Greg Rust

Join ‘Mr. Motorsport’ Rusty and carsales’ Nadine Armstrong as they keep you up to date with the latest developments in the world of electric vehicles.  Stay in the know about the hottest releases, put your mind at ease as they bust common EV myths, and hear from the people who have swapped the bowser for the battery. Expert guests, those doing the impossible with EVs, and a no nonsense look at Watts Under the Bonnet.

It’s the topic almost synonymous with electric vehicles themselves – the environment – but are EVs really as beneficial as we think? To help simplify the science, Nadine and Rusty sit down with Dr Karl Kruzeniski, to debunk some of the most common myths about how green our EVs seem. Our meet an EV-er joins us from the driver’s seat of his BYD Atto 3 and we meet Wiebe Wakker, the Dutchman who drove from the Netherlands to Sydney in 2019 to promote sustainability, although it didn’t exactly start that way. Dubbed the ‘Forrest Gump’ of electric mobility, Wiebe tells us about the triumphs and challenges of the trip, one that involved leveraging a tailwind to extend his range into Coober Pedy… tune in to find out if he made it!

Find Wiebe on Instagram @plugmeintravel or head to his website here. 

Watts Under the Bonnet - The Electric Vehicle Podcast

Are Electric Vehicles really better for the environment?

As more electric vehicles hit the road, more power is needed to charge them, leading hosts Rusty and Nadine to ask, can the grid keep up with this increase in demand? CEO of Transgrid Brett Redman thinks so. From innovations in power supply, to their own newly revealed fleet of EVs, Brett shares insights into what the future of electricity in Australia could look like and what they’re doing to adapt. We also meet Tim Clarke, eMobility Manager and Product Strategy at Mitsubishi Motors who tells us about the first bi-directional EV charging infrastructure in Australia and what that means for consumers. Our meet an EV-er Garrick Rollason also knows a thing or two about the grid as the Chief Financial Officer at CitiPower, Powercor and United Energy; he reveals the important lessons he learnt as a new BMW i4 owner.

Can the grid cope?

As the world rapidly adjusts to the growth of electric vehicles, can Australia rise to the challenge and lead the way in EV policy? In this episode, Rusty and Nadine are joined by movers and shakers from the EV industry to explore this question. NSW Minister for Energy Matt Kean reveals the most up-to-date plans from the desk of the NSW Government, Scott Nagar from Hyundai shares what industry would like to see from those in charge, and Dr Gail Broadbent, a policy advisor to the NSW Government and expert in EV policy and social attitudes shares what she thinks our EV future should look like. Plus, we meet a petrol-head turned EV’r and answer your questions in Listener Mailbox!

Could Australia ever lead the way in EV policy?

Everyday batteries get smaller and quieter, leaving manufactures with an empty blueprint and one central question: what should and could electric vehicles sound and look like? Dr Stephan Gsell, Audi Sound Engineer, joins Rusty and Nadine to discuss exactly how they answered that question when it came to the sound of the Audi e-tron GT and why a didgeridoo was central to the process. Our meet an EV-er Chris Kerr from Clipsal by Schneider Electric tells us about the most comfortable 30,000kms he’s ever driven now he’s in a Hyundai IONIQ 5, and Ralph Giles, Head of Design Global at Fiat Chrysler is back to discuss the evolution of electric vehicle design and what could be on the design horizon for Jeep and the iconic 7-bar grille in the future.  

The art and engineering of EV sound and body design explained

The electric vehicle landscape is changing every day and Australian consumers are hungry for what’s next according to Stephen Connor, Managing Director of Volvo Australia who have committed to an all-electric fleet by 2026. Chatting to Rusty and Nadine, Stephen shares the exciting two-way charging capabilities and a local infrastructure plan that could make EV driving easier than ever, and save you money. Our meet an EV-er tells us how the one-pedal drive in her new BMW iX3 has her happy to be sitting in traffic, and carsales journalists John Mahoney and Feann Torr beam in from overseas checking out the latest in EV-releases. Ben Wilks, Director of CUPRA Australia, also stops by to discuss the new CUPRA Born that’s putting style and fun back into EVs.

What’s next for Electric Vehicles in Australia? Tech, product and bringing fun back into driving

What could be more true to the Aussie experience than a bit of bush-bashing off the beaten track, but can EVs cut the mustard when it comes to off-road driving? This is the question Nadine and Rusty are on a mission to answer with Ralph Gilles, head of design at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, who helped design the first off-road 4x4 electric Jeep that might just crawl better than its ICE counterpart. We also meet EV-er Geoff Morgan who you’ll find driving a Porsche Taycan - yes, a Taycan – to and from his farm 300km away. The news has Nadine blushing with the mention of Zac Efron, and trucksales.com.au Editor Geoff Middleton gives us the rundown on electric trucks after visiting the IAA Transportation Show in Hanover. And Dave Budge, Chief Product Officer at Fellten, tells us about how an idea to convert his beloved Land Rover to an EV, led to a business that might just have you considering a retrofit.

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Watts Under the Bonnet - The Electric Vehicle Podcast

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