PAVEcast: A conversation about autonomous vehicles

With a new administration and Congress, 2025 was widely viewed as a potential turning point for autonomous vehicles. One year later, did the industry’s expectations match reality? Join us for a timely follow-up conversation examining how political and legislative developments have shaped the AV policy landscape.

Hilary Cain of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation and Finch Fulton of K&L Gates reflect on the past year’s progress and discuss how evolving federal priorities and regulatory signals are influencing AV development and deployment.

2025 was a pivotal year for the autonomous trucking space, as industry leaders moved beyond pilots and industrial use cases toward true long-haul deployment. However, scaling safely and sustainably remains a complex challenge. Tune in for a fireside chat with Andreas Wendel, CTO of Kodiak AI, to explore what it takes to scale driverless operations.

In this conversation, Andreas will share insights into Kodiak’s recent progress and discuss the technical and operational milestones required to scale autonomous freight. The discussion will also touch on the role of safety cases, partnerships, and public trust in supporting long-term success.

In this episode of the PAVEcast, we sit down with Becca Lehner and Alex Rudin of MITRE to spotlight their recently published research on scaling AV operations centers. Tune in to learn more about MITRE’s Automated Vehicle Research Collaborative (AVRC), key barriers to scaling AV operations centers, what enables successful growth, and how that success can help build public trust in AV technology.
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In this episode of the PAVEcast, we sit down with Aaron Botwick, Head of Safety at AeroVect. Tune in for a discussion on the unique challenges and opportunities of automating airport logistics, the growing importance of safety cases, and their critical role in building public trust and regulatory compliance for autonomous vehicles.
Learn more about AeroVect at https://www.aerovect.com/

In this episode of the PAVEcast, we sit down with Paul Steier, Vice President of Law Enforcement Programs and Services at the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA). We discuss how DMVs, law enforcement, and driver education programs are adapting to emerging vehicle technologies. The conversation also highlights the importance of industry collaboration, the challenge of balancing regulations with innovation, and the ongoing efforts to enhance safety on public roads.