States.

This is not just a conversation about a cheap EV truck. It is a conversation about whether America can still build things people can actually afford.

Chapters:
00:00 Highlight Open01:48 Why Rod Copes Matters To Slate02:44 Harley-Davidson, Royal Enfield & Rivian05:08 Rebuild Manufacturing & MIT08:46 Why US Manufacturing Matters11:24 What Changed After The Pandemic12:30 Why Time Beats Cash In Startups14:13 Can Slate Really Launch In 2026?16:44 Simplify, Simplify, Simplify18:03 The Risk Slate Is Taking19:32 The Bezos / Amazon Influence22:06 Slate’s Culture & Decision Making23:10 What Production Hell Really Means27:01 The Rivian Lesson Slate Learned29:37 Avoiding The EV Startup Trap31:08 How Slate Plans To Be Profitable33:19 Ford, Competition & The $25K Promise34:06 Why Car Pricing Feels Deceptive37:35 Making A Cheap Car Desirable39:16 Who Is Slate Really For?42:19 Could Slate Work For Apartment Dwellers?44:28 Why Slate Chose Two Doors47:30 The Battery Supply Challenge50:02 Why Slate Had To Be Electric55:30 Why Indiana?58:29 Could Slate Have Built It Cheaper Overseas?59:34 The US Manufacturing Renaissance01:02:09 What Slate Wants To Know From Viewers

#SlateAuto #SlateTruck #RodCopes #MotoManPodcast #JeffBezos #ElectricTruck #EVTruck #AmericanManufacturing #MadeInUSA #Rivian #FordMaverick #AffordableCars #EVStartup #Manufacturing #CarIndustry #ElectricVehicles #MotoManTV

For driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @

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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387

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