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In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Crijn Bouman, CEO and Co-founder of Rocsys. Crijn shares his background in the EV charging industry, what led him to found Rocsys, and why he believes charging has become one of the biggest operational bottlenecks for autonomous vehicle fleets. We discuss why depot operations deserve far more attention as robotaxi fleets scale, how much of fleet management can ultimately be automated, and why charging is the logical place to start.

Crijn also discusses the Rocsys M1, the company’s hands-free charging solution designed specifically for autonomous fleets. We explore how the system works, why it is designed to be vehicle- and charger-agnostic, the challenges Rocsys faced bringing it to market, and what operators should consider when designing an efficient robotaxi depot. We also cover where the M1 is already deployed, what the AV depot of the future could look like, and the common mistakes companies make when planning fleet operations.

Finally, we zoom out to discuss the global robotaxi landscape, including the differences between the U.S. and Europe, what Europe needs to do to become more competitive, and Crijn’s vision for how automation will transform depot operations over the coming years.

Chapters

* (00:00) Introduction to Crijn Bouman

* (01:30) Crijn’s background, his history in the charging industry, and how he founded Rocsys

* (04:31) How Rocsys supports AV fleets

* (05:30) How much of AV fleet management can be automated?

* (07:35) Why charging is such an important part of AV depot management, and why it should be automated first

* (09:51) Initial challenges faced with automating AV fleet charging

* (13:22) The Rocsys M1 hands-free charging solution for AV fleets

* (14:50) The ease of deploying the Rocsys M1, and its other benefits

* (18:20) Where the Rocsys M1 chargers are currently deployed and future deployments

* (20:15) The ideal robotaxi partner/depot layout for deploying the Rocsys M1

* (22:40) What the AV depot of the future will look like

* (27:05) Common oversights AV companies make when designing depot operations

* (28:28) Rocsys’ global scale and the benefits of operating from the U.S. and Europe

* (30:00) What Europe needs to do to catch up in the robotaxi space

* (32:10) How Rocsys will transform the AV depot of the future

* (35:15) What can’t be automated in the AV fleet depot, and why

* (36:47) Conclusions and final thoughts

Notes/Links:

* You can find Crijn Bouman on LinkedIn and X.

* Rocsys website (link).

* Check out the Rocsys M1 (link).

-Harry

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Autonomous Charging for Robotaxis with Rocsys CEO Crijn Bouman

The Driverless Digest Podcast

Autonomous Charging for Robotaxis with Rocsys CEO Crijn Bouman