The transition from oil-burning vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) has hit a few speed bumps over the past year, sparking widespread media coverage, but not much insight. A confusing tangle of narratives has emerged: Are EV sales surging or stalling? What does it mean for Ford and GM to adopt Tesla’s charger connector when Elon Musk just laid off his entire charging network team? And if the new federal NEVI program is expanding public fast-charger networks, why are so many of those chargers broken?
In this comprehensive 2.5-hour episode, we untangle these narratives and bring some clarity to this ever-evolving picture.
Joining us for this conversation is Raj Diwan, an expert with many years of experience in trying to actually build and operate networks of high-speed public chargers. We take an exhaustive tour through the state of the EV charging business, including the costs and challenges of deploying and operating chargers; the changing standards for EV charging cable connectors; the implications of Elon Musk’s recent decisions about Tesla’s charging network; the various business model challenges for EV charging network operators; the challenges that utilities have in providing power to the chargers; the varying costs of charging for EV drivers; the state of the federal NEVI grant funding program; and the state of the EV market.
Rajiv (Raj) Diwan has been a car guy since birth. As founder of the transportation advisory firm, EV Pathway, Raj works to ensure a seamless shift to EVs by addressing the needs of mass-market customers (not just early-adopters). Public fast charging is critical to that transition, and his work addresses key gaps in DCFC reliability, accessibility, and affordability.
As an E-Mobility and Utilities professional with over 18 years of experience, Raj is an SME on best practices across public charging customer experience, reliability, and asset management.
Raj is focused on helping clients navigate the complexities of deploying public fast charging by either welcoming a 3rd party CPO to own and operate on a site hosts property, or helping new players become an owner/operator themselves.
On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rajiv-diwan-evpathway
On the Web: www.evpathway.com
Recording date: June 7, 2024
Air date: August 7, 2024
Geek rating: 7