Ep. 31 - The Chemistry of Self-Driving Cars with Covestro
In this installment of the Future Grind podcast, host Ryan O’Shea sits down with Paul Platte, Senior Marketing Manager at Covestro. Covestro is a Bayer spinout and one of the leading producers of high-performance polymers. Their products can be found almost everywhere, and they are a major supplier to the automotive, electronics, and healthcare industries. Now, however, self-driving cars are taking up much of Covestro’s attention.
Ryan and Paul discuss many of the crucial design and engineering challenges that most people overlook when discussing self-driving cars, as well as the ramifications of electric vehicles, changing ownership models, and drones. They also discuss RoadTrip 2030, a day-long conference featuring many of the innovators that are working to build the autonomous vehicles of tomorrow, including Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group (now Aurora), Carnegie Mellon University, and more.
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Show Notes
What is Covestro? [1:55]
Paul’s Background [3:36]
RoadTrip 2030 [4:39]
Pittsburgh: A Self-Driving Hub [7:12]
The Future Automobile in Virtual Reality [8:31]
Design Challenge: Thermal Management in AVs [11:26]
Self-Driving Cars - An Extension of Your Phone [17:17]
Design Challenge: Hidden Cameras and Sensors [21:05]
Cars for Entertainment, Work, & Sleep [29:04]
Design Challenge: Self-Driving Safety [35:20]
Design Challenge: Large & Dangerous Batteries [42:02]
The End of Vehicle Ownership & Increased Workload [46:44]
Space Flight & “New Mobility” [52:33]
Current Materials Roadblocks [57:13]
Importance of Sustainability [1:02:42]
Where to find more about Covestro and RoadTrip 2030 [1:06:24]
Mentioned
Polyurethane
Polycarbonate
Uber ATG (now Aurora)
Carnegie Mellon University
Bridgestone
Kettering University (formerly General Motors Institute of Technology)
General Motors
Argo AI
OnStar
Solar Impulse plane
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