The EV Talent Pendulum: Building Teams That Outlast Funding Cycles

The EV Talent Pendulum: Building Teams That Outlast Funding Cycles

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2533760/fan_mail/new] The EV hiring market swings like a pendulum — from growth hype and inflated salaries to layoffs and capital discipline. So how do you build a talent strategy that outlasts the next funding cycle? In this episode of Field Frequency, host Jason sits down with Josh Hallberry, Manager of Mobility at Brightsmith, a certified B Corp recruitment firm focused on the energy transition. Drawing on five years in e-mobility recruiting, Josh explains why SaaS and pure-tech hiring playbooks don't translate to infrastructure-heavy EV businesses, how compensation has recalibrated since the post-COVID boom, and what really closes the "back door" on employee retention. This isn't a conversation about recruiters filling seats. It's about talent architecture in a volatile, capital-constrained industry — and what both candidates and employers need to understand if they want to build something that lasts. In this episode: * Why the EV talent pool is uniquely constrained, and whether the industry is building real depth or just recycling people * The mistake companies make when they apply a software hiring playbook to infrastructure deployment * How EV compensation has escalated, peaked, and recalibrated over the past five years * Transient talent vs. genuine commitment, and what drives people to jump ship * Employer differentiation beyond pay: mission, transparent leadership, and intentional career design * Talent architecture vs. reactive, transactional hiring * The myths Josh wants to debunk — including "I can't work in EV because I've never worked in EV" Field Frequency is powered by Field Advantage, an IT field services company specializing in the deployment, maintenance, and operation of critical infrastructure, including EV charging networks. Produced and edited by Autozy (autozy.co).

The 30-Minute Opportunity: Electrification Isn’t Replacing Petroleum - It’s Expanding Retail

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2533760/fan_mail/new] The headlines say EVs are slowing down. The data tells a different story. In this episode of Field Frequency, host Jason sits down with John Eichberger, Executive Director of the Transportation Energy Institute (TEI), to cut through the noise around electric vehicles and public charging infrastructure. While retailers react to last week's news cycle, a quieter shift is reshaping the market: millions of used EVs are about to land in the hands of drivers who can't charge at home — and they'll need a place to plug in. This isn't a debate about gasoline versus electrons. It's about relevance, retention, and whether petroleum retailers are positioning for the next decade or reacting to the latest swing in sentiment. In this conversation, John and Jason explore: - Why the "EV slowdown" narrative misses the bigger signal - The coming wave of used EV buyers who depend on public charging - Why the 30-minute charging window is a retail goldmine — and the Capital One data that proves it - How agentic AI in vehicles is moving the buying decision from the pump to the couch - What separates an early-mover retailer from a long-term winner: reliability, amenities, and integrated loyalty - The retailer-vs-CPO data tug-of-war and how to actually share the customer - Utilities, demand charges, and the road to true price competition - Hardware fragmentation, J3400, and choosing partners that will still be here in five years - What success looks like for a fuel retailer by 2030 If you operate at the intersection of energy, retail, and infrastructure — whether you run one location or a thousand — this episode is a playbook for staying relevant as the next generation of fueling takes shape. Connect with John and TEI: Website: transportationenergy.org Email: jeichberger@transportationenergy.org Field Frequency is powered by Field Advantage, an IT field services company specializing in the deployment, maintenance, and operation of critical infrastructure — including EV charging networks. This episode was produced and edited by the team at Autozy. Learn more at autozy.co.

Replacing Speculation With Logic: Real-Time EV Site Modeling with James Tillman

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2533760/fan_mail/new] Most EV charging projects don't fail in the field — they fail months earlier, during pre-development, when assumptions stand in for realities. Timelines stretch, capital burns, and roughly 40% of projects get cancelled before construction even begins. In this episode, Jason sits down with James Tillman, co-founder and CEO of EVLogic, a platform that lets developers, EPCs, A&E firms, and as-a-service providers design, engineer, and price EV charging sites in real time — with every stakeholder on the same call. James has lived this problem from every angle: utility programs at Reliant/NRG, network deployment at EVgo, and EPC execution at Brighten Energy. Now he's building the tool he wishes he'd had for the last 15 years. In this conversation: — Why pre-development is the real bottleneck in EV infrastructure — The "fail early, fail fast" philosophy and how it protects everyone in the value chain — The truth behind the "$7,200 DC fast charger install" myth — Why DC fast charging grew 30% year-over-year — and why that's still only a third of what the market needs — The under-the-radar opportunity in off-lease used EVs — Hotels, multifamily, and fleet — the segments quietly driving deployment in a "down" market — Founding a company in a down cycle: what's harder, what's secretly easier Whether you're a CPO, developer, EPC, fleet operator, or project finance team, this conversation will sharpen how you think about deploying EV charging infrastructure. Field Frequency is powered by Field Advantage — an IT field services company specializing in the deployment, maintenance, and operation of critical infrastructure, including EV charging networks.

Acquire, Convert, Retain: Rewiring Go-To-Market in the Energy Space

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2533760/fan_mail/new] In this episode of Field Frequency, powered by Field Advantage and hosted by Jason Cortes, we sit down with Jonathan Colbert, founder of Fractal, to explore how companies in energy, mobility, and electrification are rethinking growth. As the industry shifts away from “growth at all costs,” Jonathan shares how disciplined go-to-market strategies, aligned teams, and sustainable business models are becoming essential for long-term success. From his experience at Mercedes-Benz and Rivian to launching Fractal, Jonathan brings a unique perspective on what it takes to scale effectively in today’s market. Key Topics Covered * The shift from rapid growth to capital-efficient scaling * What a broken go-to-market strategy looks like * Why companies often misdiagnose growth challenges * The importance of aligning product, marketing, and sales * Lessons from traditional industries like automotive and fuel infrastructure * How AI and emerging tools are changing how companies build * The rise of fractional leadership and the future of work Key Takeaways * Growth problems are often system problems, not just sales or marketing gaps * Strong go-to-market alignment is critical for scaling efficiently * Customer insight should drive product and strategy decisions * Building unnecessary tools can slow growth and create complexity * Sustainable companies focus on long-term operational health, not just speed Notable Insights * “Growth at all costs is gone—discipline and sustainability matter more than ever.” * “If things feel harder than they should, the issue may be upstream in your system.” * “If it doesn’t help you acquire, convert, or retain customers, reconsider building it.” Learn More * Fractal: scalewithfractal.com * Connect with Jonathan Colbert on LinkedIn About Field Frequency Field Frequency explores the people, technology, and strategies shaping the future of field service, EV infrastructure, and connected systems—bringing real-world insight from leaders across the industry. If you want, I can also spin this into Spotify/Apple Podcasts descriptions, social promos, or email newsletter blurbs. Jonathan Colbert Bio  Most growth-stage companies don’t have a go-to-market problem—they have a systems problem. They may have traction, strong teams, and a product the market wants, but the approaches that drive early success rarely scale. Jonathan Colbert founded Fractal Fractional Leadership to address this gap, embedding with leadership teams to build repeatable, connected go-to-market systems across sales, marketing, product, revenue operations, and customer experience. He brings over a decade of experience across electrification and mobility, including leadership roles at Voltera, Rivian, and Mercedes-Benz USA, where he led charging and infrastructure strategy for North America. His career has focused on turning complex, early-stage opportunities into scalable commercial systems. Based in Florida, he holds an MBA from Georgia Tech and a BS from Florida State. Outside of work, he spends most of his time with his wife and two young children.

Electrifying Freight & Fleets: How Einride Is Re-Architecting The Industry

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2533760/fan_mail/new] Charging infrastructure is expensive. Fleets can't pause while the technology matures. And every kilowatt-hour has to compete with diesel on a dollars-per-mile basis. So how do you actually electrify heavy-duty freight without bolting on a green premium? On this episode of Field Frequency, Jason is joined by Sean Ackley, VP of Energy & Infrastructure, and Josie-Dee Li, Product Director of Energy & Infrastructure at Einride — a freight tech company tying together electric trucks, autonomous vehicles, energy infrastructure, and a digital ecosystem called Saga. In this conversation: * Sean and Josie-Dee's paths through e-mobility, utilities, smart home, and EV charging * The origin and operational role of Einride's cabless autonomous eBot * Why an autonomous future has to be an electric future * The four cost pillars of delivering electric fuel — land, hardware, O&M, and go-to-market — and how each one impacts TCO * How Saga blends route planning, charging reservations, state-of-charge tracking, and dynamic routing into one pane of glass * Three charging models: private depots, third-party hubs, and Einride-managed sites with co-located solar and storage * Energy arbitrage, wholesale capacity offtake, and monetizing electrons back to the grid * Real proof that mixed electric/diesel fleets can hit — and even beat — diesel TCO parity * What MCS charging, bigger batteries, and on-the-go fueling unlock for the next wave of adoption Whether you run a fleet, build charging infrastructure, or work anywhere in freight tech, this is a grounded look at the economics, execution, and digital tooling behind heavy-duty electrification today. Connect Learn more about Einride: einride.tech Find Sean Ackley and Josie-Dee Li on LinkedIn Field Frequency is powered by Field Advantage — an IT field services company specializing in deployment, maintenance, and operation of critical infrastructure, including EV charging networks. Learn more at fieldadvantage.com. Produced and edited by Autozy — autozy.co