Accessibility is often cited as a key benefit of automated vehicles and emerging mobility technologies, but designing vehicles for wheelchair users is complex. The SAE CivicProgress Challenge was created to help address this gap by empowering college students to develop innovative, real-world solutions for accessible mobility. Established in collaboration with General Motors, the multi-year program challenges students to tackle accessibility barriers while gaining hands-on engineering and design experience.

Join us for a conversation exploring current accessibility challenges and the impact of the CivicProgress Challenge on the future of equitable mobility. Guests include Alicia Bott and David Sander of SAE, Michele Lee of Serve Robotics, and Jessica Swan of GM.

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.