Advertise on podcast: Talking Net Zero

In this week's episode, Sara talks to David Balensiefen - the CEO and Founder of gridX.  The pioneer of a business which is, at its heart, focused on the future, David works to build infrastructure for the growth of electrical vehicle usage across fleets and individual businesses - from the vehicles themselves to the number of charge points located in and around business buildings and structures.   During the episode, David tells Sara about his past experience, how he built gridX, and what inspired his drive to change our attitude to energy management - so that people who want to embrace electric vehicles, can. 

Describing himself as “an electrical mechanical engineer who was saved from a career in banking by the financial crisis,” Steven Meersman is a co-founder of Zenobē . He chats with Sara Sloman about how Zenobē is providing transport solutions to the energy grid and vice-versa,  In other words, batteries in bus depots that can store solar energy generated on site, then top up buses during the day, or sell the surplus back to the electricity company at times of peak demand. Not only does it save upgrades to the grid for running electric fleets, but it saves operators money too, typically from £60,000-£600,000 a year. They mull over whether the government’s existing system of ZEBRA electric bus grants is handled in the best way: Surprise, they’re not, creating a big ‘pause’ across the whole industry. He offers a simple solution to free up the log-jam the current funding models create. He also explains how, as a managed service, Zenobē takes away risk from the customer, acting as a new class of service provider, sitting between the vehicle operator and banks (which aren’t able to fund battery assets). We also learn some interesting trivia: What time do depot managers wake up? Finally, Steven explains why Zenobē is buying all the surplus EV batteries across Europe it can find, as it digs deep into using their second life ahead of a tsunami wave of second life batteries becoming available – which must not be recycled. He also hints at how this will be demonstrated at ITT Hub, where Zenobē is the charging partner for demonstrator EVs on site during 11-12 May 2022.

This week’s episode introduces our host to Lorna McAtear - an award-winning fleet manager from National Grid who has worked across and spearheaded the transition to EV for a range of vehicles and vehicle-led industries.   Lorna’s daily role is fleet management, taking the concepts, ideas, and innovation from all corners of the industry and transforming into groundwork and action. Her role sees her look after vehicles as they are moved to electric, covering a wide selection of commercial vehicles and cars for the National Grid organisation.  In this episode, she talks to host Sara about her day job, her motivations, and the way that she collaborates with other organisations and industries to create change - all while spearheading diversity and inclusion in the workplace.  Look out for the Talent Hub at this year’s ITT Hub, which is being led by Lorna and her team. 

This week’s episode introduces Vyntelligence's Ancel Boucher, who virtually met with Sara during the infamous Storm Eunice to discuss his role, the work of Vyntelligence, and how to collaborate in our mission to meet net zero. Vyntelligence is, for Ancel, a valuable opportunity that allows him to become part of a wider project to support the rollout of support videos - helping users on the ground share their issues, challenges, and solutions relating to electric chargers and vehicle use. Is the fear of electrical challenges holding UK consumers back from embracing EV 100%? Is a lack of chargers creating problems that impact the broader rollout of EV across a wider user base? In this podcast, Ancel and Sara answer these important questions.

In this week's Talking Net Zero podcast, host Sara talks to Jon Burdekin of JB Fleet Consulting - all about helping people get on board with and embrace the future of electric vehicles. Building an entire consultancy business on the question of "how do I go electric?", Jon works with individuals and companies across different levels to ensure that electric vehicle knowledge permeates every corner of the commercial vehicle sector. In this podcast, Sara and Jon discuss Jon's route into creating his own consultancy, share some top tips on embracing electric, and talk about the future of the business.

What do you know about the long term sustainability of the UK energy grid? Did you know that flexible energy literally fills the gaps which exist when energy supply and demand do not match? We kick off the 22nd Talking Net Zero podcast episode with a look at flexible energy, with host Sara chatting to Piclo’s CEO and Co-Founder James Johnston. The topic of trading energy flexibility online is one which will be new to many listeners - but luckily for you, we’ve done all the research for you so that you don’t have to.  Listen in as our host and special guest discuss what the energy flexibility market really does, and why it is so important to the electric vehicle industry - kicking off with a deep dive into the work of Piclo and what it means to operate on flexible energy. 

***Please note: As many of us are all too aware, remote meetings can sometimes run into technical difficulties. In this episode we encountered audio quality issues. A write-up of this episode will be available soon, but in the meantime, feel free to listen to this episode with that in mind.*** In this episode of Talking Net Zero, Sara welcomes Mike Strahlman to the studio. Mike’s current role of Director of EV at JustPark sees him working on the messaging and marketing surrounding EV charging and convenience for drivers and parking space hosts. He has been at JustPark since July 2021 but is already making big waves in the business and wider industry.  With collaboration, inspiration, and innovation the name of the game, this episode starts with Mike’s experiences in the energy industry - from chemicals to alternative and more sustainable energy solutions - before moving into his takeaways from COP26, what fleet drivers can do to join the EV revolution with JustPark, and how the app really works for its users.  JustPark is a platform which matches drivers with parking spaces, hosting both drivers and hosts in a business model which benefits both parties. 

In this special 20th episode of Talking Net Zero, Sara is joined by Effie Vraka, UK Country Director of Easee - a transport manufacturer in the electric vehicle sector.  With a background in Maths, Physics, and Engineering, Effie developed an early love of technology and quickly turned that passion into a career in telecommunications and innovative business solutions.  Discussing her experiences in a male-dominated industry, the complexities of coordinating with colleagues and customers across different sectors, and the challenges that she has faced during her career to date, this episode deals with the rise of EV use, charging solutions, and the ups and downs of life as a female in the technology industry. 

Chris Hazell Co-founder and MD at Zero EV chats with Sara Sloman about his unusual route into the electric vehicle industry and how electric-powered classic cars can suck people into EV who wouldn’t otherwise make the switch. He explains how his design and development of bolt-in conversion kits for vehicles to full electric power is changing perceptions, and why film producers now want EV conversions. Closing the skills gap is another big part of the Zero EV business, with a range of City & Guilds courses about EVs – such as high voltage systems – to bring through the next generation of EV engineers and he talks about the challenges of training.  @zeroevuk zero-ev.co.uk

The whole mix Seiki Payne is MD and (with Jamie Duffy) the co-founder Tronius, a company that’s in the ‘one to watch’ category. Seiki chats with Sara Sloman about how Tronius is on a mission to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to renewables. He explains how they use innovative products and solutions to “help business along that transition as quickly as possible.” And, how they’re using data “to make sure these decisions are as good as they can possibly be.” He also gives a sneak preview of Tronius’ portable EV charging hub.  Coinciding with COP26, it’s being launched in Dundee next month. Bringing EV chargers to areas where they doesn’t exist, the product proves the demand, then uses the data that results to determine the best solution. https://tronius.co.uk/

Co-founder of AnnexusEV Jonny Duggan chats with Sara Sloman about how a David Attenborough documentary spurred Jonny and his father to create an energy-based business to serve fleet needs. While the younger generation are more ‘switched on’ about EVs, there are many myths that need to be busted, from range anxiety to the spread of charging infrastructure, he explains. He sets out why the talk about decarbonisation “needs to become more mainstream” and why we need to make EVs more accessible “for everybody in the UK.” And, they reveal their personal World EV Day pledges… www.TheEnerGenius.com www.AnnexusEV.com

This week Sara Sloman is in conversation with Matt Allen, CEO, Pivot Power, which is building a nationwide network of energy super-hubs to enable rapid EV charging, powered by low-carbon energy sources. The first super-hub has already opened in Oxford, with Coventry the next, and many more to follow. Or, as Matt puts it: “It’s a big battery in a field, that’s unlocking small mobile batteries on the road. They are unrelated apart from sharing a connection point, but both are critical to getting to a net zero outcome.” He draws parallels with the last time, 100 years ago, when there was a massive conversion of transport (from horse to petrol power) and how it took place in only a decade despite the massive infrastructure requirements. They talk about the way people respond with an urgency in a crisis and why that makes the language we use important. The mull on what consumer pressure will do on the road to net zero and why ‘scare tactics’ are not the answer. “Avoiding a Climate Catastrophe is a participatory sport’ says Matt as he explains “why we all need to get on the pitch and score some goals.” www.pivot-power.co.uk