The Garage by Sonatus

Hosted by Sonatus

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Sep 2026

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About the show

The Garage Podcast from Sonatus brings you conversations with thought leaders from around the vehicle technology space discussing far-reaching topics about software innovation in vehicles. These episodes will include industry experts, whether from Sonatus, or from our amazing partners across the industry, all of whom will share their Ideas and their outlook for the most important topics in vehicle technology. Episodes span from more technical topics, to business evolution, and market trends. Join us and learn about the future of vehicle in The Garage.

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59 recent

September 30, 2026Episode 1734 min

Is 99.9% safe good enough for robotaxis? | Phil Koopman of Carnegie Mellon University (Professor Emeritus)

In this episode of The Garage, host John Heinlein interviews safety expert Phil Koopman on the complex challenges of scaling autonomous vehicle fleets from hundreds to hundreds of thousands. Koopman identifies key hurdles, including mass software failures, broad safety definitions, infinite edge cases, and legal accountability gaps, stressing that machine learning's lack of common sense requires human oversight for rare events.

September 15, 2026Episode 1628 min

How do standards improve vehicle design? | with Tim Yerdon of SAE International

Recorded live at Auto Tech 2026, host John Heinlein interviews SAE International’s Tim Yerdon on how standards bodies unite industry competitors to solve billion-dollar challenges in software-defined and autonomous vehicles. The conversation highlights key initiatives like the Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium and SAE's efforts to balance open-source collaboration with technology differentiation.

September 1, 2026Episode 1523 min

How can software benefit chassis innovation? | with Ramiro Gutierrez of ZF

Recorded live at Auto Tech 2026, this episode of The Garage features ZF North America President Ramiro Gutierrez explaining how software is transforming traditional chassis hardware like steering and suspension into dynamic, customizable driving experiences. He highlights how software-defined vehicles enable hardware reuse, over-the-air performance updates, and major innovations like steer-by-wire technology.

August 19, 2026Episode 1418 min

Can we future-proof cars with software? | with Chip Goetzinger of AutoMobility Advisors

Recorded live at Auto Tech 2026, this episode features AutoMobility Advisors' Chip Goetzinger discussing the rise of software-defined vehicles, embedded connectivity, and changing OEM-supplier relationships. He also explores emerging automotive trends like vehicle commerce and digital identity, along with insights from his background as an amateur race car driver.

August 4, 2026Episode 1328 min

How will vehicle experiences evolve with AI? | with Mel Roberts of Stellantis

Recorded live at AutoTech 2026, host John Heinlein speaks with Stellantis's Mel Roberts on how AI and small language models (SLMs) are transforming the automotive user experience. They discuss the strategic deployment of AI in vehicles, focusing on local processing for low latency, predictive maintenance, and balancing physical controls with digital UX design.

July 21, 2026Episode 1224 min

How does Subaru choose connected services? | with Amy Sgrignoli of Subaru of America

Recorded live at AutoTech 2026, this episode of The Garage features Subaru's Amy Sgrignoli discussing how the brand prioritizes safety and customer experience in connected vehicle technology. Sgrignoli also shares her philosophy on servant leadership and introduces her new podcast, Learn to Lead Differently .

July 7, 2026Episode 1123 min

How does 500 petabytes make ADAS smarter? | with Nimrod Brickman of Mobileye

Recorded live at AutoTech 2026, this episode of The Garage features Sonatus host John Heinlein and Mobileye VP Nimrod Brickman discussing the evolution of ADAS and autonomous driving technologies. They explore Mobileye's growth into a comprehensive tier-one supplier, its advanced AI approaches, and how the integration of safety-critical features is making autonomous capabilities more accessible for lower-cost vehicles.

June 23, 2026Episode 1019 min

Autonomous Trucking, Innovation and Fleet Data | with Matt McLelland of Covenant Logistics

Recorded live at ACT Expo 2026, this podcast episode features Matt McLelland of Covenant Logistics discussing how the company evaluates diverse fleet technologies, from autonomous vehicles and electric trucks to data analytics. He highlights practical implementations like electric APUs and shares how combining data sources provides the context needed to proactively improve driver safety and wellbeing.

June 9, 2026Episode 921 min

How can commercial fleets benefit from AI? | with Lawrence Bader (Retired UPS)

Recorded live at ACT Expo 2026, host John Heinlein interviews former UPS fleet manager Lawrence Bader on the evolution of fleet technology, including keyless systems, AI-driven predictive maintenance, and autonomous trucking. Bader emphasizes that to remain competitive, fleets must start small, iterate quickly, and integrate technologies across all operational departments.

May 26, 2026Episode 822 min

Can vehicle personalization drive loyalty? | with Roger Lanctot of Strategia Now

In this podcast episode recorded live at the COVESA meeting, host John Heinlein interviews Roger Lanctot about how the automotive industry can leverage vehicle data to transition from a B2B to a B2C model, prioritizing driver personalization over data monetization to enhance customer engagement and loyalty.