The SP Show

Hydrogen Lost the Race to Batteries | Bernard Dijk van | The SP Show | Ep.7

HYDROGEN LOST THE RACE TO BATTERIES? | BERNARD VAN DIJK For more than a decade, hydrogen was presented as one of the leading solutions for clean transportation. Governments funded it. Automakers invested billions. Industry groups promoted it as the fuel of the future. Yet while battery-electric vehicles have achieved mass adoption, hydrogen mobility remains a niche technology. In this episode of The SP Show, I sit down with Bernard van Dijk, aviation analyst and member of the Hydrogen Science Coalition, for a detailed discussion on hydrogen, batteries, aviation, infrastructure, and the future of transportation. Bernard argues that hydrogen's challenges are not simply a matter of scale or cost reduction. He believes many of the barriers are rooted in the fundamental physics of hydrogen itself, making widespread adoption in passenger vehicles, trucking, and aviation far more difficult than commonly portrayed. We discuss why Toyota continues to pursue hydrogen, whether Airbus' hydrogen aircraft ambitions are realistic, the economics of hydrogen infrastructure, battery-electric aviation, sustainable aviation fuels, and where hydrogen genuinely makes sense in a decarbonised economy. TOPICS COVERED * Green, grey, blue and black hydrogen explained * Why hydrogen struggles in passenger vehicles * Toyota's hydrogen strategy and the Mirai * Why hydrogen bus projects are being cancelled * The economics of hydrogen versus batteries * The Hydrogen Science Coalition's position * Michael Liebreich's Hydrogen Ladder * Hydrogen trucks and heavy transport * Airbus ZEROe and hydrogen aviation * Battery-electric aircraft opportunities * Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) * Biofuels versus e-fuels * eVTOLs and electric aviation startups * Hydrogen pipelines and infrastructure challenges * The role of oil and gas companies in hydrogen promotion * Where hydrogen should and should not be used Whether you agree or disagree with Bernard's conclusions, this conversation challenges many of the assumptions that continue to shape discussions around hydrogen and clean transportation.

He Faced 300 Rejections Before Leading Australian Science | Prof Jagadish | The SP Show | Ep.6

In Part 2 of my conversation with Professor Chennupati Jagadish, we go beyond the titles and explore the real journey behind one of the world's leading scientists. Born in Vallurapalem, a small village in Andhra Pradesh, India, Prof. Jagadish studied under a kerosene lamp, faced academic setbacks, received more than 300 rejection letters, and still went on to become a global leader in semiconductor research, nanotechnology, and science leadership. Professor Chennupati Jagadish is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Australian National University (ANU), Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), and served as President of the Australian Academy of Science (2022–2026). In this episode we discuss: • Growing up in rural India • Academic failures and resilience • 300+ rejections before success • PhD advice for students and researchers • Mentorship and choosing the right supervisor • Publish-or-perish culture in academia • Scientific leadership and research impact • Building a meaningful research career This conversation is not only for scientists and PhD students. It is for anyone building a long-term career and learning how persistence, mentors, and the right mindset can shape outcomes. #ChennupatiJagadish #ScienceLeadership #PhD #Research #Semiconductors #Nanotechnology #Academia #TheSPShow #SriPopuri #Mentorship

America Had the Battery Tech First. So Why Did China Win? | Dr. SanjivMalhotra | The SP Show | Ep.5

Sanjiv Malhotra, CEO of Sparkz Energy, joins Srinivas Popuri to discuss how the US can build a profitable domestic battery ecosystem through LFP chemistry, localized supply chains, and disciplined manufacturing. This episode explores battery commercialization, startup scaling, energy security, AI, leadership, and investor strategy. A must-listen for battery founders, energy professionals, investors, and policymakers.

Why Scientific Breakthroughs Struggle to Become Real Products? | Prof. Jagadish | The SP Show Ep.4

Most scientific breakthroughs never make it to market. Not because the science is weak, but because the system around it is. In this episode of The SP Show, I sit down with Professor Chennupati Jagadish to unpack the gap between research and real-world products. We get into the uncomfortable reality behind deep tech: – why great research fails commercially – how public funding shapes what gets built – where academia and industry misalign – what it actually takes to translate science into scalable products This is not a surface-level innovation discussion. It is a grounded look at execution, incentives, and the structural barriers that most people ignore. For anyone working in batteries, energy, semiconductors, or deep tech, this is the real conversation.

Can the US Build Lithium Refining Without China? | Roshan Pujari, CEO | The SP Show Ep.3

What does it actually take to build a lithium refinery in the US? In this episode of The SP Show, Srinivas Popuri sits down with Roshan Pujari, Founder & CEO of Stardust Power, for a practical conversation on lithium refining, critical minerals, bankability, pricing pressure from China, de-risking, and industrial execution. A strong listen for anyone in batteries, refining, project development, and the wider energy transition.