#177 – Matt Soule | Parallel System – The Future of Freight Rail with Electric & Autonomous Vehicles

Future of Mobility

Matt Soule is the Co-founder & CEO of Parallel Systems, a company developing autonomous, battery-electric rail vehicles to move more trucking activity to rail.

Key topics in this conversation include:

• How the US freight rail system works
• The challenges with traditional train architectures
• Why freight rail isn’t traditionally as timely or reliable as other means of transportation
• How Parallel Systems is shaking up this system
• The wide-ranging benefits of deploying battery electric vehicles for freight rail

Links:

• Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/mattsoule
• https://moveparallel.com/
• https://www.youtube.com/@parallelsys
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/parallelsystems/
• Explainer Video

Bio:

Matt Soule is the Co-founder & CEO of Parallel Systems, a company developing autonomous, battery-electric rail vehicles to move more trucking activity to rail. The company is driven by its mission to decarbonize freight by building a cleaner, automated rail future. Parallel will achieve this by enabling railroads to open terminals for less and operate new transportation services alongside traditional freight trains.

Matt has extensive experience using advanced technologies to disrupt established industries. Previously, he spent 13 years at SpaceX in various roles including Head of Avionics where he led a department of 300 people in the design and testing of space electronics. Prior to that, he held various engineering roles at Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. Matt received a Master of Science in electrical engineering from University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Northwestern University.

About Parallel

Parallel Systems is reimagining the historic rail industry with innovative software and hardware. Founded in 2020 by a group of former SpaceX engineers, the company has created autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles to move freight cleaner, faster, safer, and more cost effectively than traditional trains or trucks. The company aims to increase the utilization of today’s rail network by converting some of the $700 billion U.S. trucking business to rail. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, the company’s mission is to decarbonize freight by building a cleaner, automated rail future.

Future of Mobility:

The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields.

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