The Driverless Digest Podcast

Harry Campbell

Covering the intersection of autonomy x rideshare, and the business of AVs. www.thedriverlessdigest.com

  1. 3d ago

    Wayve’s GAIA-4 and the Future of AV Simulation with Brandon Basso

    Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and Substack. Transcripts are also available by clicking on the “transcripts” button in the top right corner of this post on the app/web version. You can also access them from the email version by clicking here. In today’s episode, The Driverless Digest Editor Ben Hubbard speaks with Brandon Basso, VP of Engineering at Wayve. Brandon breaks down the role of world models in autonomous driving and how Wayve is using them to train, test, and validate its AI Driver. He explains what problems world models can solve, where their limitations still lie when it comes to rare edge cases, and how Wayve’s latest model, GAIA-4, advances the company’s approach to simulation. The conversation dives into GAIA-4’s closed-loop capabilities, how it can simulate multiple sensor modalities, and why closed-loop testing could give Wayve an edge in virtual testing and validation. Brandon also explains the distinction between “AV 1.0” and “AV 2.0,” including how an AI-first approach changes the role of data, development, and validation. Ben and Brandon also discuss the challenge of optimizing autonomous vehicles for passenger comfort, what it takes to validate a more generalizable AI driving system, and how Wayve sees GAIA-4 playing a central role in the future of AV development and validation. Chapters * (00:00) Introduction to Brandon Basso * (02:20) Brandon’s day-to-day role at Wayve * (03:00) What is the Wayve AI Driver? * (04:05) What is a world model, and why is it used to teach an AI how to drive? * (05:11) What problem does the world model solve? * (08:04) How some edge cases constrain what can be tested using world models * (09:21) How far off are we from capturing all edge cases using world models? * (11:35) GAIA-4, Wayve’s latest world model and its new features * (12:06) Closed-loop vs. open-loop testing with GAIA-4 * (14:30) Multimodality and how GAIA-4 simulates different sensors * (15:27) How closed-loop simulation gives an edge in virtual testing * (17:38) The difference between AV 1.0 and AV 2.0 * (26:13) How difficult is it to optimize for comfort in the AV industry? * (27:02) How important data is to the AI Driver * (27:38) The challenges of developing and validating an AV 2.0 system * (30:55) The future of validation and GAIA-4’s central role * (32:18) Conclusion and final thoughts Notes/Links: * You can find Brandon Basso on LinkedIn. * Wayve’s article about GAIA-4 (link). * The diagram explaining the difference between closed-loop and open-loop, mentioned in the 12:08 timestamp (link). * Check out Harry’s earlier interview with Wayve CEO Alex Kendall (link). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedriverlessdigest.com

    Wayve’s GAIA-4 and the Future of AV Simulation with Brandon Basso

  2. Aug 3

    Building the Energy Infrastructure for Autonomous Vehicles with Alex Pischalnikov

    Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and Substack. Transcripts are also available by clicking on the “transcripts” button in the top right corner of this post on the app/web version. You can also access them from the email version by clicking here. In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Alex Pischalnikov, Senior Director of Strategy at MN8 Energy. Alex explains how MN8 has grown into one of the country’s largest renewable energy infrastructure companies and why its experience building and operating energy assets positions it to play a critical role in the AV ecosystem. We discuss the company’s business across renewable generation, battery storage, EV charging, and energy management, along with what differentiates MN8 in an increasingly competitive market. We also dive into the growing intersection between energy infrastructure and autonomous vehicles. Alex explains why charging is becoming one of the most important considerations for commercial AV deployments, how the needs of robotaxi and autonomous trucking fleets compare to large data centers, and why the location, design, and operation of depots can have a major impact on fleet economics. We discuss deadheading, charging strategies, fleet utilization, and the operational challenges companies face as they scale from hundreds to thousands of autonomous vehicles. Finally, Alex shares lessons the AV industry can learn from years of EV charging deployment, how MN8 works with autonomous vehicle companies to accelerate commercialization, and what the next generation of AV fleet hubs could look like as autonomous transportation scales over the coming decade. Chapters * (00:00) Introduction to Alex Pischalnikov and MN8 Energy * (03:05) What verticals is MN8 Energy focused on? * (03:58) MN8 Energy’s unique differentiator in the energy sector * (06:00) Inside MN8 Energy’s renewable energy infrastructure business * (07:33) The different types of customers MN8 Energy caters for * (10:00) Similarities between powering data centers and AVs * (11:45) How early are we in the AV cycle? * (14:25) The importance of charging to AV deployments * (16:20) The major cost factor in AV deployments * (18:52) How MN8 Energy helps AV companies deploy better * (21:40) The importance of different depot layouts for effective fleet management * (23:15) How to locate depots effectively to balance costs and reduce deadheading * (25:45) The biggest fleet management challenges when scaling AV fleets from hundreds to thousands of vehicles * (29:44) Lessons the AV fleet charging industry can learn from EV customer charging * (32:27) The future of AV fleet hubs and what they might look like * (35:40) Conclusions and final thoughts Notes/Links: * You can find Alex Pischalnikov on LinkedIn. * MN8 Energy’s website (link). * MN8 Energy’s article about AV fleets: Autonomous Fleets May Be Self-Driving, But They’re Not yet Fully Self-Reliant (link). -Harry This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedriverlessdigest.com

    Building the Energy Infrastructure for Autonomous Vehicles with Alex Pischalnikov

  3. Jul 27

    How NVIDIA Alpamayo Is Accelerating Autonomous Driving with Matt Cragun

    Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and Substack. Transcripts are also available by clicking on the “transcripts” button in the top right corner of this post on the app/web version. You can also access them from the email version by clicking here. In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Matt Cragun, Director of Product for Autonomous Vehicles at NVIDIA. Matt breaks down NVIDIA’s strategy for autonomous vehicle development and how the company is approaching both the hardware and software sides of the AV stack. We discuss how NVIDIA works with AV developers to accelerate development, the role of its Hyperion platform, and how NVIDIA is making its technology easier to integrate across different vehicle platforms. We also dive deep into Alpamayo, NVIDIA’s open-source family of AI models for autonomous driving. Matt explains how Alpamayo works, how it was trained, and how developers can adapt the models to their own use cases. We discuss the limitations of the technology, how it approaches edge cases, and how Alpamayo combines end-to-end AI with more classical autonomous driving approaches rather than relying entirely on one or the other. Matt also discusses how Level 4 autonomy will eventually make its way from robotaxis into consumer vehicles, where the AV industry stands today, and what still needs to happen before AV technology can scale more broadly. Finally, he shares what excites him most about the next few years of autonomous driving and where he expects the technology to make the biggest advances. Chapters * (00:00) Introduction to Matt Cragun * (02:10) What is Alpamayo? * (03:50) Is NVIDIA more focused on building the hardware (chips) or software (models) for AVs? * (05:29) NVIDIA’s strategy for AV development * (07:03) How NVIDIA helps new AV developers accelerate development * (08:44) How open-source is Alpamayo, and can it be run on non-NVIDIA chips? * (09:28) Hyperion and how NVIDIA democratizes access to AV hardware * (10:40) How Hyperion is vehicle-agnostic and easy to integrate into different vehicle platforms * (11:20) How Level 4 autonomy will make its way from robotaxis to consumer vehicles in the coming years * (15:10) Digging deep into Alpamayo: How it works and how it was trained * (17:16) The limitations of Alpamayo and how AV developers can tailor it to their use cases * (19:20) The different use cases for Alpamayo, and its approach * (22:15) How Alpamayo combines the end-to-end AI and classical AV approaches * (27:23) How their AV models handle edge cases * (30:46) The current state of AV development * (32:52) What excites Matt most about the next few years for AVs * (33:50) Conclusions and final thoughts Notes/Links: * You can find Matt Cragun on LinkedIn. * An article about Alpamayo 2 Super on Hugging face, mentioned at the 04:43 timestamp (link). * NVIDIA’s article about Alpamayo 2 Super (link). * NVIDIA Alpamayo landing page (link). -Harry This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedriverlessdigest.com

    How NVIDIA Alpamayo Is Accelerating Autonomous Driving with Matt Cragun

  4. Jul 20

    Rethinking AV Safety as Robotaxis Scale with Junko Yoshida

    Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and Substack. Transcripts are also available by clicking on the “transcripts” button in the top right corner of this post on the app/web version. You can also access them from the email version by clicking here. In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Junko Yoshida, a veteran technology journalist and one of the industry’s leading voices on autonomous vehicles. We discuss where the AV industry stands today, why Waymo has emerged as the clear commercial leader, and whether autonomous driving is really a solved problem, or if the industry’s biggest challenges are still ahead. Junko shares her perspective on the importance of edge cases, what the recent Fourth of July Waymo incident in San Francisco reveals about scaling robotaxi operations, and how AV companies should be judged as commercial deployments continue to expand. We also dive into hybrid autonomy, the role of remote operators, and whether removing the safety driver is truly the right benchmark for autonomy maturity. Junko explains why transparency remains one of the industry’s biggest challenges, how journalists can better cover autonomous vehicles, and why there is often a disconnect between industry reporting and academic research. Finally, we discuss end-to-end AI, exciting developments in London’s AV ecosystem, and preview our upcoming ‘Journalist Panel’ at ATS 2026. Chapters * (00:00) Introduction to Junko Yoshida * (03:30) What journalists still get wrong in their coverage of AVs today * (05:03) Where we are in the AV landscape today and the factors still being overlooked * (08:30) Are AVs a solved problem? Why edge cases still matter * (10:26) Waymo’s 4th of July incident, and what they could have done better * (17:00) Should all AV companies be judged by the same standard as Waymo? * (17:48) Hybrid autonomy as a path to scaling AVs * (19:00) Is removing the safety driver proof of autonomy maturity? * (19:30) The importance of remote operators in scaling AV operations and boosting passenger confidence * (22:40) AV regulation and how to ensure the safest deployments * (26:29) London’s AV landscape and its key players * (27:14) Transparency and why it’s so difficult to cover the AV industry as a journalist * (28:30) The gap between industry reporting and academic research in the AV space * (29:17) End-to-end AI and the potential it could unlock if successful * (30:35) Exciting AV developments in London * (31:40) ATS 2026: What to look out for and our ‘Journalist Panel’ * (35:38) Conclusions and final thoughts I’ll be on stage with Junko Yoshida at SAE International’s Automated Transportation Symposium on July 30th at 11:40 am on the ‘Journalist Panel’ alongside Jane Lappin, Alan Ohnsman of Forbes, and David Welch of Bloomberg. Feel free to reach out if you’ll be in attendance! Notes/Links: * You can find Junko Yoshida on LinkedIn and X. * Junko’s blog: Junko’s Tech Probe (link). * Junko’s podcast/newsletter with Prof. emeritus Phil Koopman: Phil & Junko on AV Safety (link). * Waymo’s article on their remote operators ratio, mentioned at the 20:00 timestamp (link). * Here are some of my food recommendations for ATS 2026 in San Diego, mentioned at the 32:17 timestamp: * Downtown/Midtown * Lucha Libre * Luchador themed taco shop. Must get the Surf and Turf Burrito with fries (California Style) and try the cilantro crema (great salsa bar). * Las Cuatro Milpas * Longtime hole in the wall spot but recently renovated. Love the homemade tortillas and rolled tacos. * Phils BBQ (multiple locations) * Bronx Pizza * Blue Water (middle town) * Great fish tacos * Hodad’s * PB/La Jolla * Leilani’s cafe * El Pescador Fish Market & Restaurant * Famous Fish Sandwich * Other * Lolita’s Mexican Food (Clairemont Mesa) * Punjabi Tandoor (multiple locations) -Harry This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedriverlessdigest.com

  5. Jul 13

    Building Autonomous Vessels for Cleaner Waterways (Michael Arens, Clean Earth Rovers CEO)

    Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and Substack. Transcripts are also available by clicking on the “transcripts” button in the top right corner of this post on the app/web version. You can also access them from the email version by clicking here. In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Michael Arens, Founder and CEO of Clean Earth Rovers. We discuss how Michael went from an early failed prototype to building an autonomous maritime robotics company focused on cleaning waterways and collecting environmental data. Michael explains how Clean Earth Rovers’ autonomous vessels operate, the types of debris they collect, and the different deployment models they use for ports, marinas, municipalities, and other customers. We also dive into the company’s approach to autonomy, including where human operators remain in the loop, why a hybrid human-autonomous model makes sense for maritime applications, and how the hardware stack compares to what’s used in robotaxis. Michael shares his perspective on the broader maritime autonomy landscape, why the economics differ from autonomous driving, and where he sees the biggest opportunities for automation on the water. We also discuss the growing role of environmental data in Clean Earth Rovers’ business, how remote operations could evolve over time, and what the future holds for autonomous systems beyond roads and into waterways. Chapters * (00:00) Introduction to Michael Arens * (01:40) What inspired Michael to start Clean Earth Rovers * (04:10) From a failed prototype to Clean Earth Rovers * (04:50) Their Rover’s specifications, how it works, and its use cases * (06:44) Where Clean Earth Rovers operates, and how debris migrates there * (09:00) How the Rovers are deployed, and the different operating models for various clients * (11:10) How autonomous are the Rovers, and where human intervention comes in * (12:20) What kind of debris do the Rovers collect, and how is it handled? * (17:00) Advantages of the Human-Autonomous hybrid approach * (21:15) The hardware stack of the Rovers, and how they compare to robotaxis * (25:30) The maritime autonomy landscape and the innovations popping out of it * (28:20) The value of autonomy in the maritime industry * (30:34) The data side of the business and how they use the collected data * (35:22) How remote operation and autonomy would evolve for Clean Earth Rovers * (39:18) Conclusions and final thoughts Notes/Links: * You can find Michael Arens on LinkedIn. * Clean Earth Rovers website (link). -Harry This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedriverlessdigest.com

    Building Autonomous Vessels for Cleaner Waterways (Michael Arens, Clean Earth Rovers CEO)

  6. Jul 6

    Einride’s Autonomous Freight Strategy with CTO Henrik Green

    Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and Substack. Transcripts are also available by clicking on the “transcripts” button in the top right corner of this post on the app/web version. You can also access them from the email version by clicking here. In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Henrik Green, Chief Technology Officer at Einride. Henrik shares his journey from a long career in the traditional automotive industry to helping lead one of the most unique companies in autonomous freight. We discuss the differences between building vehicles for consumers versus commercial autonomy, what attracted him to Einride, and why he believes the AV industry is entering an exciting new phase. We also take a deep dive into Einride’s business model, including its cabless autonomous trucks, hybrid network of autonomous and human-driven vehicles, and how the company combines electric trucking, autonomy, and logistics into a single platform. Henrik explains the technical and economic realities of Einride’s purpose-built vehicle design, how the company approaches scaling deployments, and the regulatory considerations unique to autonomous freight. We also explore some of the biggest technical challenges facing the industry today, Einride’s hardware choices and operational design, mapping, AI, and how they handle edge cases in real-world deployments. Finally, Henrik shares his outlook on the future of autonomous freight, where he sees the industry over the next five years, and what he’s most excited about as commercialization continues to accelerate. Chapters * (00:00) Introduction to Henrik Green * (02:33) Henrik’s background in the automotive industry * (04:00) The differences between the B2C automotive industry and the AV industry * (05:09) What drew Henrik to Einride * (05:50) Trends in the AV career space * (06:50) Einride’s background, and what makes them stand out in the industry * (07:35) Einride’s footprint, and their focus * (10:40) Einride’s cabless autonomous trucks, their specs, and current applications * (13:11) How Einride plans to scale, and their goals for the next year * (13:50) The economics of Einride’s autonomous trucks, and technical specs * (15:29) What hardware/software is unique to their cabless autonomous truck design? * (16:30) Regulatory requirements for autonomous freight vs robotaxi operations * (17:12) Hardware/operational differences: autonomous freight vehicles vs. robotaxis * (19:12) How Einride’s autonomous truck form factors could be optimized in the coming years * (20:14) Einride’s competitive advantage: Hybrid network of human-driven and autonomous freight vehicles * (22:50) Biggest technical challenges involved in building and operating autonomous freight vehicles today * (23:30) How Einride’s autonomous freight trucks are trained for deployment, and edge cases * (25:48) Pre-mapping vs. end-to-end AI: how Einride uses a hybrid approach for safe deployments * (28:40) Balancing commercialization with scaling: Einride’s approach * (31:00) What are you most excited about over the coming years * (34:55) 5-year outlook for the autonomous freight and robotaxi industry * (36:24) Conclusions and final thoughts See You at ATS 2026 The SAE Automated Transportation Symposium (ATS) is one of the premier gatherings for the autonomous vehicle industry, bringing together engineers, researchers, regulators, policymakers, and executives from across the ecosystem. I’ll be speaking on the Journalist Panel on Thursday, July 30 at 11:40 a.m. This year’s keynote speakers include Uber’s Head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery, Sarfraz Maredia, Zoox Co-Founder and CTO Jesse Levinson, along with other leaders helping shape the future of automated transportation. Drop me a note if you’ll be in attendance, and registration is still open if you haven’t signed up yet. I hope to see you in San Diego. Notes/Links: * You can find Henrik Green on LinkedIn. * Einride’s website (link). * You can find details/pictures of their cabless autonomous trucks here. -Harry This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedriverlessdigest.com

  7. Jun 29

    Autonomous Charging for Robotaxis with Rocsys CEO Crijn Bouman

    Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and Substack. Transcripts are also available by clicking on the “transcripts” button in the top right corner of this post on the app/web version. You can also access them from the email version by clicking here. In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Crijn Bouman, CEO and Co-founder of Rocsys. Crijn shares his background in the EV charging industry, what led him to found Rocsys, and why he believes charging has become one of the biggest operational bottlenecks for autonomous vehicle fleets. We discuss why depot operations deserve far more attention as robotaxi fleets scale, how much of fleet management can ultimately be automated, and why charging is the logical place to start. Crijn also discusses the Rocsys M1, the company’s hands-free charging solution designed specifically for autonomous fleets. We explore how the system works, why it is designed to be vehicle- and charger-agnostic, the challenges Rocsys faced bringing it to market, and what operators should consider when designing an efficient robotaxi depot. We also cover where the M1 is already deployed, what the AV depot of the future could look like, and the common mistakes companies make when planning fleet operations. Finally, we zoom out to discuss the global robotaxi landscape, including the differences between the U.S. and Europe, what Europe needs to do to become more competitive, and Crijn’s vision for how automation will transform depot operations over the coming years. Chapters * (00:00) Introduction to Crijn Bouman * (01:30) Crijn’s background, his history in the charging industry, and how he founded Rocsys * (04:31) How Rocsys supports AV fleets * (05:30) How much of AV fleet management can be automated? * (07:35) Why charging is such an important part of AV depot management, and why it should be automated first * (09:51) Initial challenges faced with automating AV fleet charging * (13:22) The Rocsys M1 hands-free charging solution for AV fleets * (14:50) The ease of deploying the Rocsys M1, and its other benefits * (18:20) Where the Rocsys M1 chargers are currently deployed and future deployments * (20:15) The ideal robotaxi partner/depot layout for deploying the Rocsys M1 * (22:40) What the AV depot of the future will look like * (27:05) Common oversights AV companies make when designing depot operations * (28:28) Rocsys’ global scale and the benefits of operating from the U.S. and Europe * (30:00) What Europe needs to do to catch up in the robotaxi space * (32:10) How Rocsys will transform the AV depot of the future * (35:15) What can’t be automated in the AV fleet depot, and why * (36:47) Conclusions and final thoughts Notes/Links: * You can find Crijn Bouman on LinkedIn and X. * Rocsys website (link). * Check out the Rocsys M1 (link). -Harry This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedriverlessdigest.com

    Autonomous Charging for Robotaxis with Rocsys CEO Crijn Bouman

  8. Jun 15

    Inside Waymo’s Interview Process: An Engineer’s First-Hand Experience

    This week’s podcast is brought to you by Terawatt – purpose-built charging for autonomous vehicle fleets. Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and Substack. Transcripts are also available by clicking on the “transcripts” button in the top right corner of this post on the app/web version. You can also access them from the email version by clicking here. In today’s episode, I’m speaking with an anonymous AI and machine learning engineer with a background in computer vision and autonomous systems. After advancing to the final round of interviews for a Senior Software Engineering role at Waymo, he joins me to share a rare candidate’s perspective on one of the most sought-after engineering jobs in autonomy. We discuss Waymo’s interview process from start to finish, including the types of technical questions candidates can expect, how the company evaluates engineering talent, and what stood out compared to interviews at other autonomous vehicle companies such as Zoox where he has previously been interviewed at. He shares insights into Waymo’s engineering culture, the skills and experience the company appears to value most, and why preparing for an autonomy-focused role can be very different from a traditional software engineering interview. The conversation also explores broader hiring trends across the AV industry, what it’s like interviewing during a period of innovation, rapid growth and commercialization, and how candidates can position themselves for success at leading AV companies. Finally, he reflects on what surprised him most throughout the process and what aspiring engineers should know before pursuing a role in the industry. Chapters * (00:00) Introduction to our guest * (03:00) What made him want to work for Waymo * (04:30) How the Waymo user experience influences potential employees * (05:31) How job applicants perceive working at Waymo * (06:50) The Waymo application and interview process * (11:20) Tips for the Waymo online job application * (14:12) Feedback during the interview process and screening tips * (15:44) How Waymo helps applicants prepare for the interview process * (16:20) How he prepared for the interview and the role of AI in his interview prep * (18:40) How Waymo’s interview questions differ from those at other companies * (21:57) Something he wished he knew before the interview process * (22:48) The Waymo vs. Zoox interview process * (24:50) His reaction to being rejected for the role * (28:05) What Waymo applicants should do to stand out from their peers * (31:34) How to position yourself for a future role in an AV company * (34:22) His future plans for working in the AV space * (36:05) Conclusions and final thoughts Designing Charging Hubs for Autonomous Fleets We are excited to partner with Terawatt, one of the leading providers of charging infrastructure. To learn more about Terawatt’s network of AV charging hubs and track record of 99%+ uptime, reach out to Logan Szidik at lszidik@terawattinfrastructure.com Notes/Links: * Waymo’s careers page (link). * Zoox’s careers page (link). -Harry This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedriverlessdigest.com

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Covering the intersection of autonomy x rideshare, and the business of AVs. www.thedriverlessdigest.com

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