Beyond the Plug: Insights on EV Charging Infrastructure

Contents

In the latest episode of Curve Ahead, I had the opportunity to speak with Jason Cortes, VP of EV Services at Field Advantage. With 27 years of experience in transportation and energy infrastructure, Jason brings a unique perspective to the evolving landscape of electric vehicle charging. Our conversation revealed fascinating insights about the complexities of EV infrastructure and debunked common misconceptions that could help businesses and individuals better understand this rapidly growing industry.

The Hidden Complexity Behind EV Charging

While most people are familiar with the plug-and-play simplicity of gas stations, EV charging infrastructure reveals itself to be significantly more complex. As Jason explained:

“When you look at the EV charger, it is an IoT asset. It’s literally a digitally connected asset. And so it’s not just hardware that’s grid tied, that’s dispensing electrons. It is communicating with the vehicle.”

This digital handshake between charger and vehicle creates a fundamentally different experience than traditional fueling. The vehicle’s battery management system communicates its state of charge and controls the charging session, requesting the energy it needs to reach the driver’s preset levels—typically 80% to preserve battery longevity.

For podcast producers, this insight highlights an important storytelling opportunity: the technology stories that often go untold beneath seemingly simple consumer experiences. Just as there’s an intricate digital dance happening between EV and charger, there are complex production elements beneath the surface of every polished podcast episode that listeners never see.

Debunking Common EV Misconceptions

Jason addressed several misconceptions about EVs and charging infrastructure that offer valuable lessons in how misinformation spreads in emerging industries:

  1. Charging Inconvenience: While many compare EV charging to gas station experiences, Jason notes that 70% of charging actually happens at home. “You charge while you’re doing life, not pausing life to charge,” he explained.
  2. Safety Concerns: Despite media sensationalism, vehicle fires are significantly less common in EVs than in gas-powered vehicles—approximately 20 EV fires per 100,000 vehicles versus 2,000 gas vehicle fires per 100,000.
  3. Set-It-and-Forget-It: EV chargers aren’t static infrastructure but high-powered, software-enabled machines requiring regular maintenance and upkeep.

These misconceptions highlight how emerging technologies often battle perception problems that can significantly impact adoption. As content creators, podcast producers face similar challenges when explaining the value of podcasting to businesses unfamiliar with the medium. Just as Jason works to educate people about EV infrastructure realities, podcast producers must often debunk misconceptions about podcast production complexity, audience reach, or measurement capabilities.

The Infrastructure Expansion Challenge

Field Advantage faces a substantial growth challenge as EV adoption increases. With chargers deployed across numerous locations and multiple manufacturers, each with their own protocols and specifications, scaling service capabilities while maintaining quality is complex:

“Scale without compromising quality… As more chargers hit the ground, the pressure on field service providers will grow. Our plan is to stay disciplined, to invest in training, to invest in technology, to invest in and refine and continue to refine our process. We’re scaling smart, not just scaling fast.”

This approach—scaling smart rather than just scaling fast—offers a valuable lesson for growing podcast production agencies. As demand increases, the temptation to grow quickly can lead to quality compromises. Instead, investing in training, technology, and refined processes allows for sustainable growth that maintains service standards.

The Standardization Challenge

One of the most interesting aspects of our conversation was learning about the lack of standardization in EV charging. Unlike gas pumps that work universally with any vehicle, EV chargers feature different plugs, communication protocols, and power capabilities:

“You’ve got adapters and you’ve got different protocols, but… you have three types of communication protocols which have unique hardware aspect to them. So Tesla has its own proprietary plug… The American and European models of EVs, they have a plug that is referred to in the United States as CCS1… And then there’s an outlier, a third protocol with its own unique hardware design, and that is a Chattemo.”

This fragmentation creates both challenges and opportunities. While it complicates the user experience, it also opens doors for innovation around adapters and cross-compatibility solutions.

Similarly, podcast producers face fragmentation challenges across distribution platforms, analytics systems, and monetization methods. Finding ways to streamline production across these varied systems while maximizing value for clients represents both a challenge and an opportunity for differentiation.

The Role of Policy in Infrastructure Development

Government policy plays a significant role in EV infrastructure deployment, creating what Jason calls “tailwinds, roadblocks, and opportunities.” While public funding programs like the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) initiative have accelerated deployment, Jason offered a nuanced perspective on their impact:

“I have only viewed free money as a drag in deployments because it creates interested parties that aren’t really viable candidates to deploy chargers in the first place.”

His perspective suggests that while incentives can jump-start adoption, sustainable infrastructure ultimately depends on viable business models. This mirrors the podcast industry’s evolution, where early enthusiasm and investment have gradually given way to more sustainable business models focused on quality, audience engagement, and measurable results.

Lessons for Content Creators and Businesses

Jason’s insights offer several valuable takeaways for podcast producers and businesses considering podcast content:

  1. Educate to overcome misconceptions: Just as Jason works to dispel EV myths, podcast producers must educate potential clients about podcast realities—both capabilities and limitations.
  2. Balance innovation with reliability: New technologies are exciting, but reliability matters most to users. Whether it’s an EV charger or a podcast distribution system, consistent performance builds trust.
  3. Look beyond the visible: The complexity beneath simple interfaces—whether charging stations or podcast episodes—represents the true value professionals bring to the process.
  4. Scale smartly: Growing sustainably means investing in systems, training, and processes rather than simply increasing volume.
  5. Adapt to policy and market shifts: External factors will influence any industry. Being agile enough to adapt while maintaining core capabilities is essential to long-term success.

Conclusion: The Infrastructure Behind the Experience

My conversation with Jason highlighted how critical behind-the-scenes infrastructure is to delivering seamless experiences. Whether it’s keeping EV chargers operational across the country or ensuring podcast episodes reach listeners without technical hiccups, the infrastructure supporting the user experience often goes unnoticed until something goes wrong.

As Jason put it: “The EV transition depends on trust. Trust comes from infrastructure that works.” This principle applies equally to podcast production. Listeners trust that episodes will be available when expected, sound professional, and deliver consistent value. Building and maintaining that trust requires the same attention to infrastructure, quality control, and technical expertise that Field Advantage brings to EV charging.

For businesses considering podcasting as a marketing channel, understanding this infrastructure component is essential to selecting the right production partner—one who, like Field Advantage in the EV space, has the expertise to keep your content “charging” reliably, even if listeners never see the complex systems making it possible.


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