Winning In Asia: A ZoZo Go Podcast

It is hard for Americans to imagine not being No. 1. The US has been the leading industrial, economic and military power since the end of WWII. But now America confronts a challenger that appears to be bigger, faster and more ambitious. That challenger is China. The PRC now manufactures one third of the world's cars, sixty percent of EVs, seventy percent of batteries and utterly dominates battery supply chains. How did Chinese companies get so powerful so quickly? What can America and the West learn from China's rapid ascendancy? And what can we do to compete going forward?  Joining me today on the Driving wWith Dunne podcast is Kyle Chan, author of the widely read and highly respected newsletter, High Capacity. Kyle reveals China's secret superpowers – many of which might appear surprisingly ordinary. But they're not. 

How do we begin to get our minds around the global blitz of tariffs unleashed by the Trump Administration. Is it madness or is there a method to the madness? One thing is certain: Donald Trump has definitely captured the attention of  leaders in Asia, Europe, Mexico and Canada. They are trying to come to terms with arguably the greatest economic and trade shock in decades. Joining us today is Wendy, Cutler, one of the most skilled negotiators on the planet. She knows trade, she knows tariffs and she has more than 30 years of experience negotiating trade deals. I ask Wendy to talk us through the current state of trade and tariffs, what she thinks President Trump is trying to get done and how this great tariff blitz is likely to land. Let's just say she is not brimming with optimism. But she does have some advice for White House -  if the phone rings.

When it comes to China, most Americans are mostly in the dark. Don't believe me? Just quiz your friends. Ask them to name the five largest cities in China. Or to tell you the difference between people in Fujian and Sichuan, or Beijing and Guangzhou? Or how many cars China exported last year.  Is China's economy booming on the back of record exports or reeling from a property meltdown and tanking consumer confidence? How many of us can say we know for sure. How many of us are in regular communication with people in China? Here to fill the void is Emily Feng, author of a tremendous new book called Let Only Red Flowers Bloom. Ms Feng brings to life the joys and sorrows, advances and setbacks of ordinary people in China. And she explains why, under Xi Jinping, people are encouraged to bloom red. 

When it comes to EVs, people seem to embrace one of two schools of thought. In school one, electric vehicles may have a role to play but that role is limited. Manufacturers should not be required to build them. And citizens should not be required to pay taxes to subsidize purchase of EVs. In school two, the belief is that electric vehicles are, without a doubt, the future. By 2040 the vast majority of all new vehicles will be propelled by motors driven with energy from batteries. Which school has it right? Enter our special guest today, Mike Colias, author of a tremendous new book called InEVitable: Inside the Messy Unstoppable Transition to Electrics.  Mr. Colias has covered the automotive business for the Wall Street Journal for more than ten years. In this episode he gives us a view on what makes building EVs and batteries so hard for the Detroit Three. Who among the Detroit Three is doing the best job? Who is falling behind? And how might America's commitment to EVs change under the Trump Administration? 

Chinese leaders believe overcapacity across industries including automotive is a cyclical problem that fresh growth will solve. Foreign investors with experience in the PRC see things differently. To them, overcapacity is a direct result of China's planned economy. Not only does massive overcapacity spark price wars inside China, it also threatens to spur an avalanche of exports into markets worldwide, undermining industries and killing jobs. Joerg Wuttke led the China operations of BASF, the German chemical giant for 27 years. Mr Wuttke  knows China like few people on the planet. In the summer of 2024, he became a partner at the Albright Stonebridge Group based in Washington DC. Mr Wuttke is considered one of the world's leading experts on Europe-China trade and investments. Today, we talk about what Mr Wuttke calls China's "breaking point" when it comes to overcapacity. How soon will it arrive? What will it look like?

We're trying something a little different this week! Michael Dunne recently appeared as a guest on the podcast FACE-OFF: The U.S. vs. China, where he had an insightful and engaging conversation with host Jane Perlez. He enjoyed the discussion so much that he wanted to share it with you. The description below is from the FACE-OFF podcast.====================Back in 2015 the Chinese government declared that they would become the world leader in EVs by 2025. Major car companies scoffed. Who wants an EV? Today, China automakers have surpassed Japan, Germany and the US to become the number one exporter of cars. A record number of Chinese EVs were sold globally last year. How did China become the global leader in EVs? We'll talk with the man who literally wrote the book on the rise of China's car industry. Guest: Michael Dunne, Auto executive in China and the US, author American Wheels, Chinese Roads.  Book Recommendations: Michael Dunne's new book expected mid-2025.Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century by Tim Higgins. 

Alex Roy and his co-pilots recently made two historic coast to coast trips - California to New York -  in his brand new Model S. Their mission: Measure the efficiency and safety of the Tesla FSD system. How close was Tesla to mastering full autonomy? Roy and Team use two key metrics. The first is the total number of disengagements – whether voluntary or involuntary. The second: How quickly could the system recover after a disengagement?  Roy, who previously set the Electric Car Cannonball record in his Tesla, has now turned his focus to autonomous driving. His central question: How soon will cars be able to drive themselves coast to coast allowing us to take a nap in the back seat?  I first met Alex Roy in 2018 at a private industry event south of Munich. He's one of a kind - colorful, smart and professional. You will enjoy his vivid first-hand account of the cannonball runs, both the triumphs and  the reversals - like the time the team encountered a good old-fashioned midwestern thunderstorm in Indiana. How exactly did The Model S and the FSD system respond to that crush of water? Alex Roy, partner, New Industry Venture Capital on the Driving With Dunne podcast.  

What are the industrial crown jewels of the future? Most of us can name two of them right away: Chips that power the brains behind everything, including AI. And batteries or energy storage systems. Batteries power not only EVs but have a much wider application in delivering energy to factories and countless military applications. There is a third one that might be just as crucial: magnets. Magnets are produced with materials derived from the processing of rare earths. Today, China has an abundance of rare earths. More importantly, China has a near monopoly on the processing of those rare earths. This leaves America and the West highly vulnerable. That's where an American company called Evolution comes in - their mission is to build complete processing capabilities in America for American industry.  Joining me today to talk about the rare earth processing and magnet challenge is Dean Evans, co-founder at Evolution. They are already operating in Missouri and have sister companies in Korea. What's the central challenge and how soon will America be able to process rare earths and build its own magnets at scale? 

What can we say for sure about China? Many of us can rattle off some incredible statistics.  It is a manufacturing and technology powerhouse. China ran up an astonishing $1 trillion dollar surplus in 2024. China builds more EVs than all other countries combined. And China has enough capacity to supply total global demand for batteries. We know these facts. But what we know much less well is how to engage with Chinese business people in a productive way that leads to successful outcomes. That's been a giant black hole for many Western business people. Fortunately, a giant dose of help is on the way in the form of a tremendous new book by Ken Wilcox called The Chinese Business Conundrum: Ensuring Win-Win Doesn't Mean Western Companies Twice. Mr Wilcox, the former CEO of Silicon Valley Bank, also ran SVB's joint venture bank in China. He shares extremely valuable inside views of realities on the ground.   

Europe's aim is to become a global leader in adopting next generation clean technologies. In the first phase, beginning in 2020, the focus was on meeting ambitious emission reductions goals. Four years later, the European Commission is making an important adjustment to its strategy. The new goal is to have Europe be a global leader in adopting and producing those technologies.  They call it the Clean Industrial Deal. Some background: Up until very recently, Europe's climate goals were met by sourcing many advanced clean energy technologies from China, including solar panels and electric vehicles. European leaders quickly understood that it would be far better for companies within Europe to produce the clean technologies than to import them from China or other countries. Joining us today to walk us through the new era is Barbara Glowacka of the EU Commission. She advises leaders at the highest levels of power in the European Commission on energy and law. 

Europe wants to go green in a hurry. China has EVs to help Europe achieve their goal faster. What's the problem? The problem is that too many Chinese cars are flooding into France, Germany and Italy And that is putting enormous pressure on Europe's auto industry. Making things worse, European brands' sales are skidding in China, which used to be their forever profit machines.  VW is now talking about closing three plants and laying off tens of thousands. And we are not even in a recession. Joining me to make sense of the pressure - he calls it a schism - is Roger Atkins, founder of Electric Vehicles Outlook. How will Europe see things through from here? Roger will also share what he loves and what he loves much less about driving his all-electric  ID Buzz, the retro bus from VW. Along the way, we will also learn how to say sh-t-show in Chinese. Yes, I promise you there is such a word. 

One of the most significant limiters to EV adoption in America is the dreaded charging experience. Where do I find the nearest station? Wil, the chargers work? Do I need an app? Will I be safe sitting alone in my car for thirty minutes? Who can I call if things go wrong? In this episode, we learn from Christopher Balcom of Schneider Electric that improvements are on the way. Specifically,  the mission  is to simplify the charging experience by bringing several separate parts - the hardware, the software, the installer and the carmakers – together to form a seamless experience. 

Dr. Daniel Sperling is one of the world's leading experts on electric vehicles. His knowledge runs very deep. Dr. Sperling founded the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis. He has written 13 books, including Two Billion Cars, and published 250 papers. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed him to the powerful California Air Resources Board, a position he held for 13 years.  Dr Sperling has also built a deep understanding of China's EV industry.  In this episode we talk about his work at CARB, China's ambitions, interactions with Elon Musk and how demand for electric vehicles will continue to vary by state and by country for the next decade. Dr Sperling also offers some practical advice to people who are on the fence about EVs. 

Here is a candidate for the single most important development in the global auto industry this year: One of every two new cars sold in China this year will be electric. Half! In the US and Europe, we are experiencing a kind of EV wheel spin. EVs as a share of total sales in America still hover under 10%. Europe is a bit higher at 15%, but the pace of growth has slowed dramatically. Why is EV demand growing so much faster in China than in the West?  One big factor is the cost of batteries. That is where China enjoys a massive advantage. But the game is not over. Startups in the West, like OneD Battery Sciences, are developing better battery chemistries that deliver higher energy density at lower costs. What are they working on? How soon will we see breakthrough batteries? And how might the US electric change the landscape? To get answers, listen to Vincent Pluvinage and K.T. Neumann. 

It is no secret that electric cars are fast - very fast. But for many drivers, EVs like Tesla or Lucid - even Porsche -  do not seem to fuel quite the same emotion as sports cars powered by internal combustion engines. To borrow the French term, the piece de resistance seems to be missing. This makes today's buyers ask:  What is the point of driving a sports car if you're not feeling something extraordinary? Toni Piech and Tobias Moers agree. That is why they have set out a vision for an electric sports car that will be quick, very enjoyable to drive and extraordinarily talented when it comes to getting your adrenaline flowing. They will call it the Piech GT. And it will be ready for launch in 2028. They have set the highest bar. The goal is to make it even better than the Porsche Taycan in performance and excitement. So, what will separate the Piech GT from Porsche and everything else on the road? Let's find out. Toni Piech, Founder and Tobias Moers, CEO, Piech Automotive. 

In his best-selling book, Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari describes the most important feature that separates human beings from all other species on the planet: Imagination. We have the ability to imagine something that does not (yet) exist, communicate the concept to others and persuade them to believe it. As a concrete example, he cites the limited liability company, an idea first hatched by the Dutch back in the 1600s. Today we are going to explore the imaginative idea of Web 3.0, an ambitious project to take usout of the quagmire that has become Web 2.0. The basic goal is to create a private internet that is much safer and more efficient than what we have today. Getting there will require imagination, education and a lot of believing. To get us on the path, we are very pleased to have as our guest Tram Vo, co-founder of MOBI, an organization that is building the infrastructure to make Web 3.0 possible. 

By now you may have heard the term software defined vehicle. But what does it mean? Tesla was the first to make one. Chinese automakers like NIO and Xpeng followed quickly. Most Western OEMs today are still figuring out how to make them. But what exactly is a software-defined vehicle? How do they work?  Today I am joined on the Driving With Dunne podcast by John Wall, the chief executive officer at Blackberry QNX. This Ottawa, Canada based company makes some of the most important real-time operating systems and software that power your car, including your digital cockpit and your advanced driver assistance systems. Think of QNX as the master plumber of software systems found in more than 230 million cars on the road today worldwide. 

Dr. Ilaria Mazzocco and her colleagues at CSIS found that Chinese subsidies to companies in strategic industries are more than twice as high as in other countries. The numbers are not insignificant. This week, we learned that BYD secured some $3.4 billion in subsidies in 2023 alone.  As a group Chinese automakers have benefited from tens of billions of dollars in supply side and consumer subsidies since 2010. Complicating the picture, however, is the reality that China is also home to some fast-moving, highly innovative firms led by people who work harder and sometimes smarter than their peers in the West. Today, Ilaria and I dive deeper into the question of Chinese state capitalism, subsidies and how the West can respond to the rising tide - call it a tsunami - of low-cost, good quality Chinese automotive exports.  

The world is in the midst of a monumental transition from fossil fuels to critical minerals. Those critical minerals, like lithium, cobalt and nickel, are the key ingredients in the batteries that power electric cars, cell phones, electric lawn mowers and more. Today, the minerals are extracted from the ground at mining sites around the world. Massive lithium deposits, for example, are located in Australia, Chile and Argentina. China has minerals, too. China also controls most of the world's mineral processing. As America and Europe step into the critical minerals era, there is a desire for greater access to and control over critical minerals. Now, teams of expert geologists are uncovering new deposits in North America. But after finding the minerals, the mining companies and their investors are confronting unexpected hurdles to clear before they can start mining. Indigenous groups and environmentalists are saying: "Not so fast" to new mines. This week on the Driving With Dunne, Ernest Scheyder, author of The War Below, gives us an inside look at the heating and complex battles over the rights to mine critical minerals. 

By now everyone understands US-China relations are at their worst in 50 years. There is mutual distrust. And mutual animosity. China complains bitterly that America is trying to keep it down. America, meanwhile, is wary of China's new-found aggressiveness. Are the world's two most powerful countries heading for a showdown? If so, how should companies in the West prepare. Stay the course in China? Pare back operations?  Or beat it for the exits?  This week our special guest on the Driving With Dunne podcast is Jim McGregor. Jim first went to China in the 1980s. Today he is the Chairman Greater China, APCO Worldwide, a company that solves problems for firms operating in the Chinese arena.  Jim knows China. And he knows business. Jim is also the author of the best-selling book, One Billion Customers. Let's listen to his take on where the US-China relationship is headed

What is an autonomous vehicle? And how will we know one when we see one? Today, the picture is pretty confusing. We have all sorts of names out there: autonomous, self-driving, fully self driving, drive pilot, autopilot, blue cruise, super cruise, Sensing 360, Apollo and NGP navigated guided pilot. Further complicating the picture: In recent months, two of the leaders in the autonomous vehicle industry - Cruise and Waymo - have each suffered setbacks to their reputations in their hyper-intensive missions to create cars that drive themselves. Can they recover? Joining is today to sift through the complexity and bring clarity is Alex Roy, one of the very best original thinkers in the business. Let's listen to Alex give separate fact from fiction when it comes to autonomous vehicles.

It is time to take an honest look at battery technologies. The fact is that batteries that power electric cars today have many limitations. There are limits to the range they can deliver. There are limits to how quickly you can charge them. And there are limits to how many times they can be charged before they start losing their full capacity. And then there are limits to their safety. Lithium-ion battery fires are rare. But once a lithium battery catches fire, it is not easy to put out. These limitations are problems that fire the imagination of entrepreneurs. Hey, let's find a solution, they say, let's improve people's lives and maybe get outrageously wealthy along the way. One of those breakthrough battery solutions on the horizon is known as silicon batteries. When you reduce graphite and add more silicon to the cathode, magical things can happen. Our guest today, Rick Lubee, CEO at Group 14 Technologies. Rick makes a case for why silicon batteries are no longer a technology of the future - they are here and now in 2024.

In this episode, we use our imagination, well, to imagine a totally different kind of future. One in which we get to where we want to go in town not in several thousand pound SUVs but in sensible light weight vehicles that save on fuel and are good for the environment. Our guest is Hakaan Lutz, founder and CEO of Luvly, developer of the Luvly O, a two-seater vehicle that can travel up to 60 miles on a single charge. The Luvly O (that's LUV) is short for light urban vehicle. It's electric, lightweight and recyclable. And it can be packed for delivery by Amazon in a flat box. How much does the Luvly O cost. How fast can it go? How safe is it? And in which countries is it most likely to gain early traction? You will learn all of that and more on this week's episode of the Driving With Dunne podcast.

Many say that price is the single biggest limiter to EV demand in Western countries. In the United States, the average price of a new EV is $53,000. In Europe, the number is even higher - $60,000. On the other hand, China produces EVs across the price spectrum – from $5,500 to $160,000. Why is it so hard to match China on cost? What steps must Western automakers - and governments - take to compete with Chinese firms? The key is batteries. This week three executives with deep expertise in batteries – Vincent Pluvinage, Karl-Thomas Neumann and James Frith in London – join me to explore the options.

When a Western executive is called on to build business in China what should be his or her mindset? What are the most important things they need to know before they go? Ken Wilcox, former CEO of Silicon Valley Bank, has answers. For three years, Mr Wilcox ran a 50-50 joint venture with the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. On paper the two partners' mission and objectives were totally aligned. Reality was a different story. In this week's episode, Mr Wilcox delivers a master class in the realities of doing a joint venture in China, from the glorious honeymoon period to the hellscape of unexpected twists, turns, delays and obfuscations. It is pointless to whine or complain, says Wilcox. Just know how things work before you take your first steps and "try to lose your leverage gradually." This week's Driving With Dunne conversation previews Mr Wilcox's forthcoming blockbuster book: One Bed, Two Dreams, scheduled for publication in early 2024.

What is the truth about China' economy today? Read the headlines or social media and we could be forgiven for thinking that the People's Republic is falling apart. The 42 trillion property market seems to be in a death spiral. Youth unemployment is at record highs. Government debt keeps rocketing higher. And just this week, reports that foreign companies took $160 billion out of the country in the past 6 quarters. All of this makes for a riveting picture of a fragile China, a cracking and crumbling China. But is it accurate? Enter Leland Miller, CEO, The China Beige Book. Tracking China's economy since the 1990s, Leland knows China. And he knows that to really understand what is going on, you must compare and discount several streams of information at the same time. His take on where China stands to today and her economy will surprise many. China is never as good as it seems from afar. Nor is it as bad. I know you will enjoy this conversation with Leland Miller, CEO, China Beige Book.

When it comes to batteries for Evs, can we be done with the incremental, inch by inch improvements? Everyone in the battery business is looking for a breakthrough. Dramatically more range. Lower costs. Faster charging. And, of course, make them safer. Today we meet a potential game changer: AI. Artificial Intelligence has the ability to assess and make sense of mountains of data at very high speed. This, in turn, let's engineers develop the ideal battery chemistry for specific applications at light speed, or close to it. My guest today is Jason Koeller, Co-founder Chemix, an impressive Silicon Valley based startup. If the US government decides to assemble a Team USA for batteries and battery supply chains, Jason should be at the top of the roster. He is smart. He's original. And he is a man of action. He believes that the future is electric. And he is confident that AI can produce breakthroughs for batteries across the board - range, safety, energy density. Let's find out how and how soon on the Driving With Dunne podcast.

China is surpassing Japan in 2023 to become the world's leading exporter of cars. BYDs, Cherys and Zeekrs are finding their way to more than 100 markets worldwide. Top destinations include Russia, Mexico, Australia and Spain. Never before in the history of the car has the world witnessed such explosive growth in car exports from a single country. Not surprisingly, the blitz of Chinese cars on global roads has unsettled auto executives and policy leaders alike. How on earth will legacy automakers compete with China's overwhelming advantages in costs? How should Europe and the United States respond? Some early reactions have already surfaced. The Trump Administration put in place a 27.5% tariff on vehicles imported from China. And the president of the EU Commission just launched an anti-subsidy probe on Chinese automakers. What else can policymakers do? Wendy Cutler, our special guest today, walks us through the ups and downs of trade agreements with China since the PRC's accession to the WTO in 2001.

Tesla and BYD steal the headlines as they race for global leadership in battery electric vehicles. But on the near horizon there is another technology that delivers zero emissions: hydrogen fuel cells. General Motors has been developing fuel cell solutions for more than 20 years. They are doing important pilot testing of fuel cell applications for Class 8 trucks, with the US military on battlefield applications and in mobile charging units. My guest this week, Charlie Freese, is an expert on all vehicle propulsion systems and is currently focused on hydrogen. In our conversation, I ask Charlie what he drives to work every day, how soon he sees himself behind the wheel of a vehicle powered by fuel cells and where hydrogen fuel cells are a better solution than battery electric vehicles.

We begin Part II of this conversation with David Barboza in the days leading up to publication of arguably the most explosive and dangerous story out of China in 50 years. For the past 18 months, Barboza has been systematically collecting records and data and information about a massive amount of wealth accrued by the family of China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. Nothing is easy, clear or straightforward. There are layers of ownership by companies and people some of whom are only remotely related to the family. But Barboza is now confident that he has an air-tight story. He is ready to publish. But, wait a minute, what about his bosses at the New York Times? Are they ready, too? Or are there still a few more twists and turns and somersaults before they are prepared to push the publish now button? And what happens after the story flies out into the world?

David Barboza won a Pulitzer prize for a blockbuster story he wrote while reporting in China for the New York Times. The story took years to research and write. Here is how things got started: Barboza had challenged himself with a daring and impossible goal. Would it be feasible, he wondered, to gather evidence that powerful leaders in China's Communist Party were amassing great wealth? He figured that if he were able to prove that a high-ranking family had assets of around $5 million dollars, it would be a massive coup. Never in a million years did he dream that his investigations would uncover that the Prime Minister's family had accrued more than 2 billion dollars in concealed wealth - company shares, cash, diamonds, gold and homes. In this week's Driving With Dunne episode, Mr Barboza brings us, step by step, into the events as they unfolded, as he experienced them. "The longer it takes you to publish the story," security experts at the New York Times told him, "the more dangerous things will get."

For most of his career, Tony Posawatz was a highly successful engineer working in GM's lucrative truck division. That meant big rigs powered by gasoline and diesel engines. Then one day in 2006 GM's top leadership appointed him to lead a breakthrough initiative. "Build us an electric car that will make people forget all about the Toyota Prius," they said. GM had taken a shot at an all-electric vehicle in the 1990s called the EV1. Tony and his team of top notch GM engineers knew that the way to beat the Prius was to go electric. But range anxiety was an issue. So, they got inventive and designed a propulsion system that featured both an electric battery and a gasoline engine. This set-up, in time, would become known as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or a PHEV. That product, which debuted 11 years ago, served as a bridge to a barrage of pure electrics like the Tesla Model 3, the Hyundai IONIQ, the Mustang Mach E, the Rivians and the Lucids now hitting the market today. How far along have we advanced on the path to electrics. And how much work still remains to be done before we reach electric nirvana?

Here is the powerful China formula for commercial dominance that everyone needs to know. Build up massive capacity. Achieve scale. Reduce costs. And then export like a bat out of hell all over the world. This is exactly how China overwhelmed the solar panel industry. Will cars be next? You bet. In fact, it is already happening. China today has the capacity to build 40 million cars and trucks a year. Domestic demand is about half of that. So, this year, China will export 5 million vehicles to more than 100 markets worldwide this year. And, that is not all. As China's domestic economy stalls, there is more pressure, more incentive to export than ever before. Mr Jorge Guajardo joins us again this week for Part II of our conversation about what to expect as Chinese companies push into global markets. They will be bringing stunningly low priced items from cars to used bulldozers to cement mixers. Are you ready for the barrage?

Who supplies the most cars to the Mexican market? If you guessed China, you are not wrong. China is flooding the market with low cost gasoline-powered and electric vehicles. Leading brands include SAIC-MG, Great Wall and Chery. But there's more. One of every two vehicles GM sells in Mexico is built in China. Meanwhile, Chinese suppliers are pouring into supporting Tesla's Giga 6 factory in Monterrey. What do Mexico's leaders make of this mass Chinese arrival? Will the Chinese automakers use Mexico as a base camp for invading the US market? With me today is Jorge Guajardo, former Mexican ambassador to China. He was there for six full years. I I really appreciate Jorge's knowledge of how Chinese people think and his candor. He of course also knows the top people - Jorge met with BYD founder Wang Chuanfu more than ten years ago. What did he see and hear from Wang that made the biggest impression?

Never before in the history of humanity have we had so many choices when it comes to what we drive. Think about it: We have cars, pickup trucks, SUVs, crossovers. station wagons. On size we run the spectrum from the tiny Mini Cooper breastly Hummer. And now these vehicles might be powered by gasoline engines, hybrids, batteries or hydrogen. Some of them even drive themselves, well almost. The average consumer has hundreds of options to choose from. So, how on earth do you land on exactly the right one for you? The process can be all-consuming and overwhelming. Thank goodness we can turn to experts for advice, people who know cars intimately from direct experience. Today's guest, Nicole Wakelin, is exactly that kind of an expert. She tests driving 80 vehicles a year, she has a very good eye for detail and a memory like steel trap. Today, I ask Nicole to deliver her verdict on some of the best-selling EVs on the market, like the Mustang Mach- E, the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and the Tesla Model Y.

China is now the world's No. 1 exporter of cars and trucks, blowing past Japan. In 2023, Chinese automakers will ship more than 4 million vehicles to over 100 markets markets worldwide. Leading destinations include Russia, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Sweden, Malaysia and Mexico. How good are these Chinese cars? And what kinds of challenges are they bound to encounter as they invade global markets. To get answers today our guest is Carlos Roma. Mr Roma is one of those rare western executives who can say that they know Chinese companies from the inside. He worked for BYD, China's largest EV maker, for more than 5 years. He knows how Chinese business people think. And he understands the tight relationship between companies and the Chinese government. In our conversation. today, I will ask Carlos to make some assessments and some predictions: How strong is the Chinese auto industry compared to America's? Can the West ever catch up with China on electrics and batteries and battery supply chains? And how will Chinese cars perform in Brazil's market, a real indicator of how they are likely to perform in many markets worldwide? Carlos Roma, General Director, TB Green on the Driving With Dunne podcast.

Ready or not, we are in the midst of a global battery arms race. China enjoys a commanding lead. America and Europe are racing to catch up. This week we are joined by Simon Moores, CEO, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. No one on the planet knows more about the lithium ion battery industry and gigafactories than Simon. He's been laser focused on it for more than 10 years. Today I will ask Simon some tough questions, including: Can America and Europe close the gap? How soon? Or does China have an invincible position with its enormous scale and low costs? Also this: What was he doing in the middle of a tornado in Nebraska earlier this summer? Let's talk to Simon to get the inside scoop on the Driving With Dunne podcast.

How much do you know about Taiwan? Until recently, most people in the world, if they were being honest, would say practically nothing. But not today. Today, Taiwan finds itself in a highly precarious situation. The People's Republic of China has clear its intentions to integrate Taiwan, to take control of the island and its 22 million residents. Not so fast, say the people of Taiwan. And the are not alone. The United States - most economies around the world, are heavily reliant on Taiwan for supply of the advanced chips that power everything from iPhone to Teslas. China cannot tolerate a future where Taiwan is separate from China. America and its allies cannot accept such a Chinese takeover. Two powerful forces diametrically opposed. How will this high stakes drama play out? Joining is today is Bethany Allen, author of a tremendous new book called Beijing Rules. Bethny, who lives and works in Taiwan, gives us her view on how China plans to take control of Taiwan. And how they might even get it done without firing a shot. Wait - how is that even possible?

BYD is an electric vehicle powerhouse. Already dominant globally in buses and trucks, BYD is now chasing Tesla for world leadership in battery-powered electric vehicles. The Shenzhen-based company will produce more than 3 million electric vehicles in 2023. Many of those cars and SUVs will find their way to global markets including Thailand, Mexico, Germany, the UK, Australia and Japan. For the casual observer, BYD might appear to be an overnight sensation. But this is not that case. BYD is a 30-year old company that persevered through lots of twists and turns before finally gaining traction in the late 2010s. In this Driving With Dunne episode, I have a conversation with my producer, Chris Donovan, to recount how BYD grew from an unknown battery maker for cellphones in the 1990s into a global champion in electrics today. What do we know about BYD's founder, Wang Chuanfu. How soon will we see BYD cars on American roads? BYD - which stands for Build Your Dreams - is a rich and captivating story, one that will give you a fresh appreciation for new-found Chinese might and confidence. #DrivingWithDunne / #ZozoGohttps://twitter.com/Dunne_ZoZoGohttps://www.instagram.com/zo.zo.go/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dunne-a696901a/

It is no secret that technology is taking over our cars. But what is stunning is the speed and magnitude of the onslaught. Some of it looks amazing. Other stuff feels downright invasive. Hello biometrics and autonomous driving. Where did you come from, phantom braking. And did I agree to those driver monitoring cameras capturing my every move? Could I have some privacy back please? Overall, it feels like automakers and tech companies are creating miniature frankensteins inside our cars. And there is no turning back. How to make sense of it all? Our special guest today is Kathy Rizk, Senior Director at JD Power. Kathy knows the technologies and how consumers feel about them. Let's listen to her takes on the current relationship between the car owners and the young tech frankensteins.#DrivingWithDunne / #ZozoGohttps://twitter.com/Dunne_ZoZoGohttps://www.instagram.com/zo.zo.go/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dunne-a696901a/

Think of batteries for electric cars as the most important American industrial movement since WWII. Investors are pouring more than $100 billion into new battery plants across the country, from South Carolina to Georgia, from Ohio to Michigan. There's new battery factories coming up in Kansas, Texas and Arizona, too. These battery manufacturing sites are supported by a growing pack of new companies hell-bent on building out America's battery supply chains - minerals, processing and recycling. America's explosion in battery manufacturing is an urgent response to the competitive threats posed by a dominant China. There are national security concerns. There are worries about economic dependence on an increasingly hostile adversary. Our special guest this week is Chris Berry, founder, House Mountain Partners, a research and advisory firm based in Washington DC. Chris is a highly respected expert on batteries and global battery supply chains. Listen in as he paints a picture of America's transportation future, one dominated by electric vehicles and the batteries that power them. #DrivingWithDunne / #ZozoGohttps://twitter.com/Dunne_ZoZoGohttps://www.instagram.com/zo.zo.go/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dunne-a696901a/

You may not know it yet but there is a great battle underway for your eyes and for your ears inside the car. That battle is taking place between two powerful competitors. In this corner, we have current hardware and software giants like Apple and Google. Most of us are already addicted to their weapons - smartphones. In that corner, we have giant global automakers who are racing to build up their software capabilities. Automakers like Mercedes-Benz envision a future world where you are so impressed with your digital experience inside the car - navigation, entertainment, communication – that you forget all about your iPhones. The automakers are taking this battle very seriously. Our guest today is Magnus Ostberg, Chief Software Officer at Mercedes-Benz. I had dinner with Magnus at CES earlier this year. And I was highly impressed with his expertise in software. Let's learn how Magnus and his team are getting that done. On this week's Driving With Dunne podcast. #DrivingWithDunne / #ZozoGohttps://twitter.com/Dunne_ZoZoGohttps://www.instagram.com/zo.zo.go/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dunne-a696901a/

Drive the streets of San Diego and it will feel like the whole world is going electric. Here is a Tesla Model 3. There is a Hyundai Ioniq 5. Look at that Lucid Air. Or that cyber orange Mach E. Take your driving to the northern climes, like Detroit, Michiganor Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the picture looks totally different. There full-size pickup trucks and SUVs powered by gasoline engines rule the road. Electrics are simply hard to find, like some endangered species. What explains the dramatic difference? Why is California covered in EVs while people in the north are hanging onto their gasoline powered vehicles? For this week's Driving With Dunne episode conversation, we speak to Andy Minckler, a regular listener to the podcast. Andy lives in New Hampshire about an hour from Boston. He is tempted to go electric. But something is holding him back. What are his concerns? And what might make him change his mind? #DrivingWithDunne / #ZozoGohttps://twitter.com/Dunne_ZoZoGohttps://www.instagram.com/zo.zo.go/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dunne-a696901a/

Ms. Lu Zhang moved from Inner Mongolia to the United States at the age of 20 to study material sciences at Stanford. Shortly after graduation, she founded her first company - one that made her independently wealthy. Today she leads Fusion Fund, a Palo-Alto based venture capital company that focuses on early stage investments. Ms Zhang is recognized as one of the top 25 leading female entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. I met Lu at a private gathering of venture capital leaders gathering earlier this year. She struck me as an exceptionally smart and driven individual. In this episode, we will learn how Lu thinks about risk and how she picks winners. We will also discover the meaning of her name and what kind of cars she drives. Hint: One is German and the other is made in America. Lu Zhang, Founder, Fusion Fund, on the Driving With Dunne podcast. #DrivingWithDunne / #ZozoGo https://twitter.com/Dunne_ZoZoGohttps://www.instagram.com/zo.zo.go/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dunne-a696901a/

Electric vehicles are expensive, out of reach for most customers. The average price of EVs sold in America last year was $65,000. The story in Europe was similar. China offers more affordable EVs. But they are driven by batteries that deliver dramatically lower range or power – or both. Who wants to buy an EV that is not quick off the start ? Or one that causes you range anxiety? Are we stuck in EVs-are-too-damn-expensive land forever? No, at least not for long, according to Vincent Pluvinage, the fascinating scientist, physicist and co-founder and CEO of OneD Battery Sciences. Born in Belgium, educated at Michigan and Stanford, Dr. Pluvinage now spends his time at the OneD labs in Palo Alto devising ways to make batteries less expensive. The secret ingredient is silicon. But as you will learn from listening to Vincent, making better batteries is never simple or easy. #DrivingWithDunne / #ZozoGohttps://twitter.com/Dunne_ZoZoGohttps://www.instagram.com/zo.zo.go/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dunne-a696901a/

Most modern cars come with adaptive front lighting, park assist, surround-view and rear view cameras, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and collision avoidance. But how do these magical powers work? These systems use image sensors that continuously sample the vehicle's operating environment. A machine vision processor in the system controller analyzes the data and determines what actions the car should take. Yes, we humans are still behind the wheel but the car is doing a lot of the work for us. That is where Scottsdale Arizona-based onsemi comes in - designing, engineering, manufacturing, testing and packaging smart sensors. Billions of them, every year. How smart are the sensors? How reliable? And how safe from cyber attacks. Ross Jatou, GM at Onsemi's Intelligent Sensing Group walks us through today's tech promises and realities.

Powerhouse Ventures invests in early-stage software companies that save energy, save time – or both. Of the 33 companies in Powerhouse portfolio, several operate in the battery and electric charging arena. A few years ago, Ms Thompson made a monumental shift from the oil and gas industry in Texas to the clean energy focus that defines her work at Powerhouse. In our conversation, she introduces us to her approach to assessing software startups. What does she look for in the founder? And what does she look for in the business model? What are some examples of software companies that are making a real-time impact on the overall battery and charging experience? #DrivingWithDunne / #ZozoGo https://twitter.com/Dunne_ZoZoGohttps://www.instagram.com/zo.zo.go/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dunne-a696901a/

Electric vehicles remain expensive, out of reach for most customers. The average price of EVs sold in America last year was $65,000. The story in Europe was similar. China offers more affordable EVs, but they are driven by batteries that deliver dramatically lower range or power – or both. Who wants to buy an EV that is not quick off the start ? Or one that causes you range anxiety -- and sometimes range panic? Are we stuck in EVs-are-too-damn-expensive land forever? No, at least not for long, according to Vincent Pluminage, the fascinating scientist, physicist and co-founder and CEO of OneD Battery Sciences. Born in Belgium, educated at Michigan and Stanford, Dr Pluminage now spends his time at the OneD labs in Palo Alto devising ways to make batteries less expensive. The secret ingredient is silicon. But as you will learn from listening to Vincent, making better batteries is never simple or easy. Let's find out why. #DrivingWithDunne / #ZozoGohttps://twitter.com/Dunne_ZoZoGohttps://www.instagram.com/zo.zo.go/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dunne-a696901a/

In late 2022 and early 2023, customers from Ford, Rivian and Bolt separately reported an unusual and slightly terrifying experience while fast charging their vehicles. In the middle of their charge sessions, customers recalled hearing a large boom, then a pop. Seconds later, their charging stopped and their battery ceased to work. Tow trucks were summoned to take their vehicles to the nearest service center. EV expert John Voelcker joins us today to go deeper into what exactly happened. And he sheds light on why we are still far away from a good experience at most public fast-charting locations in America. What are the stubborn barriers to a better experience? And how long must we wait before fast charging will be stress free? Listen to John Voelcker on this episode of the Driving With Dunne podcast. #DrivingWithDunne / #ZozoGohttps://twitter.com/Dunne_ZoZoGohttps://www.instagram.com/zo.zo.go/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dunne-a696901a/

Graphite is a core component of lithium-ion batteries, accounting for up to 30% of the value of a battery cell. Today, Chinese companies utterly dominate refining, producing 93% of all processed graphite globally. America is now hell-bent building its own batteries and battery supply chains. Since 2021, American car makers and battery manufacturers have announced more than $60 billion in new battery plants across the United States. Still, the US is totally reliant on China for graphite. But that is changing fast. Meet Nico Cuevas, Founder, Urbix Resources, a Mesa Arizona startup specializing in clean and efficient graphite processing. Founded in 2014, Cuevas and his co-founders are racing to scale up innovative processing of graphite that they import from dozens of mines around the world, including from Brazil, Turkey and China. Will Urbix be able to compete with China, the graphite beast?

Today's charging experience in North America is, to be blunt, not good. New EV owners meet disappointment in the very first weeks of ownership. Some chargers are broken. Others are slow. Still others fail at software handshakes. When EV owners charge at a third party station like Electrify America or EVgo there are are too many “cooks” and too much complexity. I one owns the customer experience. Autel Energy North America aims to lift the “joy meter” of charging by delivering high quality chargers to both homes and public charging stations. John Thomas, COO, tells us how. #DrivingWithDunne / #ZozoGohttps://twitter.com/Dunne_ZoZoGohttps://www.instagram.com/zo.zo.go/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dunne-a696901a/