Everything Electric Podcast – Episode Summary
Episode: Miracle Battery? Motorshow Madness! Stressy Stellantis?
Date: January 20, 2026
Hosts: Dan Caesar (CEO, The Fully Charged Show) and Imogen Bhogal (Presenter/Producer, Everything Electric)
Theme: A fast-paced start to 2026 discussing battery breakthroughs, the resurgence of motor shows, and industry tensions over EV demand.
Episode Overview
The episode kicks off the new year by digging into major topics shaping the EV world and sustainable transport: a potentially game-changing "miracle" battery from Donut Lab, a look at the evolving role of global motor shows (including Dan’s visit to Brussels), and frustrations around Stellantis executives questioning “natural demand” for EVs. This is all explored with typical wit, skepticism, and sharp industry insights.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Battery Breakthrough Hype: “Solid State Donuts: Holy Grail or Holy Fail?”
[05:41–13:15]
- Dan and Imogen discuss a widely publicized breakthrough battery from Donut Lab.
- Headline claims: 5-minute charge, 100,000-cycle life, 400Wh/kg energy density, “100-year battery.”
- Dan notes skepticism: “We do look at all these battery headlines with a degree of skepticism as to what's coming. But one really caught our eye... it talks about a five minute charge battery with a hundred thousand cycle life, 400 watt hours per kilogram energy density, a battery effectively that can last for 100 years.” – Dan [06:29]
- 400Wh/kg is highlighted as the “magic number” for making electric flight more feasible.
- Imogen comments: “The 400 watt hour per kilo number is worth pausing on for a second... that's largely considered this real target of energy density at the point at which things like electric flight become a bit more of a no brainer.” [07:36]
- They reference skepticism in the EV community and recent coverage (see Electric’s article: “A battery is about to change the world in three months or make this guy a fool.”)
- The technology is linked to a Finnish company, Nordic Nano, and their work on amorphous titanium dioxide nanostructures.
- Imogen adds: “These numbers can be reached in the lab, but it's whether they can be scaled that easily and whether the economics of scaling them can make sense, really.” [10:34]
- The challenge of scaling lab successes to real-world production is emphasized.
- Importance of battery recycling and the evolving supply chain – they describe a recent visit to a battery recycling facility in the UK.
- Cautious optimism: “We hope the donut isn't a theory full of holes. We hope it's real. But you know, we have been here before.” – Dan [11:49]
2. “Motorshow Madness”: Are We at Peak Auto Expo?
[13:49–24:23]
- Dan recounts his many recent motor show visits: Shanghai, Goodwood, Munich, and now Brussels.
- US shows, like CES in Las Vegas, are declining in EV significance, with even Chinese brands outnumbering American ones there.
- The Brussels Motor Show is emerging as new “neutral territory” after Geneva’s decline, attracting both Chinese and European automakers.
- “I think we're almost at peak Motor show again. It was big, busy, buzzy.” – Dan [17:24]
- Notable absence: No Chinese entries on the "Car of the Year" list despite their growing show presence.
- “None of the cars on the list were Chinese. It really is the Europe's awards for... Europe. And I find it fascinating we're in that kind of moment in time where there is a little bit of... a sort of a slight artificiality to the whole thing.” – Dan [20:23]
- Some car standouts: BMW Neue Klasse, Xpeng P7 Plus, affordable Renaults, BYD, Kia, Hyundai, Tesla Model S (not available in UK RHD), Volvo EX60 & Polestar 5.
- Imogen observes: “It felt watching from afar, like a real statement of ‘we are here and we are here to be very serious, but we require certain conditions in order to guarantee our success.’” [18:18]
- Dan on the mood: “It was like being a kid in a sweet shop. A sweet shop where you can't afford any of the sweets.” [19:28]
- Upcoming excitement: Dan plans to attend the Beijing Motor Show, expecting even more novelty and affordability.
- “The beginning of a lot of this stuff actually is now China and so Beijing. I expect to see a lot more new products, but more products, more affordability, cheaper cars, all these sorts of things. It's got to be good for the consumer.” [24:08]
3. “Stressy Stellantis”: Industry Frustration Over ‘Natural Demand’ for EVs
[25:39–34:14]
- Discussion of recent remarks by Stellantis’s European boss claiming “there is currently no natural demand for electric vehicles.”
- Imogen: “I imagine this headline made you a little bit cross.” [25:39]
- Dan takes issue: “That statement is so provably false, so utterly ridiculous that this is me pulling my punches, by the way.” [26:40]
- Dan acknowledges the real complexity facing carmakers but says blaming EVs alone is misplaced: “Some execs have convinced themselves... that actually it's EV, that's the bug, it's EV, that's the problem. But there's a lot more going on there, like in terms of the cost of supply chains and other things, and the consumer very, very clearly wants EV.” [27:52]
- Cites data: “92% of (EV owners)... will never go back to combustion engine vehicles. We know the sales figures are up in almost every market.” [29:57]
- Subsidies, government delays, and persistent misinformation all muddy the picture, but Dan holds that EV technology will win because it’s “cheaper, better technology” in the long-term.
- “The reality is that EVs are a cheaper, better technology and that's ultimately why they will win. Of course, there's going to be fighting about that.” [32:21]
- Imogen brings both sympathy and a challenge: “If you don't think there's a demand... work harder to make that demand, make your products desirable. Like, otherwise you're just complaining. And we don't have space for moaning myrtles here in this industry, 100%.” [32:13]
- Dan rails against industry leaders spreading misinformation. “If you don't take care of the future, the future will take care of you.” [33:41]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “We hope the donut isn't a theory full of holes.” – Dan [11:49]
- “If the numbers look a little bit too good to be true, they probably are.” – Imogen [07:41]
- “It was like being a kid in a sweet shop. A sweet shop where you can't afford any of the sweets.” – Dan [19:28]
- “We don't have space for moaning myrtles here in this industry, 100%.” – Imogen [32:14]
- On industry denial: “Saying things like that, that definitely, that's triggered me, I have to say.” – Dan [34:14]
- Tanya Sinclair (Electric Vehicles UK): “Consumer demand for electric vehicles is real. Prices are becoming more competitive, choice is expanding and vehicle quality continues to improve. That's, you know, a good end note really.” [34:54]
Important Timestamps
- 05:41 – Solid state battery hype and Donut Lab claims
- 10:29 – Issues around commercialization and recycling batteries
- 13:49 – Motor show landscape; Brussels and CES comparison
- 17:24 – Chinese brands' presence at European motor shows
- 20:23 – Artificiality of awards that exclude Chinese manufacturers
- 24:08 – The growing importance of Chinese auto shows
- 25:39 – Stellantis controversy: “no natural demand for EVs”
- 29:57 – Data showing EV loyalty and sales trends
- 32:21 – The tech inevitability of EVs over combustion
- 34:54 – Tanya Sinclair’s “good endnote” on EV demand
Closing Segment: Peaks & Troughs
[35:38–37:14]
- “Canada's on the up” – applauded for opening to Chinese EV imports while US barriers rise.
- The year “started quite well in the EV sector,” Dan reflects, with Brussels Motor Show invigorating.
- Potential future episode on Greenland’s resource politics.
Tone & Takeaways
Light, banter-driven but grounded in sharp skepticism, deep industry experience, and plain-spoken honesty. The episode delivers:
- Cautious optimism about battery and tech innovation.
- A nuanced understanding that industry change is both faster and more complex than surface narratives suggest.
- An insistence that misinformation—especially from leaders—serves no one.
- Hope for more collaborative, fact-based progress in the EV and sustainability sectors.
For More: The hosts tease upcoming interviews (like Renault Group’s CEO), coverage from more European shows, and ongoing insights into global EV, battery, and renewable trends.