Mike Englhard is the Chief Development Officer at Terawatt Infrastructure, a pioneering startup dedicated to designing, developing, and operating high-powered charging sites for commercial electric vehicles across the US.

Terawatt has been a trailblazer in the EV infrastructure market since 2021 as it started to strategically acquire prime charging sites, at a time where few heavy-duty electric trucks were on the road. With over $1 billion raised and growing momentum behind commercial vehicle electrification, Terawatt is now rapidly expanding: 15 charging sites in development in the US and dozens more in the pipeline.

In this episode, we delve deep into what it takes to develop large-scale clean energy infrastructure and how to accelerate these multi-million dollar projects. Tune in to hear about:

• Building High-Powered EV Fleet Charging Stations: Discover how to develop large-scale infrastructure projects; selecting optimal land parcels, navigating permitting complexities, and procuring long-lead-time electrical components.
• The Role of Grid Interconnection: Understand the pivotal role of grid interconnection and strategies to expedite this crucial process.
• Advancements in Charging Technology: Learn about the latest developments in charging technology, including the emerging Megawatt Charging System, and how it could unlock the widespread adoption of long-haul truck electrification.
• On-Site Solar and Battery Storage: Explore the benefits of using on-site renewables to power charging stations directly.
• Terawatt's Business Model: Understand how Terawatt's business model could unlock hundreds of millions in revenue with a relatively small number of charging sites.

Enjoy the discussion!

To learn more about trucking decarbonization:

• Episode 15 with Ian Rust (Revoy): learn about the benefits and challenges of electric trucks, hydrogen trucks, and other decarbonization solutions for commercial vehicles
• TeraWatt Infrastructure: explore TeraWatt's charging network under development (~15 sites)
• Federal truck charging network strategy: dig into the US strategy to accelerate the deployment of Zero-Emission Infrastructure for Freight Trucks (released in March 2024)

Ian Rust is the founder and CEO of Revoy, a startup enabling heavy-duty truck electrification at no upfront cost. Revoy's one-of-a-kind electric trailer, which fits between the tractor and trailer of any diesel truck, can reduce fuel use by 90%—all at no upfront cost and in under 2 minutes.

With over 25% of US transportation emissions coming from 3 million semi-trucks, Revoy offers a critical solution to decarbonize the 3 million diesel semi-trucks on the road today.

In this episode, we explore the trucking industry and Revoy's unique technology. Tune in to hear about:

• Ian’s insights on hydrogen's high costs and his strong belief in electrification.
• The current limitations of electric trucks (charging time & cost) and how Revoy's electric trailer can overcome these barriers.
• Revoy's product development strategy for rapidly developing sophisticated hardware technology by leveraging automotive and aerospace supply chains.
• Ian's broader vision of creating renewable-powered hubs to support entire communities, going well beyond trucking decarbonization

Enjoy the discussion!

To learn more about trucking decarbonization:

• Revoy website
• Ryder report on total cost of transportation

Nicolas Banchet is the co-founder of Zeplug, a startup installing Electric Vehicles (EV) charging stations. What sets Zeplug apart? Their positioning and innovative business model:

• Targeting multi-occupant buildings: Zeplug provides EV charging services only for apartment buildings where the electrical infrastructure has to be shared in parkings
• No upfront cost: EV charging service is provided at no upfront cost for the building; Zeplug funds the shared infrastructure and recoups costs over time based on resident usage.

This approach has fueled Zeplug's rapid expansion across Europe, now serving over 16,000 buildings and offering access to 1 million parking spaces.

But that's not all.

Nicolas also founded another thriving startup at the same time: ChargeGuru. Operating in the EV charging space as well, ChargeGuru provides end-to-end installation services for individual and commercial customers.

In this episode, we talk with Nicolas about:

• His journey from management consulting to CEO of a family business, then founding two climate tech startups
• Customer pain points in EV charger installation and how ChargeGuru simplified the process
• Building a strong flywheel with partners (OEMs and property managers) selling the Zeplug solution
• Key strategies for entering new countries and markets with varying regulations
• Expansion potential of Zeplug into Virtual Power Plants using vehicle-to-home/grid technology and current challenges in scaling up this market

Enjoy the discussion!