Alex recounts his latest cross-country Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) attempt and explains why “zero-disengagement” claims often hide major differences in what counts as an intervention—plus an unforgettable moment where the car nearly strands a co-driver at a sub-zero truck stop. Kirsten, Ed & Alex then dig into Tesla’s decision to end Model S and Model X production, the company’s escalating bet on Optimus humanoid robots, and growing signals of deeper alignment with xAI (and even potential mega-merger vibes with SpaceX). Plus the latest Waymo controversy after a robotaxi struck a child in Santa Monica, the investigations and media narrative battle, and what these incidents mean for public trust in autonomous vehicles.

Avery Ash, CEO of Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) joins to discuss we got right & wrong 12 months ago, and weighs in with predictions for 2026. Also, CES party updates, and a special shout-out to an old friend.

As Waymo scales, so do the edge cases the world's biggest robotaxi fleet will encounter. Also, Ed wants to talk about Tesla, Alex doesn't, and Kirsten keeps it cool.

Sleepy safety drivers, scaling robotaxis, Alex thanks the Autonocast party sponsors, Ed thanks Elon for giving him something to complain about, and Kirsten thanks us for letting her be the adult in the room.

When is self-driving not self-driving? How do the words we use for autonomous vehicles affect safety? Professor Bryant Walker Smith talks about how the SAE levels came to be, how he hopes to improve them, and his latest paper "Self-Driving Means Self-Driving."

How to cut through the BS of AI hype? What is the optimal integration of AI into work? What is the best application of AI in human driven vehicles? MIT Research Scientist Bryan Reimer is one of the Top 3 AI BS sniffers on earth, and alone in having a realistic vision of what AI can actually do for us. On this episode, Reimer discusses his new book: How To Make AI Useful.

Will Rivian bicycle spinoff Also become the iPhone/Tesla Model S of bikes? Why is it called Also? How much was the branding agency paid? Why did a Tesla see ghosts in a cemetery? How will Tesla handle all the HW3 owners whose cars may never be driverless? Does Ed's BMW "Clownshoe" ZM3 redeem him?