The Jeff Bezos Startup Doing Less On Purpose | MotoMan Podcast # 026

The Jeff Bezos Startup Doing Less On Purpose | MotoMan Podcast # 026

Slate Auto has been described as a Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup building a $25,000 electric truck — but that is only part of the story. In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, we sit down with Rod Copes, Slate Auto board director and employee number one, to discuss the real strategy behind Slate: radical simplicity, American manufacturing, affordability, and avoiding the mistakes that crushed so many EV startups. Rod explains what he learned from Harley-Davidson, Royal Enfield, and Rivian, including what “production hell” really means and why Slate is deliberately doing less on purpose. The conversation goes deep into the $24,950 price promise, why Slate chose a two-door pickup layout, how the company plans to build in Indiana, and why the future of affordable transportation may depend on bringing manufacturing back to the United States. This is not just a conversation about a cheap EV truck. It is a conversation about whether America can still build things people can actually afford. Chapters: 00:00 Highlight Open01:48 Why Rod Copes Matters To Slate02:44 Harley-Davidson, Royal Enfield & Rivian05:08 Rebuild Manufacturing & MIT08:46 Why US Manufacturing Matters11:24 What Changed After The Pandemic12:30 Why Time Beats Cash In Startups14:13 Can Slate Really Launch In 2026?16:44 Simplify, Simplify, Simplify18:03 The Risk Slate Is Taking19:32 The Bezos / Amazon Influence22:06 Slate’s Culture & Decision Making23:10 What Production Hell Really Means27:01 The Rivian Lesson Slate Learned29:37 Avoiding The EV Startup Trap31:08 How Slate Plans To Be Profitable33:19 Ford, Competition & The $25K Promise34:06 Why Car Pricing Feels Deceptive37:35 Making A Cheap Car Desirable39:16 Who Is Slate Really For?42:19 Could Slate Work For Apartment Dwellers?44:28 Why Slate Chose Two Doors47:30 The Battery Supply Challenge50:02 Why Slate Had To Be Electric55:30 Why Indiana?58:29 Could Slate Have Built It Cheaper Overseas?59:34 The US Manufacturing Renaissance01:02:09 What Slate Wants To Know From Viewers #SlateAuto #SlateTruck #RodCopes #MotoManPodcast #JeffBezos #ElectricTruck #EVTruck #AmericanManufacturing #MadeInUSA #Rivian #FordMaverick #AffordableCars #EVStartup #Manufacturing #CarIndustry #ElectricVehicles #MotoManTV For driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @ https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars [https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars] Download the MotoManTV Podcast @ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387] https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt [https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt] https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast] Connect with our Short Form content here: https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/ https://x.com/MotoManTV [https://x.com/MotoManTV] https://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantv http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips] Help us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

He Failed Engineering. Then Ran Nissan Design | MotoMan Podcast # 025

Most car designers are supposed to follow a path. Alfonso Albaisa did not. Before he became the global design leader behind Nissan’s future, he was a Cuban-American kid in Miami who did not learn English until he was six or seven, dressed like Napoleon, drew in a closet, nearly failed engineering with a 0.5 GPA, and found his way through art, architecture, balsa wood boats, New York, Detroit, and one unforgettable Jaguar E-Type. In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, Alfonso Albaisa joins MotoMan for a deeply personal conversation about the unlikely road that took him from South Florida to the top of Nissan design. This is not just a story about cars. It is a story about exile, family, failure, obsession, creative purpose, and why the car industry keeps falling into the trap of copying whatever looks cool. Alfonso shares how his father’s architecture studio shaped the way he saw the world, why his mother quietly redirected his life, how a Jaguar E-Type changed everything, why Detroit nearly broke him and how Nissan found him in New York This is the story of an outsider who did not fit the system — and then helped shape one of the most important Japanese car brands in the world. CHAPTERS: 00:00 The Outsider Who Ended Up Running Nissan Design01:49 Two Years In The Making02:39 From Immigrant Kid In Miami To Global Design Leader03:15 Leaving Cuba And Starting Over05:23 Architecture, Train Stations And Transportation In The Family07:50 The Real Forrest Gump Story08:34 Landing In Miami With Nothing09:19 Drawing In The Closet And Dressing Like Napoleon11:35 The Mother Who Saw Everything12:43 Where Cars Finally Enter The Story14:12 The Jaguar E-Type Moment16:03 Richard Nixon’s House And His Father’s American Story18:28 Learning Design By Sitting Next To His Father20:25 Isamu Noguchi, Architecture And Fresh Concrete22:48 Why Architecture Still Connects Him To His Father23:36 Bad Grades, University Of Florida And A 0.5 GPA24:41 Ceramics, Figure Drawing And Finding His Purpose26:07 Pratt, New York And The Road To Detroit27:44 The Renault Le Car Interruption28:28 Why Detroit Was The Wrong Room29:48 Leaving Transportation Design Behind30:50 How Nissan Found Him31:54 Drawing Cars Like Human Figures33:02 New York, Clubs And Creative Obsession34:06 Detroit Work Ethic And Finding The Gear35:16 Why He Did Not Want To Leave New York36:55 Moving To California And Nissan’s San Diego Studio38:21 The “Country Club” Design Studio39:14 The Yacht That Paid For The Volleyball Court41:16 Why Nissan Designers Took Outside Work42:45 Why Nissan Must Not Copy Everyone Else43:12 The Danger Of “Cool Hunters”44:45 Inspiration Versus Business45:04 Starting At Nissan46:43 Gemba, Japanese Culture And Collective Design48:01 Becoming Head Of Nissan Design49:46 Studying Japanese Art And Design50:12 The Meaning Of “Ma”51:07 The Nissan Logo And The Power Of Sincerity52:25 Why This Conversation Needs A Part Two #MotoManPodcast #AlfonsoAlbaisa #Nissan #CarDesign #AutomotiveDesign #NissanDesign #Infiniti #JapaneseDesign #DesignStory #MotoManTV For driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @ https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars [https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars] Download the MotoManTV Podcast @ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387] https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt [https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt] https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast] Connect with our Short Form content here: https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/ https://x.com/MotoManTV [https://x.com/MotoManTV] https://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantv http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips] Help us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

He Quit Tech To Chase Motorcycles | MotoMan Podcast # 024

Greg Tada left software development to chase something far more personal: motorcycles. In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, Greg joins MotoMan at ArtCenter to tell the story of how he went from working in tech to designing motorcycles for some of the most important brands in the industry, including Kawasaki, Indian Motorcycle, Piaggio, Aprilia, and Moto Guzzi. This conversation covers the moment motorcycles took over Greg’s life, why motorcycle design is different from car design, what it took to help relaunch Indian Motorcycle, why brand heritage matters, and why some mechanical details should never be cut — even when the accountants would love to remove them. They also get into ArtCenter, the brutal hours behind creative work, designing across cultures, why bike studios can feel like startups, and what it means to be a true guardian of a brand. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Greg Tada: Guardian of the Brand 01:05 - Countach, Tank Engines, and a Very Different Podcast Set 02:21 - The Motorcycle Designer Who’s Been Everywhere 03:01 - Do You Have to Ride to Design a Great Bike? 04:00 - The Kid Who Wasn’t Supposed to Ride 05:00 - Software Paid the Bills, But It Wasn’t the Dream 06:03 - Parents, Pressure, and the Path He Had to Find 08:48 - The Mini Bike Moment That Changed Everything 10:08 - Quitting Software and Chasing Design in Detroit 12:31 - Why Bike Studios Feel Like Beautiful Chaos 14:12 - ArtCenter Outcasts and Learning to Draw Loose 16:00 - Detroit Wasn’t It, So ArtCenter Became the Move 17:23 - When Car Designers Cross Over to Bikes 19:13 - Bringing Indian Back Without Making It Fake 22:04 - 23 Months to Bring a Legend Back to the Road 25:09 - Why the Boring Projects Might Be the Hardest 27:01 - Kawasaki, Japan, and the Mohawk “Design Decision” 30:35 - The Brutal Hours Behind Creative Work 33:03 - Great Ideas Are Easy; Production Is the Fight 36:14 - 911s, Sport Bikes, Aero, and the Rules Closing In 39:18 - Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, and the Soul You Can’t Cut Out 43:18 - Roommates, Parents, Mentors, and the Price of Getting There 47:09 - Why Designers Can’t Stop Learning 49:05 - The Guest Who Changed How MotoMan Sees Motorcycle Design #MotoManPodcast #GregTada #MotorcycleDesign #MotoGuzzi #IndianMotorcycle #ArtCenter #Aprilla #Piaggio For driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @ https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars [https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars] Download the MotoManTV Podcast @ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387] https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt [https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt] https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast] Connect with our Short Form content here: https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/ https://x.com/MotoManTV [https://x.com/MotoManTV] https://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantv http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips] Help us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

Why AMG Bought This Secret EV Tech | MotoMan Podcast # 023

What happens when a university engineering project completely upends the power dynamics of the world's most elite supercar manufacturers? In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, we meet Dr. Tim Woolmer, the CTO and Founder of YASA Motors. Long before the automotive establishment fully embraced electrification, Woolmer engineered a radical departure from traditional propulsion: the axial flux "pancake" motor. By rewriting the core physics of electric motor topology, YASA managed to strip away 80% of necessary iron, delivering an astonishing three-to-one power-to-weight advantage over industry-standard radial machines. It is the exact breakthrough technology quietly weaponized inside the apex hyper-hybrids of Koenigsegg, Ferrari and Lamborghini—and it is now stepping directly into mainline production as the core architecture of the upcoming 2027 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door. Filmed on-site at YASA’s Oxford headquarters, this episode is a technical & narrative deep-dive into the realities of automotive disruption. We trace the journey from a crude 2006 PhD prototype to navigating tight venture funding rounds, partnering with Jaguar on the legendary C-X75 concept, and eventually executing a full corporate acquisition by Mercedes-Benz. Chapters 00:00:00 - The Future of Italian Exotics Started in Oxford 00:01:26 - A Quick Note on the Vault Episode 00:02:11 - The Pancake Motor That Stopped the Room 00:03:04 - Why YASA Had to Exist 00:03:48 - Radial Motors, Axial Motors, and the Big Difference 00:04:37 - The Tiny Stator With 250 Horsepower 00:05:38 - How a Smaller Motor Makes Way More Power 00:08:58 - Motor Number One: The Oxford PhD Prototype 00:10:04 - Building an EV Startup Before EVs Were Obvious 00:12:03 - The Jaguar C-X75 Moment That Proved It Could Work 00:13:16 - The Hard, Messy Reality of a University Startup 00:15:30 - From ‘I’ to ‘We’: Growing the YASA Team 00:16:17 - The Car Guy Who Was Really an Electric-Car Guy 00:19:04 - Batteries, Motors, Roads, and the Path He Chose 00:21:01 - Morgan, Hydrogen, and the Project That Forced Real Progress 00:23:59 - The Material Constraint That Sparked the Breakthrough 00:26:53 - The Grid Problem Nobody Can Ignore 00:29:28 - Help Grow the Motoman Podcast 00:30:13 - Yes, These Motors Are in Ferraris 00:32:25 - So Where Does Mercedes Fit In? 00:34:30 - Mercedes Didn’t Just Buy Today’s Motor 00:35:13 - Two Generations Ahead and Still Moving Fast 00:36:22 - Inside the Oxford Factory Making the Future 00:39:20 - Ferrari, Mercedes, and the Non-Compete Dance 00:40:47 - Why New Car Tech Has to Enter at the Top 00:43:32 - Aerospace, Patents, and the Moat Around YASA 00:46:10 - Patents Matter, but Speed Matters More 00:47:40 - The Next EV Leap: Moving the Motors 00:49:42 - Why EVs Need to Get More Interesting 00:52:43 - Could This Reach Everyday Mercedes Models? 00:53:59 - DNA, Team, Luck, and the Formula Behind YASA #YASAMotors #MercedesAMG #Ferrari #AxialFlux #EVTech #AutomotiveEngineering #Koenigsegg #Lamborghini #MotoManPodcast For driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @ https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars [https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars] Download the MotoManTV Podcast @ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387] https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt [https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt] https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast] Connect with our Short Form content here: https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/ https://x.com/MotoManTV [https://x.com/MotoManTV] https://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantv http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips] Help us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

How A Homeless Kid Cracked The Game • Read Choi | MotoMan Podcast # 022

What happens when you apply the brutal discipline of elite military training and the high-stakes pressure of a two-Michelin-star kitchen to the wild west of the modern digital algorithm? In a total departure from our usual deep dives with the key people shaping the car, tech, racing or business worlds, this episode MotoMan sits down with digital creator Read Choi for a raw, unscripted peer-to-peer conversation. Far removed from horse-power metrics, standard car reviews, or corporate strategy, this discussion pulls back the curtain on the actual human cost of modern media execution, the reality of creative burnout, and the shared foundation of faith and friendship that keeps two creators grounded in a hyper-paced digital world. Read details his staggering trajectory—navigating homelessness at age 17 to thriving within UC Berkeley’s honors program and Navy training—before quietly rewriting the playbook on audience attention metrics and short-form video architecture. This is an look inside the engine room of modern digital media, engineered for those who study execution and personal sovereignty. Chapters: 00:00:00 - Intro to Read Choi and Turning Chaos Into a Playbook 00:01:17 - Why Read Is Here: Shorts, Friendship, and No Car Talk 00:02:40 - The Cigar Lounge Meeting That Started Everything 00:06:43 - Cigars, Faith, and Real Conversations 00:09:20 - Dream Meetings, Planning Meetings, and Life Structure 00:13:16 - Read Choi’s Story: Upbringing, Survival, and Urgency 00:17:44 - Community College, UC Berkeley, and Building Work Ethic 00:20:16 - Michelin-Star Kitchens and the Advantage of Hard Work 00:22:50 - Military, Brotherhood, and Finding Purpose 00:26:46 - Leaving the Military and Finding TikTok During Covid 00:29:20 - Modeling, Cooking, and Learning Skills Under Pressure 00:30:14 - Delta Wings, Pilot Cards, and Friendship Tangents 00:33:15 - How to Support the Show 00:34:06 - TikTok, Forrest Jones, and Seeing the Code Early 00:35:59 - Studying Viral Content and Posting Five Times a Day 00:37:24 - The Creator’s Dilemma and the Myth of Work-Life Balance 00:39:38 - Control, Freedom, and the Screw-You Mentality 00:42:20 - Boundaries, Clarity, and What It Means to Stay 00:45:39 - The Photo Coronation and Showing Up for Friends 00:50:49 - Short-Form Strategy and the Business of Content 00:53:34 - Acting, Networking, and What Comes Next 00:55:32 - Read’s Three Keys to Success 00:59:20 - Easter Sunday, Cigars, and the Friendship That Defines Them #MotoManPodcast #ReadChoi #ContentStrategy #CreatorEconomy #Mindset #SOP #Faith #HangarChat #ShortFormVideo #PersonalSovereignty For driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @ https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars [https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars] Download the MotoManTV Podcast @ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387] https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt [https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt] https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast] Connect with our Short Form content here: https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/ https://x.com/MotoManTV [https://x.com/MotoManTV] https://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantv http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips] Help us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.