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In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Neha Palmer, CEO and Co-founder of Terawatt, one of the leading providers of charging infrastructure for AV/EV fleets. Neha talks about her journey in the energy industry, highlighting her background leading global energy strategy at Google. She explains Terawatt’s focus on providing AV/EV charging solutions and the motivation behind her founding the company.

We discuss the unique process and intricacies of building and launching charging sites suitable for AV/EV fleets of varying sizes, and the technical/logistical requirements of these sites. We also touch on how Terawatt uses their data to work with fleet owners to ensure they get the best utilization for their vehicles while maintaining access to charging sites with excellent uptimes.

We also discuss their biggest challenges with customers, charging requirements for fleets and other services offered at their charging sites.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction to Neha Palmer

(01:33) Neha’s background at Google

(02:31) Introduction to Terawatt, and how they help AV/EV fleets

(04:55) The challenges of providing AV/EV fleet charging solutions

(05:53) The impetus behind behind Neha founding Terawatt

(06:57) The benefits of renewable energy for fleets

(08:48) What industries does Terawatt focus on? and their footprint

(10:10) How Terawatt got their first AV customer

(11:31) What it takes to build and launch a charging site

(12:35) How many sites does Terawatt have currently

(14:03) The optimal locations for building charging sites

(17:05) Hardware/power requirements for charging sites and how they evolve

(19:40) How fast do vehicles charge at Terawatt’s charging sites

(21:22) How Terawatt works with partners to design operating domains, and the data involved

(23:28) How time of use works for AV/EV fleet charging

(26:16) The EV to AV transitions, and how it has affected Terawatt’s business

(28:20) Quantitative charging requirements for fleets

(30:10) Biggest challenges experienced with new customers

(32:00) What other services does Terawatt offer at their charging sites

(33:30) Fully autonomous charging

(35:30) Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Notes/Links:

* Link to Neha’s previous webinar appearance on Ride AI - Ride AI x Terawatt Webinar 7/1/25

- Harry

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Charging the Fleets of the Future with Neha Palmer

The Driverless Digest Podcast

Charging the Fleets of the Future with Neha Palmer