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You've probably seen the Pilot, or Pilot Flying J, logo on your road trips if you've been around the US highway system. They operate a top-shelf fueling network, and over the last few years, they've worked with partners like EVgo and General Motors to put that expertise into charging. Max speaks with their director of light duty EV infrastructure, Scott Hundley, on how they plan to continue adding value to EV drivers. All the while, national fuel prices are driving more towards electrification, so the charging has to work. Some highlights of the convo:- Pilot's advantage in operating a 24/7 convenience store and being able to benchmark their gas fueling business- Their site and pricing strategy as a more premium option along major highway corridors and recreation gateways- How they work to keep pace with EV world, which moves at a mile a minute (i.e. the transition to NACS plugs)- What's coming next down the pipeline, and Scott's personal favorite amenity for EV drivers 🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform 🔗 Resources and Links:Check out a map of Pilot's sites ⚡ Stay Plugged InSupport EVs for All America (and buy our merch!)

Rivian is on a tear in 2026 with their affordable R2 SUV earning accolades and maxing out their American production capacity. Behind the scenes, AJ Hatzis leads strategy and growth for the company's highly-regarded DC-fast charging network, the Rivian Adventure Network (RAN, for short). Max catches up with him to learn why Rivian is investing so much in its own chargers, even for non-Rivian EVs, and what makes them special. Some highlights of the convo:- Rivian's vertical integration advantage at tying in great charging hardware with a reliable ecosystem- The differing strategies between retail hubs and remote outposts that Rivian serves- The brand investment made at sites like Moab where you can buy granola and test drive an R2!- What AJ's learned in his decade-plus of experience in the evolving DCFC business 🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform 🔗 Resources and Links:Check out a map of Rivian's sites⚡ Stay Plugged InSupport EVs for All America (and buy our merch!)

EVs for All America founder Mike Murphy just went cross-country, 3,000 miles with zero gas and plenty of American factory tours in his brand new Porsche Cayenne Electric. Max and Mike catch up to see how the journey went, unpack how easy and fast charging has become, and the highs and lows of seeing free world auto investment in a landscape of turbulent US policy contrasted by clear global progress in electrification. Some highlights of the journey and their conversation:- A drone mishap at a windy Bucc-ees station in Texas- A missed highway exit for a critical cahrging stop and an opportune turnout that let Mike roast some fancy tires on gravel- Mike's stops at from Tesla, Honda, Francis Energy, LG Energy that tell a story of American investment- The duo's recommendations on the best non-Porsche road tripping EVs to buy for the rest of us 🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:Watch the full seriesRead Mike's Substack writeup on the journey ⚡ Stay Plugged InSupport EVs for All America (and buy our merch!)

Dario Pagani transitioned from ChargePoint to Autel Energy years ago as the compancy, once a scan-tool manufacturer from Shenzhen, was building out its transition to charging hardware with a North Carolina factory and California-based innovation center. He's ready to share some of the trends he's seen in both the level 2 (slow) and DC (fast) charging industries for EVs, where market and incentive structures are shaping a lucrative but novel business that's part-construction, part-manufacturing reliant on global supply chains, and part-technology company. Max and Dario go over- The aggressive pace of EV charging relative to modest EV passenger adoption in the US- The challenges since COVID of being a global manufacturer who produces their own hardware- The evolution of his role from being at a CPO (Charge Point Operator) to a company that ships interoperable hardware that is flexible- Trends he's seeing in the charging business as retail and multifamily adoption grows 🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:Check out Dario's LinkedIn⚡ Stay Plugged InSupport EVs for All America (and buy our merch!)

Jamie Butters was the Editor in Chief of Automotive News, has covered the Motor City at outlets like the Wall Street Journal, and is hosting a regular radio show called Auto Town speaking to folks inside the American car industry. Max speaks with him to get an idea at how Detroit is doing in the current US moment where oil prices are high, consumers love hybrids, and fuel standards are absent, giving automakers a spout of relief but also uncertainty for the future ahead as Chinese cars continue their global conquest abroad.  Max and Jamie go over- The pause in fuel economy standards giving American automakers relief- Hybrid portfolios and the hype over "EREVs" in Detroit- The tension of value per dollar to the consumer and privacy/national domestic manufacturing that Chinese EVs present to North America- The enduring, emotional appeal of combustion to enthusiasts 🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:Listen to Jamie's Auto Town on Radio or Podcast Feeds⚡ Stay Plugged InSupport EVs for All America (and buy our merch!)

Transportation electrification is often framed in environmental terms, but Ben Prochazaka and his colleagues at the Electrification Coalition present a different reason to plug in. Oil dependence is a dangerous addiction for economic and geopolitical reasons, as current events have reminded many Americans. He joins the show to explain the progress made in EVs, both passenger and freight, and how barriers like affordability are rapidly becoming less steep. Max and Ben go over- The roadblocks to EVs in charging, supply chain, and affordability- Oil dependency in the US and why electrification is a must- The progress in medium and heavy duty electrification with Tesla Semi- The unfair surface transportation bill being proposed to unduly tax EV drivers 🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:Tell your Congress person about the unfair EV billStay tuned to the Electrification Roadmap ⚡ Stay Plugged InSupport EVs for All America (and buy our merch!)

Many 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!)

James 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!)

Alan 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 platform Resources and Links:Check out Ford's Bounty Hunters video ⚡ Stay Plugged InSupport EVs for All America (and buy our merch!)

Ed 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 In Support EVs for All America

Corey 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

Staff 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

Veteran 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

Executive 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

Ex-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