CleanTech Talk — EVs, Solar, Batteries, AI, Tesla

CleanTechnica sits down with LandGate CEO & co-founder Yoann Hispa to discuss the past, present, and future of renewable energy technology and data. Yoann Hispa is CEO and co-founder of LandGate, a leading ClimateTech and PropTech company. Prior to that, he was Executive Director of Engineering at Ruspetro, and led the engineering and drilling operations for a Private Equity’s mineral acquisitions which successfully divested for a 3x. Yoann has 19 years of experience in the energy and carbon industry in various technical and leadership roles. He has been an Instructor of Energy Land Resources at UT-Austin and at the Realtors Land Institute for several years. Yoann holds an Executive MBA from the University of Colorado, an MS in Geosystems Eng. from the University of Texas at Austin, an MS in Geomechanics from the University of Birmingham (UK), an MSc in Civil Engineering from ESTP (Paris, France), and a BS equivalent in Math/Physics.

In this episode of CleanTech Talk, Scott Cooney and Zach Shahan discuss the current state of climate action, reflecting on past US clean energy and EV policies from Obama and Biden, discuss some of the achievements of the Biden administration, and look into the implications of the recent US presidential election and challenges ahead. They explore the impact of local politics on climate initiatives, the role of complacency in political engagement, and the future of electric vehicle adoption in the US. The conversation also touches on global trends in renewable energy and the influence of fossil fuel companies on climate policy — globally and in the US. Scott and Zach delve into the complexities of climate change a little bit, the illusion of technological solutions and geoengineering, and the geopolitical implications of Donald Trump being elected ... twice. They also discuss the evolution of Elon Musk's thinking, influence, and involvement in political narratives, particularly regarding climate issues. The conversation culminates in a critical examination of Musk's transformation from a cleantech leader to a far-right political influencer, highlighting the challenges and responsibilities of influential leaders in addressing climate change.

Phillip Kobernick, Associate Director of Energy Programs at Peninsula Clean Energy, and Zach Shahan, CEO of CleanTechnica, talk about why Level 1 EV charging is king, and why it's critical for California to achieve its EV charging goals. Phillip and Zach also talked about other matters, such as building codes, the duck curve, and Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs).

Justine Johnson, Michigan’s Chief Mobility Officer and head of the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), talks with CleanTechnica CEO Zach Shahan about how Michigan’s mobility and electrification strategy, guided by the MI Healthy Climate Plan, is innovating and moving the EV ecosystem forward. They really are leading the way on some of the cutting-edge EV topics of the day.

CleanTechnica talks with Withum — a top 25 advisory, tax, and accounting firm that specializes in renewable energy tax credits (among other important topics) and the cleantech industry — about the complex and changing world of these vital credits and what you need to know for your business to thrive in 2025.

CleanTechnica's Scott Cooney, during Climate Week, talks with Mallika Talwar regarding climate change communications and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication; Sara Newman, founder and executive director of the Climate Mental Health Network; and Zoe Berman, COO of Sound Future, about partying to help save the planet.

CleanTechnica's Scott Cooney talks with Alexia Akbay, CEO of Symbrosia, about natural solutions to reduce livestock methane emissions; a representative of Nuclear Matters, a nuclear advocacy org; Joshua Nodiff, creator of the Climate Imaginarium.

In this episode of the CleanTech Talk podcast, we sat down with Chris Rauscher, Head of Grid Services & Virtual Power Plants at Sunrun, to discuss how the company is empowering homeowners to become energy producers, ensuring a more resilient, sustainable, and efficient grid. We dive into how VPPs are revolutionizing how we think about power generation and grid stability and what went into the making of the country’s largest virtual power plant in addition to the company’s recent milestone of hitting one million customers.

I recently interviewed Mike Spagnola, president and CEO of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), for our CleanTech Talk podcast series. It was an atypical and interesting conversation for me, because it wasn't with someone entrenched in and coming from the EV industry. This is a more conventional auto guy who's coming at the EV topic from a "normal auto guy" perspective.

In this CleanTech Talk discussion, we focus on the potential for Rivian to seize the moment and explode in scale as it rolls out more affordable, highly appealing models and buyers turn away from Tesla as CEO Elon Musk becomes more and more focused on right-wing politics. Enjoy the discussion between CleanTechnica's Scott Cooney and Rob Simon!

CleanTechnica's Scott Cooney interviews Joseph Constanty, NIU Senior Director of Global Strategy & Growth, about NIU's new partnership with Best Buy to infiltrate the US market, among other things.

Teague Egan, Founder and CEO of EnergyX, talks with CleanTechnica CEO Zach Shahan about the lithium gold rush, where they're extracting lithium, how to extract and refine it better, the strong US policies that are building a battery supply chain in the country, and ⁠EnergyX's big new project in the US⁠ (https://cleantechnica.com/2024/06/20/energyx-announces-major-lithium-development-in-ark-la-tex-region/). Enjoy the show!

While automotive EV growth increases with a clear path towards a dominant position for electrics on the roads, why haven't electric motorcycles seen similar growth as electric autos in the U.S.? They are contributing to large climate improvements in other nations. How can we see the same in the U.S? Also, one million eBikes are sold in America annually and they have replaced a significant amount of automobile use. Whether that is from kids riding an eBike to school rather that traveling in their parent's car or consumers using them for quick, easy, and very affordable local transportation, eBike use has contributed towards less carbon emissions and a healthier lifestyle for eBike owners. This industry has been unregulated and has become dangerous, though. What legislation and regulation is coming and how will this affect the eBike industry and their use? CleanTechnica's Scott Cooney talks with Andy Leisner about these matters.

Jose Pontes and Zach Shahan of CleanTechnica discuss EV sales GROWTH; Tesla sales trends in China, Europe, and the US; and the big EU tariffs on electric vehicles produced in China.

CleanTechnica Founder Scott Cooney talks with Jason Marks, Founder & CEO of TELO, and Forrest North, Founder & CTO of TELO, about their history in the EV industry (and pole vaulting) and then primarily about the history, design, and benefits of TELO electric trucks.

Nina Haiman, NYSERDA Program Manager for Clean Transportation, talks with CleanTechnica Founder Scott Cooney about the health benefits of electric buses and transitioning New York State's massive school bus fleet to electric buses.

Scott Howard of CBRE and Nigel Broomhall of Invisible Urban Charging discuss why commercial real estate owners need to deploy good EV charging infrastructure across their portfolios, the constraints they operate within, and how an integrated solution can enable scale and repetition for EV deployment.

Mark Z. Jacobson, Director of the Atmosphere/Energy Program and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, talks with CleanTechnica's Scott Cooney about California switching more and more to solar power and wind power as well as electricity prices in California and in other states using a lot of renewable energy.

In this special episode of CleanTech Talk, Zachary Shahan provides a full-picture perspective on Tesla Full Self Driving (version 12.3) and its potential for robotaxis (or not).

In this episode, we talk about how Salesforce is helping use AI for climate solutions to cut carbon emissions. CleanTechnica's Scott Cooney interviews Naomi Morenzoni, Senior Vice President of Philanthropy at Salesforce, for this podcast.