Wicked Problems Podcast

I'm Toby Corballis, Partner at Adaptavis, and your host on a journey through the world of fascinating global and business problems being worked on and thought about by some extremely clever people from the worlds of business and academia. Join me to find out how people are solving seemingly intractable problems!

Claire Miller: How EVs Could Pay Your Energy Bills 07/22/2025

Guy Haydon - From EVs to EPs: Guy Hayden on Electrifying Air Travel 07/07/2025

Chris Pateman-Jones - The Key to Equitable EV Charging with Connected Kerb 04/25/2025

Melanie Shufflebotham - Mapping the EV Charging Landscape 04/22/2025

S03E12: Vicky Edmonds - What’s Really Stopping Drivers from Going Electric? 04/04/2025

Jon Burdekin - Salary Sacrifice: The Secret to Affordable EVs? 04/02/2025

Jon Burdekin - Salary Sacrifice: The Secret to Affordable EVs? Toby and Jon Burdekin dive into the challenges and opportunities of fleet electrification. They discuss the evolution of electric vehicle infrastructure, the growing role of salary sacrifice schemes in making EVs more accessible, and the misconceptions surrounding EV adoption. Jon shares insights on how businesses can smoothly transition their fleets while avoiding common pitfalls. Jon has 30 years’ experience in the UK leasing and fleet finance industry, having previously worked for such major leasing companies as Alphabet GB Ltd and GE Capital Fleet Services.  His 15-year career with Alphabet incorporated roles as Account Manager, Head of Account Management, and Head of Consulting Services. Client relationships that Jon had direct responsibility for included McDonald’s, BOC, Shell, Oracle, Royal and Sun Alliance and the BBC. By managing such large vehicle fleets, he has gained extensive knowledge in helping clients transition to electric – incorporating all the component parts of that journey. A subject matter expert in the adoption of electric vehicles and salary sacrifice schemes, Jon led Alphabet’s Electric Vehicle proposition, AlphaElectric, and is the accredited EV and salary sacrifice trainer for both the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) and the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP). Jon has also delivered EV training directly for such clients as LV=, Leaseplan, AA Drivetech, Arval, United Rental Group, SG Fleet, Athlon, Select Car Leasing, Volvo, Citygate Group, Holdcroft Group and Norton Way Motors. Delegate satisfaction rates consistently exceed 95% and Jon is able to demonstrate measurable improvements in EV confidence and knowledge of between 60% and 300%. Jon has run his own consultancy business since January 2019 with the aim of enhancing subject matter knowledge on all aspects of Salary Sacrifice and EV adoption, and helping clients educate their customers for the transition to 100% electric by 2030 (cars), or 2035 (LCVs). I hope you enjoy the show and if you have any comments or suggestions, please write to me at: . Wicked Problems is powered by Adaptavis® Adaptavis is a Business Performance Management and Transformation consultancy aimed at forward-thinking leaders, based in London UK. The company specialises in helping organisations to enhance operational efficiency, drive business growth, and navigate complex transformations. From strategy to execution, they focus on providing insights and practical solutions to improve the overall performance of businesses, ensuring they can adapt to changing market conditions and achieve sustainable success. Toby Corballis is a Partner at Adaptavis. You can find out more about their work by visiting: Enjoy, Toby Corballis /episode/index/show/wickedproblems/id/35632540

Neill Emmett - Are Motorway Service Stations the Key to EV Success? 03/19/2025

Tom Hurst: Will EV Charging Keep Up? The Future of Ultra-Rapid Charging 02/18/2025

George Symes: 🚨 Can Emergency Vehicles Go Electric? 🚓⚡ 02/12/2025

George Symes: 🚨 Can Emergency Vehicles Go Electric? 🚓⚡ Toby speaks with George Symes, founder of Evaluate Strategy, a consultancy specialising in decarbonising complex fleets. With over 15 years in transport and infrastructure consulting, George shares insights on the challenges and opportunities of electrifying emergency services, rental fleets, and logistics companies. From the UK’s ZEV mandate to fleet telematics, this discussion dives into the future of sustainable mobility. George runs EValuate Strategy Consulting, helping complex fleets to decarbonise. These fleets include emergency services, and shared mobility operators such as car rental, car sharing and e-scooter operators. Typically, they are characterised by unpredictable and “spikey” demand, critical services and a “many-to-one” relationship between the drivers and vehicles. George has over 15 years strategy consulting experience in the infrastructure, automotive and mobility industries, with experience across fleet and charging infrastructure in the UK, mainland Europe and Australia. He has diverse experience within new mobility in both advisory and operational roles: with Neuron Mobility (e-scooter and e-bike sharing), Zipcar (car and van sharing) and Avis. Prior to EValuate he worked at GrainCorp and KPMG, focused on infrastructure, transport and energy clients. Links: Evaluate Strategy: www.evaluatestrategy.com George’s LinkedIn profile: www.linkedin.com/in/georgesymes I hope you enjoy the show and if you have any comments or suggestions, please write to me at: [email protected]. Wicked Problems is powered by Adaptavis® Adaptavis is a Business Performance Management and Transformation consultancy aimed at forward-thinking leaders, based in London UK. The company specialises in helping organisations to enhance operational efficiency, drive business growth, and navigate complex transformations. From strategy to execution, they focus on providing insights and practical solutions to improve the overall performance of businesses, ensuring they can adapt to changing market conditions and achieve sustainable success. Toby Corballis is a Partner at Adaptavis. You can find out more about their work by visiting: www.adaptavis.com Enjoy, Toby Corballis /episode/index/show/wickedproblems/id/35252960

Matthew Lumsden - How Connected Energy is Giving EV Batteries a Second Life 02/04/2025

Matthew Lumsden - How Connected Energy is Giving EV Batteries a Second Life Matthew Lumsden, CEO of Connected Energy, discusses how his company repurposes second-life EV batteries for energy storage solutions. Connected Energy, founded in 2013, emerged from an EV charging project that highlighted grid limitations. By working with Renault and securing investments from Volvo Energy and Caterpillar, they’ve created an innovative approach to sustainable energy. Matthew shares insights into battery sourcing, quality control, and the future of energy storage. Matthew has worked in the renewable energy and clean tech sector since 2000 when he joined energy consultancy, TNEI. He then established an electric vehicle related consultancy in 2009 where he was responsible for delivering several major EV trails, charging infrastructure roll outs, V2G trials and strategies for major industry players.  Connected Energy was born out of the insight and knowledge gained in the EV industry and the challenges facing OEMs around electric vehicle batteries. Combining the worlds of energy storage, electric vehicles and the circular economy, the company commercialised its innovative E-STOR system which is now in operation at businesses across the UK and in Europe. The company is now scaling up in response to the growing availability of second life EV batteries and is developing utility scale battery energy storage sites. I hope you enjoy the show and if you have any comments or suggestions, please write to me at: . Wicked Problems is powered by Adaptavis® Adaptavis is a Business Performance Management and Transformation consultancy aimed at forward-thinking leaders, based in London UK. The company specialises in helping organisations to enhance operational efficiency, drive business growth, and navigate complex transformations. From strategy to execution, they focus on providing insights and practical solutions to improve the overall performance of businesses, ensuring they can adapt to changing market conditions and achieve sustainable success. Toby Corballis is a Partner at Adaptavis. You can find out more about their work by visiting: Enjoy, Toby Corballis /episode/index/show/wickedproblems/id/35143720

Linda Grave - What’s Next for Electric Vehicles? 12/18/2024

Linda Grave - What’s Next for Electric Vehicles? Linda Grave, founder of EV Driver, discusses her journey from renewable energy to pioneering the EV charging sector. She shares how she built and sold a successful charging network, her passion for user-friendly EV solutions, and the importance of interoperability. Linda offers insights on industry challenges, innovations like battery storage and solar PV integration, and promotes her upcoming EVEX 2025 event, aimed at showcasing the future of electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies. Linda Grave is an entrepreneur who has built successful companies within the renewable energy and EV sectors over an 18-year period, with a wealth of experience in building successful EV Charging networks. Linda is focused on business growth and development within the EV sector. In 2016 she started to build the EV Driver network of public charge points in the East of England, with an emphasis on providing an easy access PAYG network for all to use. She sold the network in January 2020 to allow her to focus on helping others create the best user-friendly EV charging solutions. Linda is a pioneer in EV roaming and interoperability in the UK, passionate about ensuring the barriers to access are lowered and that customer satisfaction is paramount. Awarded one of the prestigious EV Champion awards 2022 by I hope you enjoy the show and if you have any comments or suggestions, please write to me at: . Wicked Problems is powered by Adaptavis® Adaptavis is a Business Performance Management and Transformation consultancy aimed at forward-thinking leaders, based in London UK. The company specialises in helping organisations to enhance operational efficiency, drive business growth, and navigate complex transformations. From strategy to execution, they focus on providing insights and practical solutions to improve the overall performance of businesses, ensuring they can adapt to changing market conditions and achieve sustainable success. Toby Corballis is a Partner at Adaptavis. You can find out more about their work by visiting: Enjoy, Toby Corballis /episode/index/show/wickedproblems/id/34503164

Niall Riddell - Why EV Drivers Hate Public Charging (And How PAUA is Solving It!) 12/18/2024

Dan Caesar - Clearing the Air: Combating Misinformation in Clean Energy 11/22/2024

Dan Caesar - Clearing the Air: Combating Misinformation in Clean Energy We dive into the critical role of truth and clarity in the world of clean energy and technology. Join us as we explore the myths and misconceptions surrounding electric vehicles, renewable energy, and sustainable living. Dan Caesar, CTO and presenter of the Fully Charged Show discusses how misinformation impacts progress and what we can do to empower communities with facts, inspire action, and drive change. Whether you're an EV enthusiast or simply curious about the truth behind the headlines, this episode is packed with insights to charge your mind and fuel your understanding. After more than two decades of advocating for 'cleaner technologies', Dan has driven electric since 2015 and has led the Fully Charged Show for 7 years. A passionate promoter of electric vehicles of all shapes and sizes, and home energy tech too, Dan has played a transformational role in developing the Fully Charged Show on YouTube, pioneering its exhibition programme, expanding its 'Everything Electric' offering and recently launching Electric Vehicles UK. Passionate about products that can tackle air pollution and climate breakdown, Dan is practical, that it is in fact, better tech that will inspire the most change. Dan has been a champion of cleaner technologies for over two decades. Since 2015, he's driven electric and, for the last seven years, led the Fully Charged Show. As CEO and presenter of Fully Charged, the world's no.1 clean energy and electric vehicle show, Dan's mission is to inform, educate, and inspire millions globally on the benefits of cleaner energy and transport. A fervent advocate for electric vehicles and home energy tech, Dan has transformed the Fully Charged Show on YouTube, pioneered its exhibitions, expanded its 'Everything Electric' range, and recently launched Electric Vehicles UK. Dan has conceived and delivered multiple groundbreaking projects like Fully Charged LIVE, Stop Burning Stuff, Zero Carbon Kitchen, and the Renewables Roadshow. These initiatives have attracted a loyal audience of over 2.5 million YouTube viewers, 3-5 million episode views per month, over 1 million subscribers, and 100k+ attendees. Passionate about tackling air pollution and climate breakdown, Dan believes better tech drives the most change. Dan has collaborated with clients and partners like Ceres Power, Solar Media, Accelerating Clean Technologies, and the Department of Energy & Climate Change. Follow Fully Charged on I hope you enjoy the show and if you have any comments or suggestions, please write to me at: . Wicked Problems is powered by Adaptavis® Adaptavis is a Business Performance Management and Transformation consultancy aimed at forward-thinking leaders, based in London UK. The company specialises in helping organisations to enhance operational efficiency, drive business growth, and navigate complex transformations. From strategy to execution, they focus on providing insights and practical solutions to improve the overall performance of businesses, ensuring they can adapt to changing market conditions and achieve sustainable success. Toby Corballis is a Partner at Adaptavis. You can find out more about their work by visiting: Enjoy, Toby Corballis /episode/index/show/wickedproblems/id/34106841

Euan McTurk - Battery Breakthroughs: Debunking Electric Vehicle Myths 11/18/2024

Euan McTurk - Battery Breakthroughs: Debunking Electric Vehicle Myths Battery chemist and founder of Plug Life Television, Dr. Euan McTurk, uncovers the facts behind EV batteries, from ethical sourcing and recycling to cutting-edge technology that’s driving down costs and boosting range. Discover why EV fires are rare, how new charging methods can extend battery life, and what the latest advancements mean for the future of small, powerful, and sustainable cars. Dr Euan McTurk is a Consultant Battery Electrochemist who has been working on - and driving - electric vehicles since 2009. Having worked on next-generation cell chemistries during his PhD at the University of Oxford, developed ways to study how electric vehicle cells fail and how to stop them failing (at WMG*, University of Warwick) and built up a state-of-the-art 200 kW battery test facility in Edinburgh, Euan founded Plug Life Consulting, which provides technical, strategic and public outreach services to projects involving battery electrochemistry, electric vehicles, energy storage systems and charging infrastructure. Euan is also the creator of Plug Life Television, a YouTube channel on batteries and EVs that explains complex electrochemistry in a way that anyone can understand and busts common myths and misconceptions about electric vehicles. *Warwick Manufacturing Group LinkedIn: I hope you enjoy the show and if you have any comments or suggestions, please write to me at: . Adaptavis is a Business Performance Management and Transformation consultancy aimed at forward-thinking leaders, based in London UK. The company specialises in helping organisations to enhance operational efficiency, drive business growth, and navigate complex transformations. From strategy to execution, they focus on providing insights and practical solutions to improve the overall performance of businesses, ensuring they can adapt to changing market conditions and achieve sustainable success. Toby Corballis is a Partner at Adaptavis. You can find out more about their work by visiting: www.adaptavis.com Enjoy, Toby Corballis /episode/index/show/wickedproblems/id/33927812

Sam Clarke: Breaking Records, Debunking Myths, and the Future of Electric Vehicle Charging 11/07/2024

Sam Clarke: Breaking Records, Debunking Myths, and the Future of Electric Vehicle Charging About the episode: EV industry pioneer Sam Clarke, a record-holding entrepreneur with over two decades in electric mobility shares his journey from importing electric motorbikes in the early 2000s to founding a zero-emissions logistics company and advising on national EV infrastructure. We discuss debunking myths around electric vehicles and explore how the concept of 'grazing' can reset our expectations of electric vehicle charging. Guest Name: Sam Clarke Sam Clarke is a life-long entrepreneur, industry advisor, EV owner/driver for over 20 years and a multiple Guinness World Record Holder for EV driving. His EV journey started back in 2002 with electric motorbikes before founding a zero-emission logistics firm (Gnewt) which he sold to John Menzies Plc in 2017. He now works on national charging infrastructure needs for GRIDSERVE in particular leading on the £100M+ Government funded (ZEHID) eHGV Electric Freightway Project. He is also a founding member of The EV Café webinar and news channel. In 2015, Sam was a Great British Entrepreneur’s Award winner. By 2022 he was made a GreenFleet EV Champion for services to the industry and in 2024 he was voted #1 in the Motor Transport Power Players 2 list and #14 in the greenfleet.net 1 top 100 most Influential list. He also holds two Guinness World Records for the longest distances ever driven in an electric car and van on a single charge 7 (569 and 311 miles respectively). In 2009 he founded the all-electric last-mile logistics business Gnewt which subsequently won multiple awards nationally and globally and was acquired by John Menzies Plc in 2017. During his tenure, he created the UK’s largest fully electric commercial fleet, the largest privately-owned smart charging infrastructure and UK’s most advanced private V2G (Vehicle to Grid) network. With Sam at the helm, the business was able to deliver over 10 million parcels in its first 10 years of trading 3, mainly in Central London, courtesy of a trail-blazing fully zero-emission fleet, the first of its kind anywhere in the UK. Most recently, Sam has extended his role from Board advisor at GRIDSERVE to become their Chief Vehicle Officer 4. His role is to drive forward mass uptake of electric vehicles through the creation of a net-zero EV leasing division, commercial charging infrastructure build-outs and support the nationwide roll out of high-powered Electric Forecourts and upgrade of the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway network that resides on 85% of the service stations nationally. In 2023 he led the successful bid for a £100M+ Innovate UK Government fund (ZEHID 6) whose purpose is to roll out eHGV charging infrastructure nationwide, the second largest award ever issued by Innovate UK to private enterprise. Sam is a high-profile member of the EV community, a regular public speaker for the industry and has previously been invited to speak at the Transport Select Committee in Westminster and at the European Commission in Brussels. He is also a founding member and Company Director/Shareholder of The EV Café Ltd 5. which is a popular webinar series discussing all aspects of EV adoption on regular weekly and monthly sessions. The EV Café has a number of high-profile sectoral sponsors including companies such as, but not limited to, The AA, Europcar, Bridgestone and Webfleet. Links: LinkedIn: Sam Clarke www.gridserve.com I hope you enjoy the show and if you have any comments or suggestions, please write to me at: [email protected]. About Adaptavis Adaptavis is a Business Performance Management and Transformation consultancy aimed at forward-thinking leaders, based in London UK. The company specialises in helping organisations to enhance operational efficiency, drive business growth, and navigate complex transformations. From strategy to execution, they focus on providing insights and practical solutions to improve the overall performance of businesses, ensuring they can adapt to changing market conditions and achieve sustainable success. Toby Corballis is a Partner at Adaptavis. You can find out more about their work by visiting: www.adaptavis.com Enjoy, Toby Corballis /episode/index/show/wickedproblems/id/33829152

Jordan Brompton: Electric vehicles, sustainable energy independence, and preparing for the zombie apocalypse 10/29/2024

Jordan Brompton: Electric vehicles, sustainable energy independence, and preparing for the zombie apocalypse About the episode: Jordan Brompton of explores the evolving challenges and opportunities in the electric vehicle industry, focusing on sustainability, resilience, and how she's preparing for a potential zombie uprising! Myenergi is a provider of Home EV chargers, solar PV systems, and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) - or, as Jordan says, Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS). Jordan talks about her journey to setting up one of the most successful HEMS companies in the UK (with cofounder Lee Sutton) and shares insights about the industry, with a couple of EV myths busted into the deal. Join us as we discuss how companies are navigating economic hurdles and accelerating the journey toward a net-zero future. Guest Name: Jordan Brompton Business leader, tech entrepreneur and sustainable investor, Jordan Brompton is the co-founder and CMO of – a global leader in eco-smart home energy technology. Alongside forging fundamental business relationships, Jordan is responsible for driving the day-to-day corporate strategy and fuelling long-term international expansion. With the ambition of leaving the planet in a better place than she found it, Jordan has been presented with a number of prestigious awards and accolades for her pioneering work. Alongside being crowned Great British Entrepreneur of the Year, she was named in the TE100, the Stonehage Fleming XV, the Top 10 Women in Energy and took home gold as EY Entrepreneur of the Year (North). Never one to sit still, she became a published author with her debut book ‘Sparki and the journey to Earth’, which aims to educate children about the importance of working towards a greener future. Links: LinkedIn: I hope you enjoy the show and if you have any comments or suggestions please write to me at: . Enjoy, Toby Corballis /episode/index/show/wickedproblems/id/33667542

Ali Nicholl: Decentralised data distribution: sustainability, impact, and resilience for the future of humanity and the environment. 04/16/2024

Ali Nicholl: Decentralised data distribution: sustainability, impact, and resilience for the future of humanity and the environment. About the episode: How can businesses share data to enable them to collaborate effectively whilst still retaining control of their data? Ali Nicholl at IOTICS thinks his company has the answer. Guest Name: Ali Nicholl Ali Nicholl is part of IOTICS’ founding team and IOTICS’ Head of Engagement, working across transport, logistics, utilities, the built environment, and defence, focusing on interoperability of IT & OT and digital cooperation across enterprise boundaries. Deploying decentralised, federated approaches that leverage semantics, selective sharing of data and connected digital twins. Ali is actively working on projects supporting the co-creation of transformative services and solutions at the intersection of market sectors and industries – with an interest in ESG, sustainability, and essential sharing networks. Ali also represents IOTICS within industry and academic initiatives such as TechUK’s Digital Twin Working Group, Cranfield University’s Industry Advisory Board and, as Co-Chair, on the DT Hub Community Council. Ali is passionate about enabling and empowering individuals and organisations to use trusted interoperability to unlock the value of their data assets to meet today’s business challenges, with the future flexibility to be ready for as-yet-undefined technology and needs. The opportunities presented by enabling programmatic discovery, data sharing and interaction must be married with a holistic understanding to unify technical and business benefits. Ali’s skills lie in taking a view across technical and sector landscapes to give confidence to those taking their first steps and to reflect impacts for the greater good. Links: LinkedIn: I hope you enjoy the show and if you have any comments or suggestions please write to me at: . Enjoy, Toby Corballis /episode/index/show/wickedproblems/id/30849083

Professor Herman Russchenberg: Innovation, Business Strategies, Addressing the Climate Emergency, and the Scientific Perspective! 02/05/2024

Professor Herman Russchenberg: Innovation, Business Strategies, Addressing the Climate Emergency, and the Scientific Perspective! About the episode: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US called last year the hottest on record “by far”. During the year we saw many climate-related catastrophes – from large scale fires to unprecedented flooding. And yet, for some, the science of climate change is controversial. Many claim that even climate scientists don’t believe it can be attributed to anthropogenic actions. To understand what climate scientists really believe, we thought we’d speak with one. Professor Russchenberg leads the Climate Institute at the Technical University of Delft and is the scientific director of the national Ruisdael Observatory, both in the Netherlands, an apt choice given that roughly one third of the Netherlands lies below sea level (the lowest being 6.7 metres below) and, so, rising sea levels are an issue. In this episode, Professor Russchenberg and Toby Corballis discuss what businesses can do, the role of technology in mitigating some of the worst effects, why we’re seeing recent events, the warming of the oceans, and where we’re headed. Importantly, we ask what role business can play in helping to mitigate some of the worst effects of climate change. Guest Name: Professor Herman Russchenberg With decades of industry experience, Andrew Gordon-Brooks has built his career across Telco, Finance & Media with both global enterprises and early stage startups. Holding a variety of leadership & executive level positions; including building a global engineering team for a LinkedIn top 25 startup, Andrew is currently Chief Operations Officer for Secure Delivery, a firm spec, a founder member of the OWASP Education and Training Committee, and a key contributor to the OWASP Application Security Curriculum Project. Guest Profile: Professor Russchenberg is a full professor in Atmospheric Remote Sensing and head of the Department of Geoscience and Remote Sensing at the Technical University, Delft, in the Netherlands. Since 202, he is the TU Delft vice rector magnificus for climate action. As well as leading the TU Delft Climate Institute, he is the Scientific Director of the national Ruisdael Observatory. His research themes are: Climate change: the role of clouds, rainfall and aerosols in the climate system Measuring the atmosphere Climate engineering Nowcasting rainfall Links: Find out about the work that Professor Russchenberg is doing: Calculate your travel footprint using one of the following: I hope you enjoy the show and if you have any comments or suggestions please write to me at: . Enjoy, Toby Corballis /episode/index/show/wickedproblems/id/29805763