Frank Hanley, senior director of automotive benchmarking for JD Power, joins Molly Boigon, Automotive News tech and innovation reporter, on the “Shift” podcast to discuss the latest APEAL study, which shows how consumers feel about their vehicles after 90 days of ownership.

Hanley explains how overall customer satisfaction is up for the third year in a row, why consumers prefer battery-electric vehicles in many categories, and why complicated infotainment systems are leading more car buyers to mass-market vehicles over premium options.

Adam Barowy, the principal research engineer for the UL Research Institute’s Fire Safety Research Institute, joins Molly Boigon, Automotive News tech and innovation reporter, on the “Shift” podcast to discuss how automakers can reduce risks surrounding electric vehicle fires by changing how battery packs are manufactured.

Barowy explains how electric vehicles don’t burn all that differently from internal combustion engine vehicles. But, even though fires behave similarly in both powertrains, EV fires are difficult for firefighters to put out because the battery pack is hermetically sealed.

Automakers have the opportunity to get ahead of the problem by redesigning battery packs to make EVs safer, and just using fire blankets isn’t going to cut it.

John Pelliccio, the global product marketing director for QNX, joins the “Shift” podcast to discuss how vehicle sound systems are becoming more customizable.

Pelliccio explains how QNX is streamlining audio systems to cut costs and give consumers the ability to personalize how they listen to music.

Audio could be the next differentiator between automakers as new sound systems transform consumer experience — but that requires moving audio onto the main chip in a software-defined vehicle.