The EV Charging Podcast

Jeff Sykes and Dan Carson take a step back to reflect on what actually happened in Australia’s EV market in 2025 and to make some bold, evidence-based predictions for 2026.
From EV sales data and charging infrastructure growth, to government policy, vehicle-to-grid progress, and the rise of Chinese EV brands, this episode connects the dots between headlines, real-world experience, and where the industry is heading next.
The conversation kicks off with a very real (and slightly painful) Christmas road-trip charging fail — before zooming out to the bigger picture of adoption, affordability, infrastructure, and grid reform.
In this episode, Jeff and Dan unpack:
What Australia’s 100,000+ EV sales milestone really means (and why growth has been slower than early predictions)
Why plug-in hybrids surged in 2025 — and whether that’s a stepping stone or a detour
How BYD overtook Tesla in key segments, and why brand “social proof” matters more than specs
The explosion of new EV models (including sub-$40k and sub-$50k vehicles)
Why EV utes are still the missing piece — and why the BYD Shark matters
The impact of vehicle emissions standards and novated lease FBT exemptions
What’s really holding back public fast charging profitability
A clear, plain-English explanation of network tariffs and why they matter for EV charging
The real state of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) in Australia — progress, pilots, and remaining roadblocks
Why battery health concerns are increasingly misplaced
What 2026 could bring for:EV adoption rates
Charging network consolidation
Second-hand EV markets
Electric motorcycles
Smart home EV chargers and tariff-driven charging

This episode is part industry analysis, part lived experience, and part crystal-ball gazing grounded in data, policy, and what Jeff and Dan are seeing on the ground every day.
If you want a clear-eyed view of where Australia’s EV transition really stands — and where it’s likely headed next — this one’s for you.

Recorded live at Everything Electric Melbourne, this special episode of the EV Charging Podcast takes you onto the show floor with Jeff Sykes and Dan Carson.
Across a series of 3–5 minute interviews, they talk with innovators in:
EV battery health testing
On-street home charging for houses with no driveway
Classic car EV conversions
High-performance electric motorbikes
Thermal home batteries for heating & cooling
Home energy ecosystems (solar, batteries, EV charging, hot water)
You’ll hear from:
Nathan Gore-Brown – Founder, TEST EV
Bringing AVILOO battery diagnostics from Austria to Australia & New Zealand to give buyers, sellers and fleets objective EV battery health reports. 
Ross de Rango – Director & Co-Founder, Vehicle Charging Solutions Australia (VCSA)
Former Head of Energy & Infrastructure at the Electric Vehicle Council, now piloting an overhead “boom” charger so people without off-street parking can safely charge from their own supply. 
Scott Anderson – Co-Founder, Revival EV
Converting classics like a 1970s BMW 2002 into fully electric cars, with reversible conversions that keep the original driveline whenever possible. 
Sam Carter – Marketing Manager & Lead Creative, Savic Motorcycles
Part of the founding team behind the Savic C-Series electric café racer, an Aussie-built high-performance electric motorcycle made in West Melbourne. 
Nick Zeniou – Founder, Thermal Dawn
Building a “thermal battery” for homes that stores heating and cooling rather than electricity, based on his experience in HVAC and large-scale energy generation. 
Shahram “Shaz” Shadan – Managing Director, myenergi APAC
Senior leadership at myenergi, leading the rollout of the zappi EV charger, eddi, harvi and the libbi home battery as a single home-energy ecosystem across Australia and New Zealand. 
Along the way they bust myths about EV battery life, explore how councils are handling on-street charging, and look at how smart home energy management is evolving as more households electrify everything.
Brought to you by Solar Choice, Australia’s online quote comparison tool for solar, batteries, EV chargers, air con and heat pump hot water systems.

Chargefox Head of Partner Success Rohan Smith joins us to unpack how Australia’s largest EV charging app turns a fragmented hardware landscape into a simple, reliable driver experience.
We trace Rohan’s journey (AGL → DNSP trials → RACV → Chargefox) and dig into the platform choices behind public charging that just works: OCPP-based interoperability, first-attempt start success, clear pricing (kWh, time-based and idle fees), payments, and the data that guides new site builds. Rohan shares usage trends—300k+ app users, ~5,000 plugs across public and private networks, sessions doubling YoY—and why “driver-first” means better maps, accessibility, and integrations (e.g., in-car systems and retail partners).
We also explore:
Roaming to reduce “app fatigue” and lift utilisation
Why charge to ~80% on DC keeps trips moving
Strata & fleets: RFID, workplace billing and load limits
V2G/V2L: dynamic pricing, grid support events, and resilience during outages
Whether you’re planning a road trip, operating a site, or mapping the future of the grid, this episode translates EV charging buzzwords into practical decisions drivers actually feel—uptime, speed to charge, and confidence to go electric.

What does it take to build a reliable EV charging network across one of the largest and sparsest countries on earth? In this episode, we sit down with Scott Carden, Head of Engineering at the NRMA, to explore the hidden lessons behind Australia’s EV charging rollout.
Scott shares the realities of delivering fast EV chargers in remote and off-grid locations, where extreme conditions, limited usage and technical hurdles make the challenge unlike anywhere else in the world. From the Eldunda off-grid charging experiment in the Northern Territory to the NRMA’s goal of installing a charger every ~150 km on highways, we uncover what it takes to create the backbone of a truly national EV network.
Topics covered include:
The engineering challenge of EV chargers spiking from 0–100% load in 0.1 seconds.
Why cooling batteries in the outback can sometimes use more energy than the cars themselves.
How the NRMA’s mutual model allows investment in less-commercial, ultra-remote charging sites.
Lessons from “alpha,” “beta” and “release candidate” charging stations tested in the field.
Balancing metro hubs and regional coverage to build a sustainable EV charging future.
Whether you’re an EV driver, policymaker or part of the charging industry, this episode provides an inside look at what it actually takes to make EV charging work across Australia.

We sit down with Tom Gan — doctor by day, creator of Ludicrous Feed by night — one of Australia’s most trusted voices on electric vehicles and home energy.
Tom shares:
What he saw inside China’s mind-blowing EV factories — and what it means for Australian drivers
How his Tesla Model S still runs at 93% battery health after a decade
Why most EVs in Australia are already vehicle-to-grid (V2G) compatible
How his household earned $60 in one night with Amber Energy
Why Tesla is facing serious competition from BYD, Zeekr, XPeng & MG
If you’re curious about EV charging, solar batteries, or how to future-proof your home energy, this conversation is packed with insights you won’t hear anywhere else.