Nov 21 2023
Switching from cars to electric, autonomous "People Movers"
In today's episode, we're thrilled to welcome Phil Pierce from Zoox, a company working to innovate the future of autonomous, electric “people movers” (don’t call it a car!). Phil is Zoox's senior public policy and safety strategy manager, and talks to us about the path to evolving urban transportation to accommodate more electric, autonomous, and on-demand mobility and fewer gas--powered, accident prone and highway clogging single-driver vehicles. Phil discusses the shift from car ownership to shared, eco-friendly transportation options. Zoox envisions safer cities with autonomous vehicles, transit, bikes, and pedestrians sharing roads. Safety is a priority, with Zoox surpassing human-driven standards.Already, Zoox is testing autonomous rides on public roads in places like Las Vegas (a city that can use as many designated drivers as it can get!), which is a major step toward its future of more widespread use. Read more about it here: https://zoox.com/journal/las-vegas/ Join us as we explore Zoox's vision for sustainable, accessible, and enjoyable urban mobility.A few takeaways you will get from this episode:Understand the current transportation challenges, encompassing environmental impacts, high fatality rates, and car-dependent infrastructure.How Zoox strives to create greener cities through reduced reliance on personal vehicles, repurposed infrastructure, and accessible, eco-friendly mobility for underserved neighbourhoods.How autonomous vehicles can contribute to the transformation of public spaces, making cities more sustainable and enjoyable for all residents.Our favourite quote:"Over a third of public space in most big cities, like in San Francisco where I live, is dedicated just to parked vehicles. Most of us that own vehicles, our vehicle sits there more than 96% of the time, so it's doing nothing [despite being] this huge investment...and Zoox is just a really great solution." - Phil PierceLearn more:Find Zoox on Instagram @zooxJob openings at Zoox: www.zoox.com/careersVisit Zoox’s website: www.zoox.comConnect with us on Instagram @101wayspodVisit our website: www.savetheplanetpodcast.com