cars

Can the grid handle a 100% electric world? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice explore the carbon impacts of electric vehicles and achieving zero emissions with chemical engineer for Union of Concerned Scientists, David Reichmuth. 

Thanks to our partners at Ford for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about the all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E® SUV at https://www.ford.com/suvs/mach-e/

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/our-electrified-future-with-david-reichmuth/

Thanks to our Patrons Eric, Charles Hagin, Jan Willem Smit, Emily Baldrige, smantha r, Jen, and Sylvain Gautier for supporting us this week.

Photo Credit: NASA's Earth Observatory, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The auto workers strike is now into its third week, and the union announced more walkouts at Ford and GM plants in Chicago and Lansing, Michigan. All this is going on during the opening weekend of the State Fair of Texas. What do the two have in common? On today's Ask the Expert, car show host Jerry Reynolds, joins David Rancken, to talk about the rising issues for the State Fair of Texas' car show this year.

There are electric cars at every car maker, but we're starting to see price drops for those cars. Dealers have a lot of extra stock that isn't moving. The Car Pro Jerry Reynolds joined Ask the Expert on Thursday to discuss the market trends.

Photo: An electric Ford Explorer is seen as the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits the electric car production line at the Ford automobile factory on June 12, 2023, in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Lukas Schulze/Getty Images)

Self-driving cars have been on the horizon for quite some time. But, they might actually be here.

We got to ride around in one all over San Francisco with Waymo’s Chief Product Officer, Saswat Panigrahi.

We discussed so much, including the five levels of autonomy, the infamous LIDAR vs video debate, regulation, UX, and the role of AI in fine-tuning these models. But most importantly, if autonomy is here… now what?!

Topics Covered:

• 00:00 - Introduction
• 03:20 - A first look at Waymo
• 05:21 - 5 levels of autonomy
• 09:45 - Technology challenges
• 14:32 - LiDAR vs video debate
• 18:19 - How Waymo differentiates
• 19:01 - Technological unlocks on the horizon
• 20:39 - The role of AI in autonomous vehicles
• 25:37 - How Waymo views safety
• 32:05 - Collaborating with regulators
• 37:26 - Learnings from the first 2m miles
• 39:45 - Driving user retention
• 43:47 - Waymo’s expansion strategy
• 47:00 - Changing regulation
• 47:41 - Societal unlocks enabled by autonomy
• 52:21 - Will self-driving cars replace humans?
• 52:58 - Closing thoughts

Resources:

Check out Waymo: https://waymo.com/

Check out Waymo's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Waymo

Find Saswat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saswat101

Check out a16z's 8-part series on the autonomous vehicle ecosystem: https://a16z.com/2018/02/03/autonomy-ecosystem-frank-chen-summit/

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What's the maximum a car can accelerate? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, and Gary O’Reilly learn how fast cars can really go, how tires work, and the differences between combustion and electric cars with host of Engineering Explained, Jason Fenske.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/engineering-the-worlds-fastest-cars-with-jason-fenske/

Thanks to our Patrons Brian Flowers, Everett Rubel, Sienna Howlett-Wagner, Scott Ware, and Charles Mugnolo for supporting us this week.

Photo Credit: Maurizio Pesce from Milan, Italia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What’s the fastest a car can accelerate? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore goal size to goal scoring ratios, the doppler effect, and the maximum acceleration for a car. 

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: 
https://startalkmedia.com/show/things-you-thought-you-knew-why-size-matters/

Photo Credit: Sarah Stierch, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What if the dinosaurs had a space program? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice explore what Earth Day meant for the dinosaurs, how batteries work, and changing our infrastructure, with creator of Atlas Obscura, Dylan Thuras. 

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://www.startalkradio.net/show/things-you-thought-you-knew-dinosaurs-batteries/

Thanks to our Patrons Renee Morss, Rob L, Peter Stinchcomb, Larry Kwartowitz, Samii McLendon, Michaela Negus, Michael Henderson, Jun Del Rio, Ana Davidson, and Dominick Marciano for supporting us this week.

Photo Credit: ​​Don Davis (work commissioned by NASA), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What are Van der Waals forces? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore the fascinating world of surfaces, biomimicry, and Formula 1 with physicist and author of Sticky: The Science of Surfaces, Laurie Winkless. 

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://www.startalkradio.net/show/sticky-science-the-force-be-with-you-with-laurie-winkless/

Thanks to our Patrons Artist formerly known as James Smith, Joseph Strasser, Salvatore Scuiri, Kyle Dagg, Luke Ehlers, Paul Bowe, Jason R.Y. Rankin, Ann Young, Jasam Mohammed, and Jan Bojarp for supporting us this week.

Photo Credit: Peter Heeling, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Is chemistry truly everywhere? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice answer fan questions about chemistry with Kate Biberdorf, aka Kate the Chemist. Discover the chemical reactions that make our world work!

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://www.startalkradio.net/show/cosmic-queries-the-hidden-chemistry-of-everything-with-kate-the-chemist/

Thanks to our Patrons William Kelly, Patrick Weller, Nicholas DeAngelo, George Brietigam, Adam Leos, David Bryan Smith, and Mick Mowchenko for supporting us this week.

Photo Credit: despeakrit, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons