Podcast
Tech. Cars. Machines.
Hosted by Ali Tabibian, GTK Partners · EN
Executive interviews. We cover technology and energy transition in transportation and industry. More at www.gtkpartners.com
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
61. Conner Galloway, Founder, CEO, and Chief Science Officer; and Alexander Valys, Co-founder, President, and Chief Technology Officer, Xcimer
Mar 1801:01:16Tap to summarizeEpisode 61: Lasers to the rescue! Xcimer’s Founder, CEO, and Chief Science Officer Conner Galloway and Co-founder, President, and Chief Technology Officer Alex Valise are building the world’s most powerful gas lasers to ignite fusion energy. With $170MM of capital raised, they are, step-by-step, commercializing scientifically validated concepts to deliver big, beautiful, clean energy. 00:00 Welcome 00:28 Meet Conner, Alex, and Xcimer 12:44 Fusion Basics Explained 18:41 Inside the Fuel Pellet 28:49 Excimer Lasers and Pulse Compression 35:08 Warehouse Scale Facility 41:55 Liquid Wall Target Chamber 49:27 Efficiency and Target Gain 52:04 Roadmap Phoenix to Athena 58:56 Directed Energy Spinoffs 01:00:44 Conclusion
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60. Alex Kendall, Co Founder & CEO, Wayve
Feb 400:42:14Tap to summarizeEpisode 60: Revolutionizing and Democratizing Autonomous Driving Alex Kendall, founder and CEO of Wayve, a UK-based company with $1.3 billion of funding from Microsoft, NVIDIA, Softbank and Uber, discusses Wayve’s head start in end-to-end AI for driving, its efficient training and run-time architecture, and its suitability to any car manufacturer. 00:00 Welcome to Tech Cars Machines 01:32 Introduction to Alex Kendall and Wayve 02:00 Wayve’s Autonomous Technology Explained 04:21 The End-to-End AI Approach 06:54 Wayve’s Data Efficiency and Learning 09:13 Alex Kendall’s Background and Journey 12:07 Wayve’s Path to Commercialization 23:22 Wayve’s Competitive Edge and Market Position 25:41 Adoption and Consumer Perception of Autonomous Vehicles 31:56 Customization and OEM Integration 35:51 Future of Autonomous Driving and Industry Impact
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59. Brandon Sorbom, Co-Founder and CSO, Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Jan 501:05:54Tap to summarizeEpisode 59: The Cherry on Top of Decades of Fusion Development Brandon Sorbom, Chief Science Officer and Co-founder of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, is helping spend $3+ billion to turn hydrogen into abundant, safe and readily available energy. In our fourth fusion episode, Brandon educates us on the most time-tested approach to fusion which uses powerful magnets. CFS hopes to deliver commercial energy by the early 2030s. 0:00 Introduction 02:33 The Journey from MIT to Commonwealth Fusion Systems 04:30 Securing Funding and Building Credibility 05:44 Understanding Fusion and Tokamaks 08:44 Brandon’s Personal Journey to Fusion 12:34 Explaining the Tokamak and Fusion Process 28:23 Neutrons and Energy Conversion 31:39 High Temperature Superconducting Material 39:26 Scaling Up Production and Cost Considerations 42:53 The SPARC Prototype and Its Challenges 48:23 Transitioning from Spark to ARC 01:04:59 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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58. Will Regan, Ph.D., Co-Founder & President, Pacific Fusion
Nov 1100:45:32Tap to summarizeEpisode 58: A Novel Path to Fusion Energy Will Regan, President and Co-founder of Pacific Fusion, is helping spend $1+ billion to mimic the sun’s method for producing energy. In our third fusion episode, Will educates us on inertial confinement. He discusses the advancements that help smooth Pacific Fusion’s path to delivering commercial energy by the mid-2030s. 00:00 Welcome to Tech Cars Episode 58 04:09 Introduction to Pacific Fusion 07:24 Will Regan’s Journey to Pacific Fusion 10:57 Explaining Fusion and Inertial Confinement 19:12 The Engineering and Science Behind Fusion 21:15 Physical Description of Pacific Fusion’s Facility 26:03 Understanding Marx Generators 29:16 Fusion Chamber and Magnetic Compression 32:34 Energy Output and Power Plant Efficiency 35:17 Handling Neutrons and Chamber Protection 38:55 Manufacturability and Supply Chain
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57. Brian Berzin, Co-Founder & CEO, Thea Energy
Oct 1300:52:41Tap to summarize“Twisty donuts” if you lean Republican, “French cruller” if you lean left. CEO and Co-founder Brian Berzin, describes how this shape and a focus on manufacturability will allow Thea Energy to deliver fusion energy in a cost-competitive manner. Following up on last week’s episode with Dr. Scott Hsu of Lowercarbon Capital, Brian discusses the innovative approach Thea Energy is taking to commercialize fusion energy. The conversation covers the company’s origins in the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, and their groundbreaking ‘stellarator’ design. Brian explains how modularization, software and AI helps overcome the fiendishly difficult construction of stellerators. He shares insights into the company’s rapid iteration and development cycles, culminating in their goal to scale up to commercial levels. 00:00 Welcome to the Fusion Energy Series 01:06 Introducing Brian Berzin and Thea Energy 11:46 Technical and Financial Milestones 14:54 Understanding Fusion: A Simplified Explanation 23:58 Challenges and Breakthroughs in Stellerators 29:30 Innovations in Superconducting Magnets 34:52 The Role of Software in Magnet Control 41:07 Scaling Up to Commercial Relevance 48:45 First Walls and Blankets in Fusion Reactors 51:42 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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56. Dr. Scott Hsu, Fusion Partner, Lowercarbon Capital
Sep 2400:46:17Tap to summarizeEpisode 57: $10 billion and the Universe’s Most Powerful Energy Source: Fusion Why have the biggest names (such as Bill Gates, Lowercarbon Capital, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Google and Sam Altman) put billions into dozens of fusion energy companies? An engaging, accessible discussion with Dr. Scott Hsu on the fascinating world and private company ecosystem of the fusion energy. Scott was with with the DOE where he helped allocate $100MM of fusion R&D investment. He is now Partner at Lowercarbon Capital. We explore the fundamentals of fusion, compare magnetic and inertial confinement methods, and discuss innovative companies like Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Pacific Fusion, Thea Energy, Xcimer and Avalanche Energy. Scott explains why there’s new hope for making fusion commercially viable in the coming years. He highlights the challenges and opportunities in building the necessary infrastructure. 00:00 Introduction 01:42 Scott’s Background and Career 02:39 Lowercarbon Capital and Fusion Investments 10:42 Fusion Basics and Scientific Principles 19:57 Magnetic and Inertial Fusion Approaches 22:52 Understanding the Magnetic Confinement (Commonwealth, Thea) 23:35 Challenges of Plasma Confinement 25:31 Innovations in Modern Tokamaks 29:17 Exploring Alternative Fusion Devices (Pacific Fusion, Avalanche) 32:40 Laser Inertial Confinement Fusion (Xcimer) 41:26 Future of Fusion Energy
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55. Mike Zukerman, President and CEO of CSAA Insurance Group
Sep 1000:36:45Tap to summarizeProtecting $500 billion dollars of real estate value: Mike Zukerman, CEO of CSAA, an $8 billion carrier of insurance distributed through AAA Clubs, tells how technology helps protect that massive asset. He tells us how enterprise technology can “surprise and delight” CSAA’s 3 million policy holders, and how self-driving cars will change insurance strategy. 00:00 Introduction to Mike Zukerman & CSAA 01:40 Understanding CSAA and Its Business 04:24 Remote Work and Employee Satisfaction 08:30 Mike Zukerman’s Background and Career Journey 11:57 The Future of Auto Insurance and Autonomous Vehicles 18:51 Understanding Auto and Home Insurance Regulations 20:10 Challenges of Homeowners Insurance in California 21:55 Innovative Wildfire Mitigation Technologies 29:16 Leveraging AI for Customer Delight in Insurance 35:03 Why CSAA is a Great Place to Work
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54. Jeff Huebner, EVP at Mobilitas Insurance
Jul 1600:18:21Tap to summarizeJeff Huebner, Head of Mobilitas, discusses how he helps his commercial transportation networks manage their second-high expense: insurance. Ride sharing networks, last-mile delivery networks, and autonomous vehicle companies are his customers, and an enormous amount of customization and data ingestion and processing is involved. 00:00 Introduction 00:53 Jeff Hubner’s Background and Reconnection 01:48 Understanding AAA, CSAA, and Mobilitas 04:33 Mobils’ Mission and Services 06:25 Jeff Hubner’s Career Journey 08:35 Risk Management and Commercial Insurance 11:16 Market Trends and Innovations 24:21 Data Integration and Risk Management 32:37 Advances in Vehicle Technologies 34:47 Final Thoughts
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53. Alan White, Global Head of Emerging Transportation Platforms at Siemens Smart Infrastructure
Jun 1200:16:31Tap to summarizeEpisode 53: Making fleet electrification easy, with Alan White of Siemens. Alan details Siemens Depot 360’s comprehensive offerings to provide a turnkey, commercially attractive path for electrifying vehicle fleets. 00:00 Introduction to Siemens 02:08 Introduction to Depot 360 02:37 Benefits and Challenges of Electrification 03:30 Siemens Smart Infrastructure 05:26 Alan White’s Background and Career 07:36 Depot 360’s Operational Insights 16:25 Global Electrification Trends and Challenges 30:22 Predictions and Closing Remarks
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52. Anja van Niersen, CEO, Milence
May 15, 202500:20:40Tap to summarizeEpisode 52: Building the Future of Electric Trucking with Anja Van Niersen Anja Van Niersen, CEO of Milence, discusses plans to establish a charging network for European long-haul trucking. Milence is a 500MM Euro joint venture amongst Daimler, Traton and Volvo trucks. 00:00 Introduction to Milence 03:04 Anja’s background and career 03:10 Milence’s mission and operations 12:41 The profile of a charging hub 16:47 Future of heavy-duty/long-haul trucking 23:15 Geographical footprint and infrastructure development 30:00 Future enablers 37:26 The role of consumers and market demand 40:03 Optimism for adoption
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