Everything Electric Podcast Freelander Goes Electric?! AI's Power Problem & Megawatt Charging!
Apr 7, 2026
Imogen Bhogal, an engineer and former Jaguar Land Rover designer focused on future mobility and EV strategy, joins for a lively chat. They unpack the surprise Freelander EV comeback in China. They dive into AI data‑centre energy demands and gigantic battery projects. High‑power truck charging and the state of new versus used EV markets also get spirited attention.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Data Center Batteries Rival Cities
- Large battery installations for data centres now reach tens of gigawatt-hours, comparable to city electricity use for hours.
- Imogen and Robert note concentrated siting causes local impacts like noise and community effects versus distributed storage.
Batch Prompts To Reduce AI Energy Use
- Reduce personal AI energy use by batching prompts and being precise to avoid repeated, costly queries.
- Imogen suggests using your human brain to clarify requests before firing off multiple ChatGPT prompts.
Massive Batteries Are Becoming Economical
- Grid-scale storage costs have fallen dramatically: systems once billions now cost millions, enabling 30 GWh to terawatt-hour projects.
- Robert highlights this makes storing curtailed wind energy economically plausible across national grids.