Battery Deep Dive: 5-Minute EV Charging, Solid State & How Batteries Are Quietly Running the World!
Everything Electric PodcastShow Notes
This week's podcast was recorded live on stage at Latitude Festival 2026, in the Cosmic Shambles Forest of Science and Culture! Helen Czerski is joined by our very own Robert Llewellyn and battery chemist Professor Saiful Islam for a wide-ranging conversation about batteries — covering everything from world-record lemon batteries to five-minute EV charging, sodium-ion tech, battery planes, and vehicle-to-grid power. https://cosmicshambles.com/ 00:00 – Introduction 02:53 – Meet the guests: Robert Llewellyn & Prof. Saiful Islam 03:34 – The world-record lemon battery (and Saiful's quest to reclaim it) 08:54 – What does a battery chemist actually do? 12:42 – Debunking range anxiety: the real stats on UK car journeys 13:34 – From gadgets to vehicles: how battery use has transformed 14:36 – How do you actually measure a "good" battery? 15:21 – Where battery R&D is focused: sustainability, cobalt, and beyond 17:19 – What is a battery? The "electrochemical sandwich" explained 19:38 – BYD's flash charging: 10–70% in 5 minutes 23:31 – Why fast charging is hard — and the safety engineering behind it 28:04 – Battery recycling: Redwood Materials and "second life" batteries 31:54 – Battery passports and tracking materials 34:59 – Sodium-ion batteries: cheaper, longer-lasting home storage 37:34 – Solid-state batteries explained (and why they're the "holy grail") 39:47 – Who's leading the battery race? China's extraordinary scale 42:44 – The tipping point: global crude oil sales are falling 46:34 – Could batteries ever power planes? eVTOL, hybrids & battery gliders 52:57 – Grid storage and vehicle-to-grid: turning EVs into power plants 55:36 – Australia's home battery boom and its impact on coal 57:36 – Audience Q&A Why not come and join us at our next Everything Electric expo: https://everythingelectric.show Support our StopBurningStuff campaign: https://www.patreon.com/STOPBurningStuff Become an Everything Electric Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fullychargedshow Buy the Fully Charged Guide to Electric Vehicles & Clean Energy : https://buff.ly/2GybGt0 Subscribe for episode alerts and the Everything Electric newsletter: https://fullycharged.show/zap-sign-up/ Visit: https://FullyCharged.Show Find us on X: https://x.com/Everyth1ngElec Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialeverythingelectric To partner, exhibit or sponsor at our award-winning expos email: [email protected] EE GREATER LONDON (Twickenham) - 11th & 12th Sept 2026 EE SYDNEY - Sydney Olympic Park - 18th - 20th Sept 2026 #fullychargedshow #everythingelectricshow #homeenergy #cleanenergy #battery #electriccars #electric-vehicles-uk
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Is fusion still "always 30 years away"? STEP Fusion's program director, Dr James Cowan, sets out the UK's plan to build a prototype commercial fusion plant by 2040, covering the engineering, supply chains, funding and economics as well as the physics. 00:00 Intro 02:29 What is STEP Fusion? 04:13 Why fusion isn't "always 30 years away" 07:33 How fusion works, and the neutron problem 18:59 What STEP is building at West Burton 24:00 Delivery plan: partners and a 2030 construction start 32:12 Who pays for it? Funding and the commercial route 34:38 Cost, baseload power and fit with renewables 45:19 When will fusion reach the grid? 48:49 Cost overruns and lessons from nuclear Check out our sister channel Everything Electric CARS: https://www.youtube.com/@fullychargedshow Support our StopBurningStuff campaign: https://www.patreon.com/STOPBurningStuff Become an Everything Electric Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fullychargedshow Become a YouTube member: use JOIN button above Buy the Fully Charged Guide to Electric Vehicles & Clean Energy : https://buff.ly/2GybGt0 Subscribe for episode alerts and the Everything Electric newsletter: https://fullycharged.show/zap-sign-up/ Visit: https://FullyCharged.Show Find us on X: https://x.com/Everyth1ngElec Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialeverythingelectric #fullychargedshow #everythingelectricshow #homeenergy #cleanenergy #battery #electriccars #electric-vehicles-uk
This week, Helen Czerski catches up with Michael Liebreich on why hydrogen's hype is deflating, what the electrification staircase says we should do now, and why the energy transition is easier than it looks. 0:00 Introduction and welcome to Michael Liebreich 2:04 What is the "hydrogen soufflé"? 5:35 Hydrogen ladder 6.0: cheaper batteries and a growing "row of doom" 9:14 Why clean hydrogen will likely stay blue, and white hydrogen reality check 14:07 Wind and solar overtake gas, and the primary energy fallacy 18:45 Do fuel cells have a future? Data centres and backup power 21:29 The electrification staircase: the 70% still to electrify 32:56 Who it's for, plus noisy motorbikes, Orwell's coal fire and induction hobs 37:39 Trump, heatwaves, Hormuz and Australia's battery boom 47:13 Skiing, glaciers, "no cold turkey on progress", and the Cleaning Up plug Check out our sister channel Everything Electric CARS: https://www.youtube.com/@fullychargedshow Support our StopBurningStuff campaign: https://www.patreon.com/STOPBurningStuff Become an Everything Electric Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fullychargedshow Become a YouTube member: use JOIN button above Buy the Fully Charged Guide to Electric Vehicles & Clean Energy : https://buff.ly/2GybGt0 Subscribe for episode alerts and the Everything Electric newsletter: https://fullycharged.show/zap-sign-up/ Visit: https://FullyCharged.Show Find us on X: https://x.com/Everyth1ngElec Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialeverythingelectric #fullychargedshow #everythingelectricshow #homeenergy #cleanenergy #battery #electriccars #electric-vehicles-uk
Robert mines Benchmark Mineral Intelligence for a 'data rich' and optimistic deep dive... Check out our sister channel Everything Electric CARS: https://www.youtube.com/@fullychargedshow Support our StopBurningStuff campaign: https://www.patreon.com/STOPBurningStuff Become an Everything Electric Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fullychargedshow Become a YouTube member: use JOIN button above Buy the Fully Charged Guide to Electric Vehicles & Clean Energy : https://buff.ly/2GybGt0 Subscribe for episode alerts and the Everything Electric newsletter: https://fullycharged.show/zap-sign-up/ Visit: https://FullyCharged.Show Find us on X: https://x.com/Everyth1ngElec Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialeverythingelectric #fullychargedshow #everythingelectricshow #homeenergy #cleanenergy #battery #electriccars #electric-vehicles-uk
Monstrous trucks and cleaning up a 'carbon monster': Robert talks to the CEO of Fortescue.
Tabloids catastrophize about charging, but Robert talks to Ausgrid to uncover the truth... Join us this Friday, Saturday & Sunday at Sydney Showground: https://everythingelectric.show EVERYTHING ELECTRIC SYDNEY - Sydney Olympic Park - 18th - 20th Sept 2026 To partner, exhibit or sponsor at our award-winning expos email: [email protected] Why not come and join us at our next Everything Electric expo: https://everythingelectric.show Check out our sister channel Everything Electric CARS: https://www.youtube.com/@fullychargedshow Support our StopBurningStuff campaign: https://www.patreon.com/STOPBurningStuff Become an Everything Electric Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fullychargedshow Become a YouTube member: use JOIN button above Buy the Fully Charged Guide to Electric Vehicles & Clean Energy : https://buff.ly/2GybGt0 Subscribe for episode alerts and the Everything Electric newsletter: https://fullycharged.show/zap-sign-up/ Visit: https://FullyCharged.Show Find us on X: https://x.com/Everyth1ngElec Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialeverythingelectric #fullychargedshow #everythingelectricshow #homeenergy #cleanenergy #battery #electriccars #electric-vehicles-uk