Directly Current: EVs for All America

Last week's elections shifted control of Congress and changed the lineup in statehouses across the country. Mike Murphy, founder of EVs for All America, joins Max to talk about what the results could mean for federal, state and long-term EV policy.

Some highlights of the convo:

Episode page and show notes on evsforallamerica.org

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Scout Motors is a new, reborn brand with Volkswagen support bringing off-road trucks to the US in the form of the Traveler and Terra SUV and pickup truck. You may remember them from the last century under the International Harvester name. Max speaks with the startup's State principal of Government Affairs, Shannon Fender, to learn how Scout is approaching direct-to-consumer sales, as well as forging new regulatory categories like Extended Range EVs or EREVs, which their upcoming vehicle will offer with an auxiliary gas generator to get more range off-grid.
Extended-range EVs are electric vehicles. In an EREV, electric motors drive the wheels at all times, and the onboard gas generator only recharges the battery. How states define that category is a big part of this conversation.
Some highlights of the convo:
- The venerable history of the Scout brand and how they kicked off SUVs last century
- How Scout got reborn under Volkswagen and what it's bringing to market in 2027
- The legislative landscape across the US of dealer franchise laws and the debate over direct-to-consumer sales
- Why EREVs are electric vehicles, and the regulatory distinctions between EREVs, PHEVs, and full EVs

🔗 Resources and Links:
Check out Scout's landing page

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Episode page and show notes on evsforallamerica.org
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You've probably seen the Pilot, or Pilot Flying J, logo on your road trips if you've been around the US highway system. They operate a top-shelf fueling network, and over the last few years, they've worked with partners like EVgo and General Motors to put that expertise into charging. Max speaks with their director of light duty EV infrastructure, Scott Hundley, on how they plan to continue adding value to EV drivers. All the while, national fuel prices are driving more towards electrification, so the charging has to work.
Some highlights of the convo:
- Pilot's advantage in operating a 24/7 convenience store and being able to benchmark their gas fueling business
- Their site and pricing strategy as a more premium option along major highway corridors and recreation gateways
- How they work to keep pace with EV world, which moves at a mile a minute (i.e. the transition to NACS plugs)
- What's coming next down the pipeline, and Scott's personal favorite amenity for EV drivers

🔗 Resources and Links:
Check out a map of Pilot's sites

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Episode page and show notes on evsforallamerica.org
Subscribe to Directly Current on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Support EVs for All America

Rivian is on a tear in 2026 with their affordable R2 SUV earning accolades and maxing out their American production capacity. Behind the scenes, AJ Hatzis leads strategy and growth for the company's highly-regarded DC-fast charging network, the Rivian Adventure Network (RAN, for short). Max catches up with him to learn why Rivian is investing so much in its own chargers, even for non-Rivian EVs, and what makes them special.
Some highlights of the convo:
- Rivian's vertical integration advantage at tying in great charging hardware with a reliable ecosystem
- The differing strategies between retail hubs and remote outposts that Rivian serves
- The brand investment made at sites like Moab where you can buy granola and test drive an R2!
- What AJ's learned in his decade-plus of experience in the evolving DCFC business

 🔗 Resources and Links:
Check out a map of Rivian's sites

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Episode page and show notes on evsforallamerica.org
Subscribe to Directly Current on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Support EVs for All America

EVs for All America founder Mike Murphy just went cross-country, 3,000 miles with zero gas and plenty of American factory tours in his brand new Porsche Cayenne Electric. Max and Mike catch up to see how the journey went, unpack how easy and fast charging has become, and the highs and lows of seeing free world auto investment in a landscape of turbulent US policy contrasted by clear global progress in electrification.
Some highlights of the journey and their conversation:
- A drone mishap at a windy Bucc-ees station in Texas
- A missed highway exit for a critical cahrging stop and an opportune turnout that let Mike roast some fancy tires on gravel
- Mike's stops at from Tesla, Honda, Francis Energy, LG Energy that tell a story of American investment
- The duo's recommendations on the best non-Porsche road tripping EVs to buy for the rest of us

Resources and Links:
Watch the full series
Read Mike's Substack writeup on the journey

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Watch this episode on YouTube
Episode page and show notes on evsforallamerica.org
Subscribe to Directly Current on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Support EVs for All America

Dario Pagani transitioned from ChargePoint to Autel Energy years ago as the compancy, once a scan-tool manufacturer from Shenzhen, was building out its transition to charging hardware with a North Carolina factory and California-based innovation center. He's ready to share some of the trends he's seen in both the level 2 (slow) and DC (fast) charging industries for EVs, where market and incentive structures are shaping a lucrative but novel business that's part-construction, part-manufacturing reliant on global supply chains, and part-technology company.
Max and Dario go over
- The aggressive pace of EV charging relative to modest EV passenger adoption in the US
- The challenges since COVID of being a global manufacturer who produces their own hardware
- The evolution of his role from being at a CPO (Charge Point Operator) to a company that ships interoperable hardware that is flexible
- Trends he's seeing in the charging business as retail and multifamily adoption grows

Resources and Links:
Check out Dario's LinkedIn

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Episode page and show notes on evsforallamerica.org
Subscribe to Directly Current on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Support EVs for All America

Jamie Butters was the Editor in Chief of Automotive News, has covered the Motor City at outlets like the Wall Street Journal, and is hosting a regular radio show called Auto Town speaking to folks inside the American car industry. Max speaks with him to get an idea at how Detroit is doing in the current US moment where oil prices are high, consumers love hybrids, and fuel standards are absent, giving automakers a spout of relief but also uncertainty for the future ahead as Chinese cars continue their global conquest abroad. 
Max and Jamie go over
- The pause in fuel economy standards giving American automakers relief
- Hybrid portfolios and the hype over "EREVs" in Detroit
- The tension of value per dollar to the consumer and privacy/national domestic manufacturing that Chinese EVs present to North America
- The enduring, emotional appeal of combustion to enthusiasts

Resources and Links:
Listen to Jamie's Auto Town on Radio or Podcast Feeds

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Watch this episode on YouTube
Episode page and show notes on evsforallamerica.org
Subscribe to Directly Current on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Support EVs for All America

Transportation electrification is often framed in environmental terms, but Ben Prochazaka and his colleagues at the Electrification Coalition present a different reason to plug in. Oil dependence is a dangerous addiction for economic and geopolitical reasons, as current events have reminded many Americans. He joins the show to explain the progress made in EVs, both passenger and freight, and how barriers like affordability are rapidly becoming less steep.
Max and Ben go over
- The roadblocks to EVs in charging, supply chain, and affordability
- Oil dependency in the US and why electrification is a must
- The progress in medium and heavy duty electrification with Tesla Semi
- The unfair surface transportation bill being proposed to unduly tax EV drivers

Resources and Links:
Tell your Congress person about the unfair EV bill
Stay tuned to the Electrification Roadmap

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Watch this episode on YouTube
Episode page and show notes on evsforallamerica.org
Subscribe to Directly Current on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Support EVs for All America

Many new EVs like GM's EV pickup trucks, Ford's upcoming UEV, and Tesla's Cybertruck are capable of exporting onboard power from their large batteries into someone's home to act as a bckup generator, or even back into the grid to act as a grid stabilizer that could save people money on their bill each month. This is the promise of vehicle-to-grid. However,. the rules around vehicle-grid interconnection are fractured, local, and still nascent. Zach and his team at the Vehicle Grid Integration Council (VGIC) have been working to change that, making sure EVs and utilities are ready for the future in a safe, responsible way.
Max and Zach go over
- The bottlenecks to adoption that have slowed the technology
- The promise VGI has for a more strained than ever grid
- The work some states like Maryland have done to advance the ball
- The interoperability problem around vehicles, chargers, and gateway switches
- Driving down the cost of V2G systems, which are expensive today

Resources and Links:
Check out VGIC's work
Follow Zach on LinkedIn

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Watch this episode on YouTube
Episode page and show notes on evsforallamerica.org
Subscribe to Directly Current on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Support EVs for All America

James Bell is the head of PR and comms for Kia in America, and he's overseen the brand evolve from being a budget/used car alternative into a premium competitor, particularly in the EV space. Hot on the heels of announcing the affordable EV3 for the US, James speaks with Max to discuss how Kia isn't letting up on its EV platforms and strategy despite the doom and gloom of some US market forecasters. In fact, he's quite confident EVs are an inevitable future for passenger transport, even if some of his colleagues at other OEMs are taking big writedowns and blaming EVs for strategy failures.
Max and James go over
- Kia's reinvention as a premium, tech-forward brand competing with European auto
- The Georgia plants where many Kia are built in the US and consumers wanting desirable product regardless of origin
- The new EV3 which competes with the Bolt and Nissan LEAF as an affordable but desirable compact car
- His experience almost running out of range in a tiny Mercedes B-class electric during the very early days of EVs
Resources and Links:
Check out the new Kia EV3

⚡ Stay Plugged In
Watch this episode on YouTube
Episode page and show notes on evsforallamerica.org
Subscribe to Directly Current on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Support EVs for All America