Should you buy an electric car in 2026, or are you better off choosing a hybrid, petrol or diesel vehicle?

In Season 2, Episode 1 of The SP Show, Sri Popuri speaks with Charles Essam, Director of New Car, Manufacturer & Media at Auto Trader, about what UK car-buying data reveals beyond the headlines.

They explore why used EVs are selling faster than the wider market, whether electric cars now make financial sense, the truth about battery degradation and charging, and why Chinese brands such as BYD and Chery are gaining ground in the UK.

The conversation also examines:

• Who should buy an EV today and who should wait
• Why more than 1,000 used EVs are listed below £10,000
• Whether Chinese carmakers could enter the UK’s top five
• How far China is ahead of Europe
• Whether established European carmakers can survive
• Where AI genuinely improves the car-buying experience
• Why physical dealerships are unlikely to disappear

A practical, data-led conversation for car buyers and automotive professionals seeking to understand what is really happening in the UK EV market.

Why does China dominate battery manufacturing? Can India build a globally competitive battery industry? What separates successful gigafactories from expensive failures?

In this episode, Srinivas Popuri speaks with Vijayanand Samudrala, President of New Energy at Amara Raja.

With more than three decades of experience, Vijayanand shares lessons on battery manufacturing, industrial strategy, technology innovation, supply chains, startup execution, AI, leadership and the future of the global battery industry.

The conversation covers China's rise, India's opportunities, gigafactory execution, battery startups, manufacturing excellence, supply chains and what it really takes to build a competitive battery ecosystem.

Perfect for professionals working in batteries, EVs, energy storage, manufacturing, policy and investment.

Why do so many battery gigafactory projects struggle, despite raising billions of dollars and using world-class technology?

In this episode of The SP Show, I sit down with Dr Will Jones from Beck & Pollitzer, a company that has helped deliver process equipment installations across 13 battery gigafactories, working with 11 manufacturers in 8 countries.

Rather than discussing battery chemistry, this conversation focuses on the often-overlooked reality of building large-scale battery manufacturing plants.

We explore why many projects look perfect on paper but run into problems during execution, why process equipment receives far less attention than it deserves, and why experience remains one of the biggest competitive advantages in battery manufacturing.

We discuss:
▶ Why many battery gigafactories run into trouble before production even begins
▶ The biggest myth about building a gigafactory
▶ Why projects that look perfect in PowerPoint quietly start falling behind
▶ The hidden bottlenecks that can delay projects by months, sometimes years
▶ Why process equipment is "the machines that make the money"
▶ The procurement and coordination mistakes that cost millions
▶ Why experience remains the industry's biggest competitive advantage

Whether you're involved in batteries, manufacturing, industrial projects, engineering, investing or simply interested in how gigafactories are built, this episode offers practical insights rarely discussed in public.

If you enjoy the conversation, please follow The SP Show on Spotify and share the episode with others interested in the future of battery manufacturing.