The EVs for Everyone Podcast

Executive Editor for Automotive News, Jamie Butters, joins the show today to talk about how Tesla's pricing strategy and market position have led to questions about whether or not it still qualifies as a luxury brand. *Spoiler alert* (Jamie says "no.") According to Jamie and his team at Automotive News, Tesla's lower prices and focus on growth have shifted its market position away from exclusivity...

Paige Hodder, Reporter for Automotive News and John Possumato, CEO of DriveItAway join me for today's episode which delves into the challenges faced by vehicle subscription models in recent years. Many companies, including automakers, either shut down their subscription programs or shifted away from the model due to financial strains. However, there has been a resurgence in subscription programs,...

Tarry Shebesta, automotive fintech and leasing legend, (and an incredible chef with impressive knife skills to boot!) joins the show today recorded on-site during the NADA convention. Now a second time president of the National Vehicle Leasing Association (NVLA), Tarry talks about the organization's mission to promote leasing to consumers and also talks about the affordability and risk-free nature...

Raphael Atayi, Partnerships and Solutions Director at Semtech, dives into the importance of connectivity and uptime in the wild world of public EV charging infrastructure. With social feeds relentlessly filling up with angry Twitter / X comments about broken public charging stations, connectivity and uptime are more critical than ever. I mean, have you seen those brutal threads about EV charging s...

Paul Elio, founder of Elio Motors, an automotive startup that developed a three-wheeled vehicle (with 84 mpg, made in America and priced for $7,500) turned innovative used car dealer is on the show today with my co-host John Possumato, CEO of DriveItAway. This episode was recorded on-site at NADA in Las Vegas in the "EVs for Everyone Starbucks Living Room" and covers a whole lot of ground (very qu...

Curious to see who won US News & World Report's "Best Cars for Families" award this year? More specifically, who took home the trophy for the best EV (and hybrid) for families? Although there's no red carpet for these vehicles to cruise down (although I do love a good couture gown for awards season) press play on this episode to hear John Vincent, Senior Editor and Correspondent at US News &am...

Now here's one * hugely* popular EV use case (that's being deployed right now) that you've probably never heard of. Kristy Gebhart, Regional Vice President at Partners Personnel, is on the show today to discuss the importance of personal transportation for entry-level employees and how access to a vehicle can be "life changing." In response to the fact that inadequate transportation is one of the...

Unless you've been living under a rock lately, you've likely heard about the many challenges surrounding EV charging infrastructure. Challenges like the significant costs associated with installing DC fast chargers as well as the confusion caused by changing EV mandates and deadlines. My guest today, Andres Pinter, CEO of BulletEV (and a former auto retail guy himself), saw an opportunity to help...

Brace yourself: TWO HUGE Announcements Coming Your Way. Savannah Simms, former General Manager of Volvo Palo Alto and McLaren San Francisco turned Director of Business Development and Marketing for Simms Auto Group, is on the show today and discusses her new role in the recent acquisition of a Ford dealership in Fairfield, CA and the upcoming plans she has for three more stores in the Bay Area. Th...

The rollercoaster ride of EV related challenges, misconceptions, and evolving retail trends (recorded on-site at NADA in Las Vegas!) is at the heart of this episode featuring Jimmy Douglas, CEO of Plug and Alex Lawrence, CEO of EV Auto. Or as Jimmy puts it, "the transition to EVs is brutally difficult and not always well organized, but we all need to figure this out." Press play on this episode to...

Glenn Mercer, independent automotive researcher and former Partner of the Automotive Practice at McKinsey, joins the show today to talk about all the pros and cons of different retail distribution models as it relates to Tesla, VinFast and Fisker. Press play on this *extremely* timely episode as we discuss the benefits of Tesla's direct-to-customer model and its impact on manufacturing and pricing...

Automotive retailing legend and entrepreneur, David Spisak, is on the show today and if you have *anything* to do with the retailing of EVs, you simply cannot miss this conversation. Press play to hear David and I talk about the feasibility of the "60% reduction in emissions by 2030" announcement from the Biden administration, as well as the infrastructure and affordability issues associated with...

And yes, "MAKE" is an acronym for everyone's name on this podcast: Megan, Ashley, Kirsten and Elena! Megan Mahon, remarketing expert, Ashley Roseberry, Strategic Account Director Major Accounts for ACV Max and Kirsten Von Busch, Director of Product Marketing at Experian Automotive join me during NADA at the Starbucks "EVs for Everyone Living Room" to talk about all things EV, including decreasing...

Joe Overby, Senior Editor at Auto Remarketing Magazine, emailed me a few weeks ago and said, "hey, let's do a joint episode of our podcasts at NADA," and *ta-da* that's exactly how this episode started. Press play to hear Joe and I talk about the used car market, banter about our favorite aspects of producing our respective podcasts as well as the joys of engaging with a diverse automotive communi...

Automotive State of the Union (ASOTU) founders Paul Daly and Kyle Mountsier join me on the last day of NADA to ride the Tesla Vegas LOOP (from the North Hall of the Convention Center to the West Hall) and all I can say is we definitely checked ALL of the boxes for a fun episode with a bit of shenanigans. Press play to hear more about Paul and Kyle's thoughts on the VinFast / Fisker decision to uti...

Jamie Butters, Executive Editor at Automotive News, is on the show today and I could not be more excited to discuss a wide range of topics with him including EVs, Toyota, and some really interesting automotive Super Bowl ads. We also talked about the recent Automotive News Retail Forum event in Las Vegas where Jack Hollis, Toyota's North American sales chief, voiced concerns about emissions regula...

Mickey Anderson, President & CEO of Baxter Auto Group stops by the Starbucks "EVs for Everyone Living Room" during the NADA convention to talk about the 800 lb. EV gorilla in the room: the growing movement of auto dealers (4,700 and counting) who have signed a second letter to President Biden asking the White House to "hit the brakes" on a proposed EV mandate which could potentially codify the...

Last week, J.D. Power's VP of Electric Vehicles, Elizabeth Krear, shared a grande Americano (and a 2024 EV outlook) with me as we geared up for another busy day of meetings and networking at the NADA convention in Las Vegas. Not only did we recap some of the high level observations that were revealed during the J.D. Power Auto Summit, but we also touched on some of the upcoming EV models that will...

Hold onto your NACS chargers and buckle your seatbelts when listening to this episode because Andrew DiFeo, Managing Partner of Hyundai of St. Augustine, has a PhD in the car business (aka “poppa had dealerships”) and is by far one of the smartest operators in the game! Thanks to Andrew’s deep knowledge in auto retail, we were able to tackle a huge range of topics so press play right now to hear o...

Breaking News! John Foley, CEO of Recharged, shares that his company is now rolling out dealer marketing agreements, which will help dealers sell their used EV inventory quickly and profitably on the recharged.com platform. I'm also joined today by my co-host Kimathi Boothe (Key!) VP of Dunamis Charge during this episode and we recorded on-site at the NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association)...

Elvis and a teal 1994 Honda Civic Hatchback. That's all you really need to know about our guest today, Joe Brown, CMO of Frank Leta Auto Group, a Honda and Acura dealer in Missouri. I'm also joined today by my co-host Kimathi Boothe (Key!) VP of Dunamis Charge during this episode and we recorded on-site at the NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) convention in (rainy!) Las Vegas. Press p...

If you've ever had a suboptimal experience at a public charging station, Jason Goldfarb, an EV infrastructure attorney, knows exactly why you left feeling frustrated (and more importantly, how it all could have been prevented!) In this episode, Jason sheds light on the complexities and challenges surrounding EV charging infrastructure and the need for careful consideration when it comes to the loc...

"Gone are the days when you can just put out a press release and expect massive exposure." Seth Farbman, Co-founder and Chairman of Vstock Transfer, a stock transfer agent for publicly traded companies, joins the show today and discusses the process of handling IPOs for companies in the EV space. Seth emphasizes the importance of storytelling when you're looking to go public and explains why compa...

EV enthusiast and startup mentor, Cory Hewett, stops by the show and puts my EV knowledge to the test with his version of, "Two Truths and a Lie: EV Edition." And let me tell you, it's a good thing I like Cory so much because (*spoiler alert*) we got into a bit of a disagreement about which statement was the lie. Also, be sure to listen until the end of the episode to hear the story about how some...

Experian Automotive's Director of Product Marketing, Kirsten Von Busch, spills all the tea on a topic that is surprisingly underreported, which is.... why aren't more women buying EVs? According to Experian's research, males account for 70.56% of new retail EV registrations, while females only account for 29.44%, which is a pretty significant gender gap that's remained consistent over time. Press...