# Ep. 33 | From Autonomous Golf Carts to Semis: The Journey to the Self-Driving Truck

- Show: [Moore's Lobby](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby)
- Published: 2021-10-06
- Length: 43m
- Episode: 6
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-10-06-ep-33-from-autonomous-golf-carts-to-semis-the-journey-to-the-self-driving-truck
- Listen: https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/podcast/ep-33-from-autonomous-golf-carts-to-semis-the-journey-to-the-self-driving-truck

## Summary

Brandon Moak, CTO and co-founder of Embark Trucks, explains how he and co-founder Alex Rodrigues scaled an autonomous driving system from a student golf cart project to a $5 billion public company. Moak details the technical stack, including the fusion of LIDAR, radar, and cameras, and the strategic decision to focus on hub-to-hub highway trucking to avoid the complexity of urban passenger vehicles. He discusses the operational challenges of scaling, including adapting to COVID-19 restrictions and mitigating chip shortages through risk-buying, while emphasizing Embark's safety-first approach and software-as-a-service business model.

## Chapters

- [0:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-10-06-ep-33-from-autonomous-golf-carts-to-semis-the-journey-to-the-self-driving-truck#t=2) Introduction and Embark's Vision
- [6:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-10-06-ep-33-from-autonomous-golf-carts-to-semis-the-journey-to-the-self-driving-truck#t=400) From Golf Cart to Autonomous Vehicle
- [13:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-10-06-ep-33-from-autonomous-golf-carts-to-semis-the-journey-to-the-self-driving-truck#t=823) Pivoting from Shuttles to Trucking
- [20:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-10-06-ep-33-from-autonomous-golf-carts-to-semis-the-journey-to-the-self-driving-truck#t=1216) Sensor Suite and Hardware Strategy
- [25:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-10-06-ep-33-from-autonomous-golf-carts-to-semis-the-journey-to-the-self-driving-truck#t=1509) Navigating COVID and Supply Chain Disruptions
- [33:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-10-06-ep-33-from-autonomous-golf-carts-to-semis-the-journey-to-the-self-driving-truck#t=2034) Safety, Security, and Operational Constraints

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Embark Trucks (company)
- Y Combinator (company)
- LIDAR (chip)
- Tesla (company)
- Elon Musk (other)
- Google (company)
- Cruise (company)
- University of Waterloo (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Cracking the code on autonomous trucking](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-05-07-cracking-the-code-on-autonomous-trucking) (Catalyst)
- [HIBT Lab! Cruise: Kyle Vogt](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-27-hibt-lab-cruise-kyle-vogt) (How I Built This)
- [When trucks drive themselves with Chris Urmson of Aurora](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-07-20-when-trucks-drive-themselves-with-chris-urmson-of-aurora) (How I Built This)
- [The future of driving is autonomous with Dmitri Dolgov of Waymo](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-11-23-the-future-of-driving-is-autonomous-with-dmitri-dolgov-of-waymo) (How I Built This)
- [Autonomous vehicle technology deep dive at John Deere and Zoox](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2023-04-18-autonomous-vehicle-technology-deep-dive-at-john-deere-and-zoox) (The Robot Report Podcast)

## Citing this page

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