Episodes
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Most households and small businesses don't have an automotive expert on hand, just a relative who gets cornered at barbecues or "someone who used to be a mechanic" now responsible for a multi-million-pound fleet. That gap is the problem Paul Jewell built CarCloud to fix.
Paul joins Paul Kirby and Sara Sloman to explain how CarCloud surfaces the MOT deadlines, lease endings and maintenance costs that usually blindside drivers, pairing each one with a solution rather than just a warning. He makes the case for the SME sector, not the big fleets, as the real engine of electric van and car growth.
He also covers his work in last-mile transport: 10,000 pedal-assisted, motorcycle-grade electric bikes already on UK roads, care workers using them to fit more home visits into a day, and a new grocery sidecar that carries 40 kilos for around 14p per 50 miles.
Along the way Paul traces his approach back to selling used cars in Birmingham's subprime credit era, tells the story of a remarkable homeless man who taught him chess and life lessons as a kid, wishes for baseline foods to be sold "net free" with no VAT or profit attached, and sets out CarCloud's next phase: automotive and mobility banking that returns real value to the driver.
Connect with Paul Jewell:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-jewell-55476122/CarCloud: https://carcloudsolutions.com -
How do you actually know what's left in a used EV battery? Nikolaus Mayerhofer and Alexander Millinger from Aviloojoin us to draw the line between a real diagnostic and a glorified readout — and why that difference decides what a second-hand electric car or van is worth.
NiKo has been building electric things since he was 12, soldering together his first e-bike back in 1987 and developing battery management systems by 19. That four decades of battery engineering — lead acid, nickel cadmium, lithium iron phosphate, NMC — is now baked into Aviloo's three-minute flash test, which pulls up to 50,000 data samples through the OBD port, sends them to the cloud, and returns an accurate, independent State of Health certificate. Eight years of collected data from thousands of vehicles (over 50 million kilometres) sits behind every result, and (from July) a UK warranty backs each certificate.
We get into the things the surface won't tell you:
Why mileage no longer equals battery health — a study of 600 Model 3s found consumption varying by a factor of two depending purely on how they were driven and chargedHow charging to 100% every night, hammering the autobahn, and preheating all quietly age a pack — and why average degradation is fine but the variance is the reason you test before you buyThe honest take on fast charging, solid-state hype, and why a Model S still runs a 40-year-old cell formatBattery second life: diagnostics feeding power storage in Japan, reuse from scrapped vehicles, and what happens when OEMs stop making modulesScaling Aviloo from two friends talking on mountain bike rides to 100+ people and one million tests sold — across the UK, US, Benelux and AsiaGuests:Nikolaus Mayerhofer, Founder & CEO — LinkedInAlexander Millinger — LinkedInAviloo — aviloo.com -
Missing episodes?
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Guest: Jamie Sands — Operator-led zero-emission freight and innovation | TwentyForty | Welch Group
Company: Welch Group (welchgroup.co.uk · twentyforty.uk)
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/j-sands
What does a 92-year-old, family-owned haulier with 70 trucks know about the future of freight that the multinationals don't? Quite a lot, it turns out. Jamie Sands is Head of Solutions at Welch Group — a role that, as he points out, doesn't exist in most operators — and he joins us to explain why a regional independent from the east of England is winning tenders against the big 3PLs on something other than price.We get into the commercial logic underneath the green badge: how Welch turns its fleet into a test bed for startups in exchange for preferential terms, why the "green premium" basically doesn't exist, and how being two steps ahead on scope three reporting now wins business outright. Jamie makes the case that decarbonisation is really an energy and infrastructure problem, not a vehicle one — and that the smart play for an operator is treating charging, energy arbitrage and demand response as new revenue, not just a cost to swallow.
There's plenty for the technically curious too: system-level thinking across siloed networks, what L4 and L5 autonomy actually mean for hub-to-hub night runs, why he's done arguing about hydrogen, and why "technology neutrality" can quietly become an excuse to do nothing until the 2035 cliff edge arrives. Jamie also walks us through TwentyForty, the not-for-profit he's built to pull other independent operators into the research, the media and the policy conversation — including the 12 Pillars framework for getting the whole industry talking to itself.
Away from the trucks, Jamie talks music, comic books, a Project Hail Mary obsession, staying genuinely calm in an industry that runs on chaos, and the loss of a close friend that pushed him to do work that actually matters. He closes with one wish that doubles as his whole mission: that operators — the people this transition is being done to — get a seat in the rooms where it's being decided.
Plenty of marginal gains, one or two God complexes, and a reminder that the future we're all hoping for is mostly available right now, if we work together.
Connect with Jamie: LinkedIn
Welch Group: welchgroup.co.uk
TwentyForty: twentyforty.uk -
Days before stepping in as Managing Director of Holman UK, Nick Hay sits down with Paul and Sara for a conversation that ranges far wider than fleet leasing. It's a candid look at what three decades in cold chain logistics teaches you about cutting environmental impact without losing sight of commercial reality — and what it costs the person doing the leading.
Nick traces a career built on incremental gains: fitting telematics across an entire 100-unit fleet back in 2005, dragging a 400-truck operation's fuel efficiency from 8.1 to over 10 MPG when people thought he was mad to try, and running Euro 5 trial vehicles from every major manufacturer side by side rather than waiting to see what everyone else did. The throughline is a willingness to test, measure, and stop what isn't working — and to do it in partnership rather than at a supplier's expense, from one of the UK's first 100% lithium-ion materials-handling fleets to joint ventures packing 40 million cases of produce a year.
We get into why private ownership changes what's possible in the energy transition, how Holman's shared-risk model differs from a standard lease, and why "horses for courses" matters more than ever when logistics spans a tradesperson's van and a long-haul HGV. Nick is clear-eyed on the obstacles too: grid access, the risk of being an early adopter, reactive government policy, and the speed at which Chinese manufacturers are now moving.
Then the conversation turns. Nick talks openly about growing up the self-described black sheep of an academic family, an athletics career that taught him resilience precisely because he didn't make it, and a lifelong wrestle with depression that he learned to mask at work — sometimes, he admits, at a cost to the people closest to him. It's an unusually honest exchange about what compassionate leadership actually demands: the willingness to say you don't know, to apologise when you got it wrong, and to keep believing you can be better tomorrow.
His one wish? Government legislation that's properly thought through, with a long-term view instead of constant chopping and changing — the certainty the whole industry is asking for.
Guest: Nick Hay, Managing Director, Holman UK
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-hay-4b1a52137/
Company: https://www.holman.com/uk/ -
Calum James, General Manager of Farizon UK, joins Paul and Sara to talk about what it actually takes to land a brand new electric van marque in one of the world's most demanding fleet markets.
Calum walks through Farizon's lineage inside the Geely group - the same family tree as Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, LEVC and the Mercedes-Benz Smart joint venture - and the role of Jameel Motors, the 80-year-old distributor putting the brand on UK roads. He explains why the SV (Super Van) and the newly launched V7e are built ground-up as EVs rather than adapted from combustion platforms, and why details like a standard ventilated seat, three-pin sockets in the load bay and a payload monitoring system are aimed squarely at fleet managers worried about driver welfare, compliance and downtime.
The conversation digs into:
Farizon's "fast follower” playbook and why the SV picked up MCFT's fleet after a TCO comparison that delivered £1,500–£2,000 per van per year in savingsThe AA partnership that puts mobile service, maintenance and repair on a 72-hour SLA - built around owner-operators who can't afford a day off the roadWhat Calum and Paul Kirby saw at the Beijing Motor Show: driverless Farizon vans on public roads, robotic 500kW chargers, and the gap between legacy OEMs that dream the future and Chinese manufacturers shipping itThe V7e's sub-£200-mile range, 1.3-tonne payload and 18-minute 80% rapid charge — and why charging speed has overtaken range anxiety as the fleet conversationZEV mandate pressure (10% market share against a 24% target), the shifting TCO maths as Middle East fuel volatility bites, and why 95% of electric van buyers are still fleetsCalum's path from part-time chef and Swindon banking grad to 11 years at Mercedes-Benz vans, and the leaders who shaped how he runs the team nowRegenerative leadership, the anonymous fortnightly mood meter Farizon publishes uncensored to its leadership team, and why Calum walks his dog around the same lake twice a day to stay grounded
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calum-j-b4328059/
Website: https://farizonauto.co.uk -
Stephen Clegg founded Topspeed Couriers in 1985 and has spent the last four years (and roughly £4.2 million) ripping diesel out of a logistics business that moves dangerous goods, radioactive material, and time-critical government samples around the UK. He sits down with Paul and John — joined briefly by Webfleet's Richard Parker before technology has other ideas — to talk about what actually happens when you stop talking about sustainability and start spending money on it.
The conversation gets into the specifics most operators avoid: why carbon emissions go up before they come down, why a Carbon Reduction Plan is essentially accountancy with different units, and why the much-repeated line "you'll save money by going green" is closer to "we're going to the moon in ten years" than a business case.
Also covered:
Winning a King's Award for Sustainability — and the team back at base who actually did the workWhy maintenance costs dropped to roughly a quarter once the diesel vans left the workshopThe shift to overnight, event-critical work and what that does to fleet utilisationDriving 15mph slower, the bonus scheme that makes it stick, and a 75% reduction in claims after rolling out AI-based driver and forward-facing camerasPublic charging discounts that kick in when you're plugging in three or four times a dayThe smash advert theory of refined fuels (you'll need to hear it)One missing Volvo EX90, one nine-year-old Land Rover Discovery pressed back into service, and a verdict on 15-year-old in-cab techA useful listen for anyone running a van fleet who's been told the transition is too hard, too expensive, or too early — and for anyone who's been told it'll be easy.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-clegg-b0179242/
Website: https://www.topspeedcouriers.co.uk -
Dev Chana started his career as an oil broker in Kensington. Three decades later he's running E.ON Drive Infrastructure in the UK, and his ambition for public charging is unexpectedly modest: he wants it to be boring. Reliable, standardised, unremarkable — the kind of refuel you don't post about because there's nothing to post.
Paul and Sas catch up with Dev after first meeting his team in a rain-lashed Welsh car park during the EV Rally, where the curb-free bays, weighted cables and a small dog set the tone for what EDRI is quietly building.
What's on the table:
How a 10-person team has put 300+ bays in the ground in three years, when the industry average to install a *single* charger is 18 monthsThe 39p–44p/kWh opening price, why there's no app or membership, and what "no faff, no fuss" actually costs to deliverAccessibility decisions baked in from day one: no bump stops, five-metre cables, CCTV on every HPC site, drainage that doesn't dump a puddle at the driver's feetWhy EDRI tiers its food and beverage partners instead of building its own forecourts — and why two early petrol-station sites won't be repeatedVans now make up 25% of utilisation. Nobody invited them. What that's telling EDRI about the next phase of the networkThe Shanghai motor show, BYD's jumping supercar, and what the XPeng/VW partnership signals for European OEMsDev's car-club mates who told him EVs would never take off — and have now switched their dailiesThe mentors who shaped him: Ann Buckingham, who pulled him into the sector, and his father's moral compassWhere consolidation in the CPO market needs to land for the consumer experience to finally standardiseDev is a self-confessed petrolhead with a V8 from the early '90s and a 1981 classic with fewer than 15 survivors. He's also the leader most likely to tell you the industry isn't done learning — and to ask what *you'd* change.
Guest: Dev Chana, Managing Director UK, E.ON Drive Infrastructure
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dev-chana-1228b94/
Website: https://www.edri.com -
Paul and John take listeners deep into the heart of China’s electric vehicle revolution with Elliot Richards, long-time Shanghai resident and driving force behind of Everything Electric APAC.
Fresh from Auto China, the conversation covers:
How Elliot went from a three‑month visit to China to 20 years immersed in its EV industry.The rapid transformation of cities like Shenzhen to all‑electric taxis and buses in under two months.The rise of BYD, Geely, and other manufacturers, and how vertical integration is giving Chinese brands a massive global advantage.Game‑changing innovations in batteries, from sodium‑ion grid storage to five‑minute flash charging and upcoming solid‑state technology.Autonomous driving, LiDAR‑equipped vehicles, robo‑taxis, and cargo bots that already operate in Chinese cities.The commercial vehicle sector, battery swapping, and why Europe’s legacy manufacturers are now partnering—or being outpaced—by Chinese firms.
Elliot Richards (LinkedIn)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-richards/
Everything Electric APAC
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVtrDZAqOFM8_wIZHHzsqvg -
This week: Tanya Sinclair, Chief Executive of Electric Vehicles UK (EVUK). Tanya shares how EVUK is tackling misinformation about electric vehicles, supporting both current and future drivers, and working with the wider e-mobility sector to build collaboration rather than competition.
She discusses the organisation’s approach to public engagement, from hosting hands-on events like Everything Electric to street-level outreach in city centres and even driving Members of Parliament around Westminster in EVs. Tanya explains how EVUK balances the need to educate hesitant drivers with the fast-paced innovation happening in the industry, all while building a sustainable organisation from the ground up.
There’s insights on:
Combating EV myths and online “guff”Engaging millions of future EV drivers beyond the enthusiast bubbleThe role of vans, taxis, and fleets in accelerating adoptionCollaborating across the entire e-mobility ecosystemBringing joy and positivity to serious industry workEvents mentioned include Everything Electric West (12–13 June in Cheltenham) and upcoming city-centre activations in Manchester, plus EVUK’s continued presence at political and industry showcases.
Tanya Sinclair (LinkedIn)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyasinclair/
Electric Vehicles UK
https://electricvehicles.uk
Everything Electric
https://uk.everythingelectric.show -
This week, Paul and Sara sit down with Becky Lalanne, Managing Director of Voqa, a new entrant in the UK EV charging market. Becky shares how Voqa is tackling the challenge of destination charging, introducing a 7–22kW AC charger with built-in contactless payments, designed to make charging effortless for drivers and more commercially viable for venues.
The conversation covers:
The frustrations of current destination charging and how Voqa addresses themWhy tethered AC chargers and tap-to-pay improve the driver experienceVoqa's approach to designing its own hardware for reliability and ease of maintenanceThe revenue-share model and business case for hotels, co-working spaces, and leisure venuesInsights into Becky's career journey from Red Bull cliff diving events to EV innovationThey also discuss future-proofing the UK charging network, the role of installers, and why putting the driver at the heart of design is key to accelerating electrification.
Becky Lalanne (LinkedIn)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-lalanne/
Voqa
https://www.voqa.com -
This week we sit down with Mike Seymour, the driving force behind TrueCharge, part of the TrueForm Group. With 50 years of experience in street furniture—think bus shelters, tram stops, and digital displays—TrueForm is now turning its expertise to the EV world, focusing on the often-overlooked infrastructure that protects and enhances charging sites.
Mike dives into:
Why many UK charging sites are underused, exposed, or already looking tired.How protecting EV chargers with shelters, canopies, and smart street furniture improves driver experience, utilisation, and long-term ROI.Lessons from his background in the military, sales, and early EV adoption—and how those experiences shaped his approach to business and problem-solving.The importance of moving the industry from talking and over-promising to actually delivering sustainable infrastructure.If you’ve ever arrived at a windswept charger in the rain and thought, “There must be a better way,” this conversation shows why the solution is already here—and why it matters for the future of EV adoption.
Mike Seymour (LinkedIn)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeseymour1/
TrueCharge
https://www.truecharge.co.uk -
Paul and John sit down with Peter Heath of PLP—the “biggest company you’ve never heard of,” supplying critical infrastructure for energy networks, EV charging, and solar carports. From recycled-plastic EV foundations that remove the need for concrete to helical-screw solar carports that can be installed in a single day, Peter explains how PLP is cutting carbon while enabling the transition to net zero.
The conversation moves beyond technology into Peter’s personal world—his love of the countryside, commitment to environmental action, late ADHD diagnosis, and the experience of adopting his daughter. He reflects on risk-taking, resilience, and the importance of leaving the planet in better shape for the next generation.
Peter Heath
https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterheath1/PLP EV
https://www.ev.plp.com -
This episode dives into the world of electric adventure travel with Tom Weiser and Kevin Murphy, co-founders of Nerpa Travel. Their company crafts low-impact, high-adventure trips that swap petrol-powered bangers for electric motorbikes and e‑bikes, combining sustainable transport with genuine cultural immersion.
Tom and Kev share:
How COVID and COP26 inspired them to launch Nerpa Travel The reality of running EV adventures in places like Vietnam, Thailand, and Wales Charging challenges, public transport hacks, and “squeaky bum” moments on the roadWhy small group travel and community connections are at the heart of their model Plans for upcoming adventures, including potential West Africa expeditionsFrom mountain passes in rural Vietnam to the slow travel benefits of local buses, this conversation explores how EV travel can be both practical and transformative.
Find out more at https://www.nerpatravel.com and discover their upcoming Lost in Vietnam trip, 3–13 December 2026.
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Paul Kirby and John Curtis are joined by Mike Costain and Nick Davison from Nineteen Group, the organisers of the Commercial Vehicle Show (CV Show). Recorded in the run-up to the 2026 event (21–23 April at Birmingham NEC), the conversation dives into:
The growth of the CV Show, with over 330 exhibitors and a 30–35% increase from last year.The EV Café Village and its 26 exhibitors, highlighting innovation in decarbonisation and electric vehicles.New entrants to the UK market including Cherry, BYD, and returning brands like Stellantis, Renault, Ford, Maxus, and IVECO.The launch of Bus & Coach Expo and the Ride & Drive experience, letting visitors test vehicles directly.Why creating a buzzing, community-driven event matters for trade shows and how Nineteen Group builds that atmosphere.The future of fleet electrification, the importance of infrastructure, and the role of the CV Show in supporting UK logistics and decarbonisation.From magicians and networking to new product launches and industry insight, this episode captures the energy behind the UK’s leading commercial vehicle event.
CV Show
https://www.cvshow.com
Nineteen Group
https://www.nineteengroup.com
Nick Davison
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-davison-94796614/
Mike Costain
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-costain-794b8412/ -
Buying a used electric car or van can feel like a leap of faith—how do you really know if the battery is healthy, how far it will go, or whether it will hold its charge? In this episode, we get to the heart of the current EV landscape with Alex Millinger of AVILOO, who specialise in plug‑and‑play battery diagnostics for EVs and PHEVs.
From the surge in UK demand for battery health certificates, to the role of auctions and dealers in building buyer confidence, Alex explains how AVILOO’s technology delivers a full state‑of‑health report in just three minutes. We explore:
Why used EV buyers are now demanding battery certificationHow AVILOO’s diagnostics and “battery cloud” turn data into actionable insightLessons from supporting fleets, dealers, and even private EV ownersThe global challenge of keeping up with new models, including the flood of Chinese EVsHow better battery transparency is unlocking the second‑hand EV marketIf you’ve ever hesitated to buy a pre‑owned electric car or wondered how to protect the value of a fleet, this conversation offers a clear view of what’s possible—and how the right data can remove the fear factor from going electric.
AVILOO Battery Diagnotics
https://aviloo.com -
This week, we dive into the reality of energy as a strategic asset for businesses making the shift to electric vehicles. JC is joined by Michael Kent, Managing Director of Palmer Energy, a company designing and manufacturing battery energy storage systems in partnership with Oxford spin-out Brill Power.
Michael unpacks:
How businesses can move from reacting to volatile energy markets to actively mastering themThe role of battery storage in overcoming grid constraints and unlocking EV fleet potentialIntegrating solar, wind, and grid power into optimised energy strategiesThe commercial realities of cost reduction, energy trading, and long-term resilience for fleetsFrom small cabinet batteries to full 20-foot containerised systems, learn how Palmer Energy is helping companies future-proof their operations, reduce costs, and accelerate the transition to electrification—without waiting for perfect grid conditions.
Michael Kent (LinkedIn)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-kent-15b75746/Palmer Energy
https://www.palmerenergytechnology.com -
Paul and John sit down with Fiona Howarth, founder of Octopus Electric Vehicles and part of the Octopus Energy Group, for a wide-ranging conversation that spans electric mobility, leadership, and the importance of living in the present.
Fiona reflects on:
- Building and scaling Octopus EV from concept to leasing hundreds of millions of pounds in vehicles.
- Taking a transformative sabbatical to reconnect with her children, explore philosophy, and embrace “treasure time.”
- How thinking differently—questioning societal “rules” and activating her creative side shapes innovation in EVs and beyond.
- Leading with human connection, cultivating teams like a “dry stone wall,” and helping people discover their superpowers.
- Earthset and Stellar Set, her initiatives fostering collaboration and leadership for a sustainable future.
- Insights from Davos, battery circularity, and why the UK underestimates the personal benefits of green tech.Fiona Howarth (LinkedIn)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-howarth/Fiona’s Previous episode
https://www.evcafe.org/podcast-episodes/fiona-howarth-how-she-survives-her-toughest-momentsOctopus EV
https://octopusev.com -
This week we dive into the practical world of electric vehicle innovation with Ben Whittaker, Chief Technology Officer at Kerbo Charge. Ben explains how a simple pavement channel could solve one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption—charging for the majority of drivers without off-street parking—and why making technology “boring” is often the ultimate goal.
From his early days salvaging components from skips to powering up a self-built computer, Ben shares how curiosity and hands-on problem-solving shaped his career. He talks about:
How Kerbo Charge enables safe, cost-effective home EV charging without a drivewayNavigating legislation and council approvals to make cross-pavement charging a realityThe importance of timing, failure, and resilience in building successful startupsTaking lessons from drama and storytelling to communicate complex ideas clearlyWhy the goal is to make game-changing technology feel effortless and everydayAlong the way, Ben reflects on his first business failures, the lessons in persistence and humility, and how to create solutions that become invisible parts of daily life.
Ben Whittaker (LinkedIn)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjdw/
Kerbo Charge
https://www.kerbocharge.com -
In this episode, hosts Paul and John welcome Neil Hughes, Head of Business Development at Utility Line, to explore the complex but critical world of powering the UK’s transition to electric vehicles.
Neil shares insights from over 25 years in the electrical industry, including his work behind the scenes on the “grey boxes” and infrastructure that make EV charging possible. He discusses how Utility Line, an independent connection provider, is helping businesses simplify grid connections, overcome red tape, and prepare for the electrification of fleets, trucks, buses, and industrial sites.
The conversation ranges from:
- Real-world challenges of connecting EV infrastructure to the grid
- Using battery storage to bridge power gaps and future-proof sites
- Balancing sustainability with wildlife and land protection during development
- The importance of trust, relationships, and determination in driving changeAnd yes, there’s also talk of Wrexham’s Hollywood moment, Neil’s personal goal to complete a 10k, and a wish to cut through the red tape holding back the UK’s net zero ambitions.
If you’re curious about how EV charging infrastructure really gets powered—and the people working to make it happen—this episode is packed with practical insight and candid conversation.
Utility Line | Specialist Independent Connection Provider
https://www.utilityline.co.uk/Adler & Allan | Environmental Risk Reduction
https://www.adlerandallan.co.uk/ -
Graeme Cooper returns to The EV Café Takeaway for a conversation that spans life, energy, and the future of zero-emission transport—this time from his new home in snowy Massachusetts. Once the very first guest on the podcast, Graeme reflects on leaving National Grid, navigating a transatlantic relocation, and adapting to the realities of the US energy and EV market.
From the rise of “greenhushing” to the challenges of electrifying vast American fleets, Graeme pulls apart the complex relationship between federal and state policies, the unintended consequences of political decisions, and why pragmatism and emotional resilience matter in the energy transition. Along the way, he shares candid insights about personal change, building a sustainable home, and why the human side of the net-zero story can’t be ignored.
Topics include:
Living and working in the US under shifting political windsHow state vs. federal rules drive (or hinder) EV adoptionThe concept of **greenhushing** and why clean energy is happening quietlyPragmatism in large-scale energy projects, from data centres to EV fleetsPersonal lessons in resilience, adaptability, and finding “home” abroadA thoughtful look at the zero-emission journey from both sides of the Atlantic—delivered in true Graeme Cooper style.
Graeme Cooper (LinkedIn)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/graemecooper/ - Show more
