#213 – Alex Roy | Making Sense of the EV/AV Chaos, Effective Strategy & Learning from History

Building Better with Brandon Bartneck

Alex Roy is a well-known thought leader and expert in the mobility space. He joins to explore what’s real in the autonomy space, the importance of effective strategy and discernment, the challenges of effectively communicating and marketing new technologies, and more.

Links:

• Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/alexroy
• Edison Manufacturing Exchange: https://brandonbartneck.substack.com/publish/home
• https://www.johnson-roy.com/
• https://x.com/AlexRoy144

Takeaways

• To determine the maturity of autonomous vehicle technology, it is important to go and see for oneself how the technology performs in real-world conditions.
• Strategic thinking and discernment are crucial in separating the good ideas from the bad ones and focusing on what truly matters in a given scenario.
• Building a good product that meets customer needs and creates trust is essential for success in the mobility industry.
• Navigating regulatory environments and cultural attitudes towards automation can present significant challenges for companies in the mobility space. Understanding culture is essential for success in the autonomous vehicle industry.
• Simulation should consider the political environment of the markets where deployment is planned.
• Identify potential risks that could kill the business and proactively prevent them.
• The quality of people and their ability to work together is crucial for success.
• The future of autonomous vehicles depends on market forces, capital markets, and regulatory regimes.

Alex Roy Bio:

Former self-driving technology executive, automotive journalist and race driver, Alex Roy is best known for leading the first team in 23 years to break the Cannonball Run driving record, crossing the USA in 31 hours and 4 minutes. He has also broken the EV record 3 times, and still holds the Tesla Autopilot and 3-wheeled ICE records, the latter in a Morgan 3-Wheeler.

Alex is also co-founder of the Autonocast and The Drive, founder of the Human Driving Association, author of The Driver, producer of APEX: The Secret Race Across America, and Chairman Emeritus of The Moth storytelling series.

As Director of Special Operations at Argo.AI, Roy pioneered concepts like Universal Basic Mobility and Roy’s Razor—the litmus test for autonomous systems.

Roy has written for Bloomberg, Road & Track, and Jalopnik, has appeared on CNN, NBC, Fox News, Cheddar, and TF1, and has spoken at the FBI, SXSW, TedX, MIT, Stanford, Princeton, and Carnegie Mellon.

Johnson and Roy:

Joel Johnson and Alex Roy met in 2005 in Lower Manhattan as Alex prepared to break the Cannonball Run driving record.

From a love of speed, science fiction, Sondheim and Opeth, they collaborated across digital media, establishing and expanding technology and mobility brands such as WIRED, Gizmodo, Jalopnik, The Drive, Wirecutter, Autonocast, and more.

Passion for technology and mobility brought them from media and manufacturing to robotics, self-driving and AI, first individually with clients such as General Motors and Argo AI; then together in shared practice, based on the belief that the only way to predict the future is to drive towards it.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

Edison Manufacturing and Engineering:

Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don’t neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

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