25. Let's Do Electric and Decarbonization Faster – Rob Grant of Cruise

Cruise is creating an entirely new transportation experience. Rob Grant, Vice President of Global Government Affairs at Cruise, joins host Grayson Brulte this week to talk all things Cruise and offer his perspective on the importance of autonomous and electric vehicles as we strive for a clean and equitable future.   Rob explains some of Cruise’s core philosophies: that AVs should be accessible to everyone regardless of socioeconomic and physical status; the importance of reinforcing vehicle safety so it becomes engrained in minds; and attacking climate change with EVs. He shares emotional details on the 100,000 contactless deliveries that Cruise vehicles have made to San Franciscans in need during COVID-19, then pivots to some forward-looking efforts including partnership opportunities, community and educational engagements and investments, and how learnings from the current pandemic are being applied to better prepare society for future pandemics. Rob also lets us in on some details around the new Cruise Origin, a completely redesigned, multi-factor transportation experience, as well as GM’s Ultium battery that will power the vehicle.   The conversation also looks at some of the larger industry challenges being tackled: energy backhaul and sourcing; improving speed to market and scaling; and teaching vehicles to become better adept at recognizing gestures, signals and notifiers from cyclists, law enforcement and first responders.     Learn more about Cruise at www.getcruise.com.   Subscribe to SAE Tomorrow Today or visit www.sae.org/podcasts to stay up to date on all the latest information from SAE. If you like what you’re hearing, please review and comment on your podcast app. Follow SAE on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.