WardsAuto

There is a lot of pain and disruption in the transition from the ICE Age to the BEV Age. And ome of that pain and disruption can create tension and conflicts in an organization in which there are engineers and other personnel that have worked in the ICE world for decades and the newer fresh faces in the software engineering ranks.

Gravitas Detroit's Jan Griffiths was an auto industry C-suiter and maverick who left it behind to be a consultant, executive coach and change manager. Host David Kiley talks to Griffiths about Culture Shock in the electric age.

John Bozzella is CEO and President of The Alliance for Automotive Innovation. That makes him the industry's point person with The Biden Administration, the Congressional Auto Caucus, NHTSA, The Dept. of Energy and The EPA. Currently, the EPA is in process of finalizing a rule that would drive automakers to chalk up two-thirds of sales to BEVs by 2032. Bozella says that pace will reward the Chinese, and discusses the issues with Host David Kiley.

The transformation from an ICE business to one centered around electrification is a messy road. And not just for OEs. It's topsy turvy for suppliers too. We talk with Paul Thomas, President of Bosch Mobility North America, who assumed this leadership post earlier this year, about how the world's biggest auto supplier is tracking with its OE customers.

Karma Automotive CEO Marques McCammon talks about the future of the automaker.

Episode Six of The WardsAuto Podcast has Host and WardsAuto Senior Editor David Kiley talking to WardsAuto Germany Correspondent Greg Kable about the financial alarm bells in Wolfsburg brought about by lower sales volume and massive EV investments being made by VW, as well as a chat with VW's head of product planning in North America about the new 2024 Atlas SUV.

The transition to EVs will not happen in a straight line. In this episode, we discuss: opposition to the EPA's proposed rules on greenhouse gas emissions from the auto industry; Elon Musk's big win on charging infrastructure; and the introduction of the Chevy Silverado EV, including our first drive.

Scout Motors is a new, independent vehicle company part of The Volkswagen Group, gearing up to launch as a BEV SUV and pickup company. Scott Keogh, former CEO of Volkswagen of America, is heading up the effort to leverage the "Scout" brand in a new era of electrification. We talk with Keogh about starting up a new company and what we can expect from Scout.

In Episode 3,we talk with Autoline Editor and WardsAuto columnist John McElroy about how difficult it is for automakers and suppliers to manage profits while investing big in electrification and while waiting for consumers to get excited about the new vehicles in bigger numbers. Then, we discuss the topic with Zf North American Chief Martin Fisher. Zf is one of the leading, most innovative Tier-One suppliers in the world, and in the thick of the move to electrification.

Lithium-ion batteries are the principal source of power for BEVs, but there are other battery chemistries in development. The worry over lithium supplies and pricing has moved auto companies to invest in their own lithium mines. And we talk about the China effect on batteries. Host David Kiley talks with Wards Intelligence Battery Tech Analyst Adam Raggozino. And Adam talks wth leading lithium analyst Dr. Cameron Perks at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

In this episode Host David Kiley talks to Wards Intelligence Sustainability Analyst Christie Schweinsberg, who keeps tabs on EVs and EV infrastructure for Wards, as well as Toyota's North American Powertrain Chief Jordan Choby.