Show Notes
EVs and Chinas have become intertwined, mostly because China has developed an unassailable lead in making the most important, and most expensive component of any electric car. They aren’t just a political target just of Donald Trump, who led the charge on an all-out trade war in his first term in office. The current Biden administration is imposing a 25% tarriff on any vehicle with a Chinese battery pack, and it’s unlikely a Harris successor White House would change that. Either way, the best batteries are being made in China, and it’s an all out race between the United States and our allies like South Korea to compete while stalling the damage from their China’s lead.
For this episode Max speaks with The Information’s Steve LeVine, who runs their reporting on the battery arms race and EVs at large, aptly branded The Electric. Steve is a career journalist who’s covered international affairs in countries like Russia and Kazakhstan, the market for oil in the wake of the soviet union, and most recently, the chaotic new economy and arms race happening with batteries. He even wrote a book about it in 2015. The story of EV batteries is also the story of the world’s greatest superpowers duking it out. Let’s get up to speed with him.
Steve's newsletter The Electric: https://www.theinformation.com/features/the-electric Steve's 2015 Book, The Powerhouse, on How US Labs Invented The Modern Rechargeable Battery: https://www.amazon.com/Powerhouse-America-China-Great-Battery/dp/0143128329/ Learn More About The American EV Jobs Alliance: https://evpolitics.org Subscribe To Us In Your Podcast App: https://audioboom.com/channels/5137915-directly-current-the-ev-politics-podcast
More from Directly Current: EVs for All America
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
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
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 platform
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 platform
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 platform