Episodes

  • 28: Talking Net Zero Episode 28 - Emily Martin & Merisa Lee Gimpel

    28: Talking Net Zero Episode 28 - Emily Martin & Merisa Lee Gimpel
    Aug 30 2022
    In the latest episode of Talking Net Zero, Sara chats with Emily Martin, Director, Sustainability & ESG Finance, and Merisa Lee Gimpel, Head of Working Capital Solution Development, at Lloyds Bank.

    During the episode, Sara, Emily and Merisa discuss the supply chain, the unknowns of embedded carbon, ring-fenced investing and how this affects SMEs transitioning to a more conscious, ESG-orientated supply chain.
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    19 mins
  • 27: Talking Net Zero Episode 27 - David Balensiefen

    27: Talking Net Zero Episode 27 - David Balensiefen
    May 18 2022
    In this week's episode, Sara talks to David Balensiefen - the CEO and Founder of gridX.  The pioneer of a business which is, at its heart, focused on the future, David works to build infrastructure for the growth of electrical vehicle usage across fleets and individual businesses - from the vehicles themselves to the number of charge points located in and around business buildings and structures.   During the episode, David tells Sara about his past experience, how he built gridX, and what inspired his drive to change our attitude to energy management - so that people who want to embrace electric vehicles, can. 
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    15 mins
  • 26: Talking Net Zero Episode 26 - Steven Meersman

    26: Talking Net Zero Episode 26 - Steven Meersman
    Apr 14 2022
    Describing himself as “an electrical mechanical engineer who was saved from a career in banking by the financial crisis,” Steven Meersman is a co-founder of Zenobē .

    He chats with Sara Sloman about how Zenobē is providing transport solutions to the energy grid and vice-versa, 

    In other words, batteries in bus depots that can store solar energy generated on site, then top up buses during the day, or sell the surplus back to the electricity company at times of peak demand.

    Not only does it save upgrades to the grid for running electric fleets, but it saves operators money too, typically from £60,000-£600,000 a year.

    They mull over whether the government’s existing system of ZEBRA electric bus grants is handled in the best way: Surprise, they’re not, creating a big ‘pause’ across the whole industry. He offers a simple solution to free up the log-jam the current funding models create.

    He also explains how, as a managed service, Zenobē takes away risk from the customer, acting as a new class of service provider, sitting between the vehicle operator and banks (which aren’t able to fund battery assets).

    We also learn some interesting trivia: What time do depot managers wake up?

    Finally, Steven explains why Zenobē is buying all the surplus EV batteries across Europe it can find, as it digs deep into using their second life ahead of a tsunami wave of second life batteries becoming available – which must not be recycled.

    He also hints at how this will be demonstrated at ITT Hub, where Zenobē is the charging partner for demonstrator EVs on site during 11-12 May 2022.
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    19 mins
  • 25: Talking Net Zero Episode 25 - Lorna McAtear

    25: Talking Net Zero Episode 25 - Lorna McAtear
    Apr 6 2022
    This week’s episode introduces our host to Lorna McAtear - an award-winning fleet manager from National Grid who has worked across and spearheaded the transition to EV for a range of vehicles and vehicle-led industries.  

    Lorna’s daily role is fleet management, taking the concepts, ideas, and innovation from all corners of the industry and transforming into groundwork and action. Her role sees her look after vehicles as they are moved to electric, covering a wide selection of commercial vehicles and cars for the National Grid organisation. 

    In this episode, she talks to host Sara about her day job, her motivations, and the way that she collaborates with other organisations and industries to create change - all while spearheading diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 

    Look out for the Talent Hub at this year’s ITT Hub, which is being led by Lorna and her team. 
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    18 mins
  • 24: Talking Net Zero Episode 24 - Ancel Boucher

    24: Talking Net Zero Episode 24 - Ancel Boucher
    Feb 25 2022
    This week’s episode introduces Vyntelligence's Ancel Boucher, who virtually met with Sara during the infamous Storm Eunice to discuss his role, the work of Vyntelligence, and how to collaborate in our mission to meet net zero.

    Vyntelligence is, for Ancel, a valuable opportunity that allows him to become part of a wider project to support the rollout of support videos - helping users on the ground share their issues, challenges, and solutions relating to electric chargers and vehicle use. Is the fear of electrical challenges holding UK consumers back from embracing EV 100%? Is a lack of chargers creating problems that impact the broader rollout of EV across a wider user base? In this podcast, Ancel and Sara answer these important questions.
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    20 mins
  • 23: Talking Net Zero Episode 23 - Jon Burdekin

    23: Talking Net Zero Episode 23 - Jon Burdekin
    Feb 11 2022
    In this week's Talking Net Zero podcast, host Sara talks to Jon Burdekin of JB Fleet Consulting - all about helping people get on board with and embrace the future of electric vehicles. Building an entire consultancy business on the question of "how do I go electric?", Jon works with individuals and companies across different levels to ensure that electric vehicle knowledge permeates every corner of the commercial vehicle sector. In this podcast, Sara and Jon discuss Jon's route into creating his own consultancy, share some top tips on embracing electric, and talk about the future of the business.
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    20 mins
  • 22: Talking Net Zero Episode 22 - James Johnston

    22: Talking Net Zero Episode 22 - James Johnston
    Jan 12 2022
    What do you know about the long term sustainability of the UK energy grid? Did you know that flexible energy literally fills the gaps which exist when energy supply and demand do not match?

    We kick off the 22nd Talking Net Zero podcast episode with a look at flexible energy, with host Sara chatting to Piclo’s CEO and Co-Founder James Johnston. The topic of trading energy flexibility online is one which will be new to many listeners - but luckily for you, we’ve done all the research for you so that you don’t have to. 

    Listen in as our host and special guest discuss what the energy flexibility market really does, and why it is so important to the electric vehicle industry - kicking off with a deep dive into the work of Piclo and what it means to operate on flexible energy. 
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    16 mins
  • 21: Talking Net Zero Episode 21 - Mike Strahlman

    21: Talking Net Zero Episode 21 - Mike Strahlman
    Dec 20 2021
    ***Please note: As many of us are all too aware, remote meetings can sometimes run into technical difficulties. In this episode we encountered audio quality issues. A write-up of this episode will be available soon, but in the meantime, feel free to listen to this episode with that in mind.***

    In this episode of Talking Net Zero, Sara welcomes Mike Strahlman to the studio. Mike’s current role of Director of EV at JustPark sees him working on the messaging and marketing surrounding EV charging and convenience for drivers and parking space hosts. He has been at JustPark since July 2021 but is already making big waves in the business and wider industry. 

    With collaboration, inspiration, and innovation the name of the game, this episode starts with Mike’s experiences in the energy industry - from chemicals to alternative and more sustainable energy solutions - before moving into his takeaways from COP26, what fleet drivers can do to join the EV revolution with JustPark, and how the app really works for its users. 

    JustPark is a platform which matches drivers with parking spaces, hosting both drivers and hosts in a business model which benefits both parties. 
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    19 mins