Podcast
Directly Current: EVs for All America
Hosted by EVs for All America · EN
EV journalist and law student Max Patten speaks to experts in government and the auto business to de-polarize electric cars and learn about how they’re key for a renewal of American manufacturing and the survival of our auto industry.
13episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
40: The Future of the Grid and EVs, with Zach Woogen (VGIC)
Apr 2100:34:24Tap to summarizeMany new EVs like GM's EV pickup trucks, Ford's upcoming UEV, and Tesla's Cybertruck are capable of exporting onboard power from their large batteries into someone's home to act as a bckup generator, or even back into the grid to act as a grid stabilizer that could save people money on their bill each month. This is the promise of vehicle-to-grid. However,. the rules around vehicle-grid interconnection are fractured, local, and still nascent. Zach and his team at the Vehicle Grid Integration Council (VGIC) have been working to change that, making sure EVs and utilities are ready for the future in a safe, responsible way.Max and Zach go over- The bottlenecks to adoption that have slowed the technology- The promise VGI has for a more strained than ever grid- The work some states like Maryland have done to advance the ball- The interoperability problem around vehicles, chargers, and gateway switches- Driving down the cost of V2G systems, which are expensive today🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:Check out VGIC's workFollow Zach on LinkedIn⚡ Stay Plugged InSupport EVs for All America (and buy our merch!)
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39: Why Kia Isn't Slowing Down on EVs in America, with James Bell
Apr 700:31:38Tap to summarizeJames Bell is the head of PR and comms for Kia in America, and he's overseen the brand evolve from being a budget/used car alternative into a premium competitor, particularly in the EV space. Hot on the heels of announcing the affordable EV3 for the US, James speaks with Max to discuss how Kia isn't letting up on its EV platforms and strategy despite the doom and gloom of some US market forecasters. In fact, he's quite confident EVs are an inevitable future for passenger transport, even if some of his colleagues at other OEMs are taking big writedowns and blaming EVs for strategy failures.Max and James go over- Kia's reinvention as a premium, tech-forward brand competing with European auto- The Georgia plants where many Kia are built in the US and consumers wanting desirable product regardless of origin- The new EV3 which competes with the Bolt and Nissan LEAF as an affordable but desirable compact car- His experience almost running out of range in a tiny Mercedes B-class electric during the very early days of EVs🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:Check out the new Kia EV3⚡ Stay Plugged InSupport EVs for All America (and buy our merch!)
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38: Ford's Alan Clarke on Building an Affordable, Next-Gen EV Pickup Truck
Mar 1700:29:52Tap to summarizeAlan Clarke, executive director of Advanced EV Programs at Ford, joins Max to discuss his team's work on the Universal EV Platform—an ambitious plan to make low-cost, next-gen vehicles that make the existing Mustang Mach-E and Ford F-150 Lightning look old-school. Ford's first BEV efforts were well received but had no path to profitability and were simply too expensive for consumers. Now, his team of Tesla vets and auto industry outsiders is using first principles engineering to do more with less, starting with a Ranger-sized pickup truck around $30,000.Max and Alan go over- The engineering tradeoffs going into the design like battery chemistry choices- Emerging use cases like vehicle to grid and vehicle to home- What first principals engineering looks like and the benefit of starting fresh- Merging Michigan and California cultures to create a startup environment inside of one of the world's largest automakers🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:Check out Ford's Bounty Hunters video⚡ Stay Plugged InSupport EVs for All America (and buy our merch!)
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37: Affordable EVs are a Must for the Auto Industry, with Ed Kim (AutoPacific)
Feb 2400:32:08Tap to summarizeEd Kim joins Max from AutoPacific, where he's the chief analyst, to discuss data and insights he's gotten from working with nearly every major OEM on EVs' near future outlook. The good news? There's lots of work on affordability. Also, Republicans really are warming to EVs, as our own polling also shows. The bad news? The affordable EVs can't come soon enough, as fire sales on existing inventory is likely unsustainable for the industry.,Max and Ed go over The exciting recent news out of Detroit with Ford's Universal EV Platform The upcoming launch of the affordable R2 The rise of software-defined vehicles across the industry Where the industry goes after the loss of the tax credit ▶️ Watch the episode: YouTube🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:Check out AutoPacific's Insights⚡ Stay Plugged InSupport EVs for All America
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36: Positive Signs Ahead for EVs (yes, really!) with Corey Cantor, ZETA
Feb 1000:33:10Tap to summarizeCorey Cantor from the Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA) joins Max to discuss some positive trends for EVs going into the new year. 2025 was a rough year for EVs with the axing of federal support after Republican-led legislation dropped the $7,500 credit on new vehicles, and sales have shown it. However, automakers are bringing new compelling products out in mainsteam market segments, the used market has never been better for EV-curious shoppers on a budget, and fast chargers are expanding rapidly. Max and Corey go over How providers like IONNA and Mercedes are racing ahead in charging The market effects of used EVs, plug-in hybrids, and range-extended EVs Advancing state and federal policies like surface transport reauthorization What this moment of recalibration means for the long term Western EV market ▶️ Watch the episode: YouTube🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:Check out ZETA's work and Corey's research⚡ Stay Plugged In Support EVs for All AmericaSubscribe to Directly Current
Transcribe →35: The State of Chinese Cars with Kevin Williams (InsideEVs)
Feb 300:27:13Tap to summarizeStaff writer for InsideEVs and auto journalist Kevin Williams joins Max to discuss his experiences reporting on and driving Chinese EVs. How compelling are they in 2026 and how do they stack up to Western automakers? What does he make of Canada's new policy to lift tariffs on them and allow Chinese cars into their market?Max and Kevin go over The tech going into new EVs from Xiaomi, XPENG, Geely, and others How it compares to what Western OEMs have done Why China's EV market may not be as bulletproof as it looks Canada's warming to Chinese imports The feasibility of joint ventures with US and European companies ▶️ Watch the episode: YouTube🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:Follow Kevin's workView our new batch of polling at EVs for All America⚡ Stay Plugged In Subscribe to Directly Current Support EVs for All America Visit the EV Politics merch store
Transcribe →34: Polling on Chinese EVs; Partisan Gap Shrinking; New CA Tax Credit with Mike Murphy
Jan 2700:34:19Tap to summarizeVeteran political guru and pollster behind EVs for All America, Mike Murphy, joins Max to chat about his scheming with Governor Newsom for a new California EV tax credit that could fit into the state budget. He also shares a new batch of polling we've conducted at EVs for All America, highlighting several interesting demographic shifts for EVs going into 2026; including a shrinking partisan gap (Republicans dislike EVs much less than they used to!). Join the two for a fun chat and a return to form for Directly Current in the New Year. The new season is on!▶️ Watch the episode: YouTubeListen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:View our new batch of polling at EVs for All America⚡ Stay Plugged In Subscribe to Directly Current Support EVs for All America Visit the EV Politics merch store
Transcribe →33: The Multifamily Charging Problem In California with Dan Krassner
Nov 1100:28:27Tap to summarizeExecutive director of EVs for All America, Dan Krassner, joins Max to discuss the work that our team has been doing on local advocacy in California to make installing charging in apartments and multifamily units a lot easier. Californian apartment dwellers make up more than the population of at least 30 US states, and they'd be a huge get for EV ownership if the lower costs and home charging convenience worked out for them. With some polling and research, Dan and Max go over what might work and why the tide's on the side of more charging in apartments.▶️ Watch the episode: YouTubeListen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:https://www.evsforallamerica.org/news/category/multifamily-charging/⚡ Stay Plugged In Subscribe to Directly Current Support EVs for All America Visit the EV Politics merch store
Transcribe →32: Electric Era's Bet on Retail EV Charging, with Quincy Lee
Oct 2800:33:14Tap to summarizeEx-SpaceX engineer and founder Quincy joins Max once more to talk EV charging with his company Electric Era's new launch, RetailEdge. It's a sleek unit that uses AI and a friendly interface to make charging easier while allowing retailers who host charging sites to get customers in the door of their establishment and spending money.▶️ Watch the episode: YouTubeListen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:https://electricera.tech/products/retailedge⚡ Stay Plugged In Subscribe to Directly Current Support EVs for All America Visit the EV Politics merch store
Transcribe →31: The Utility Side of EVs with Dawn Neville (PSE&G)
Oct 1400:28:43Tap to summarizePSE&G is New Jersey's largest utility and is over a century old, but under Dawn Neville's team they're doing an agile and decent job of adapting to EVs with programs that subsidize home charging and forecast load for necessary grid uprades. Max speaks with Dawn to learn more about the challenges a utility faces with EVs, as well as some of the opportunities that come about from peak shaving and distributed energy storage from EV batteries.▶️ Watch the episode: YouTubeListen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:PSE&G's EV Programs⚡ Stay Plugged In Subscribe to Directly Current Support EVs for All America Visit the EV Politics merch store
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