The rise an fall of special purpose acquisition companies has been swift and brutal for some of the young companies enticed to go public before they were ready for the harsh realities of life under Wall Street scrutiny. Understanding what happened with SPACs means understand SPACs from the beginning. Vince Cubbage of Tortoise Acquisition, which has sponsored two SPACs and is lining up a third, brings his perspectives as the Autonomous and Electric Vehicles Summit keynote speaker.

Federal and state policy makers are preparing to roll out rules and guidelines governing autonomous vehicles, and Congress recently approved new climate legislation – both will have cost and market implications for truck fleets and drivers. ACT Research’s Ann Rundle provides an update on what these changes will mean for the industry in this fireside chat with FreightWaves’ John Gallagher.

Kaylee Nix and Olivia Hu talk about the necessity of a deep digital network and strong industry partnerships to create a successful roll out of autonomous vehicle technology

Rakesh Aneja knows the limitations of infrastructure for electric trucks. They need more time and power to charge than passenger cars, which is one reason Daimler Truck and two other entitles are committing $650 million for medium- and heavy-duty truck charging.

FreightWaves' Jack Daleo and Tim Reeser of Lightning eMotors talk everything EVs, from common misconceptions to challenges for adoption and everything in between. You'll also hear about the latest technology from Lightning eMotors, including zero emissions vans, electric powertrains and charging stations.

Kodiak Robotics resisted the temptation of going public during the heady days of SPACs, preferring to raise money from venture capital. Now, as its list of partnerships and technology breakthroughs grows, Kodiak is gaining a reputation as a leader in high-level autonomy shedding the late-comer label.

On the far edge of electrification is REE Automotive, which places electronic drive, steer, and brake technology at each wheel corner to take advantage of efficiencies like regenerative braking that could quickly close the total cost of ownership gap with conventional powertrains while adding features like four-wheel steering.

Bill Bleim of NFI Industries was in on very early of testing Class 8 electric trucks. He knows their limitations and what roles they perform best. Rob Reich of Schneider has less experience but both companies are proving where electrified transportation fits in the heavy-duty freight world.

Does autonomous trucking have to leave out the driver to be successful? Plus runs a Level 4 high-autonomy system beneath advanced driver assistance system software, but drivers will continue to play an important role as it racks up billions of real-world miles before removing the human from the equation.

Autonomous trucking software developers have enough on their plate without having to sweat the details of integrating their technologies with the engine and transmission. Many are leaving that work to Cummins Inc., the world's largest engine maker whose expertise in making systems work together has thrust the company into a key role in the autonomous trucking space

The Inflation Reduction Act promotes the production of low-carbon hydrogen, which is good news for Nikola, which wants to produce and sell the fuel for long-distance trucks in North America. We talk to Pablo Koziner, Nikola’s president of energy, about the IRA and the rest of Nikola’s busy line-up of projects, including electric trucks and how to charge them.

AI and simulations have been used throughout the development of autonomous vehicles, but the technology still requires millions of miles on the highways before mass commercialization. Bringing AI and simulation to the forefront allows for safer development of autonomous vehicles, while also cutting down on the number of highway miles required to implement self-driving technology.