Episode 1: Battery Energy Storage (Part 1) with William Mustain
Welcome to the Season 2 premiere of The Battery Belt, the official podcast of the Georgia Network for Electric Mobility (GNEM). To kick off the new season, we welcome Professor William Mustain, Director of the Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation at the University of South Carolina.
In this episode, Professor Mustain explores one of the biggest shifts happening across the battery industry today. As EV demand begins to normalize and electricity demand accelerates from data centers, industrial electrification, and grid expansion, we examine whether battery energy storage is emerging as the next major driver of growth. Together, we discuss how this transition could reshape manufacturing strategies, research priorities, and the future of the Battery Belt.
Episode 2: Battery Energy Storage (Part 2) with William Mustain
Welcome back to Season 2 of The Battery Belt, the official podcast of the Georgia Network for Electric Mobility (GNEM). Today we continue our conversation with Professor William Mustain, Director of the Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation at the University of South Carolina.
In this episode, Professor Mustain explores one of the biggest shifts happening across the battery industry today. As EV demand begins to normalize and electricity demand accelerates from data centers, industrial electrification, and grid expansion, we examine whether battery energy storage is emerging as the next major driver of growth. Together, we discuss how this transition could reshape manufacturing strategies, research priorities, and the future of the Battery Belt.
Episode 3: State of the EV Market with Stephanie Valdez Streaty and Jonathan Smoke (Part 1)
Welcome to Episode 3 of The Battery Belt, the official podcast of the Georgia Network for Electric Mobility (GNEM). In this episode, we welcome Jonathan Smoke, Chief Strategy Officer at Cox Automotive, and Stephanie Valdez Streaty, Director of Industry Insights at Cox Automotive.
As headlines continue to send mixed signals about the future of electric vehicles, Jonathan and Stephanie cut through the noise with one of the industry’s richest automotive datasets. Together, we explore what the numbers actually reveal about the U.S. EV market, why today’s slowdown is better understood as market normalization, and what this transition means for manufacturers, infrastructure investment, and the future of the Battery Belt.
Episode 4: State of the EV Market with Stephanie Valdez Streaty and Jonathan Smoke (Part 2)
Welcome to Episode 4, Season 2 of The Battery Belt, the official podcast of the Georgia Network for Electric Mobility (GNEM). This episode continues our conversation with Jonathan Smoke, Chief Strategy Officer at Cox Automotive, and Stephanie Valdez Streaty, Director of Industry Insights at Cox Automotive.
In Part 1, Jonathan and Stephanie helped cut through the headlines surrounding the EV market, examining what the data actually tells us about the state of EV adoption and why slowing growth may be better understood as market normalization. In Part 2, we turn our attention to the factors that will determine what comes next.
This episode explores the growing importance of hybrids and the used EV market, the role of affordability and charging reliability in consumer confidence, and what it will take for electric vehicles to reach the next wave of mainstream buyers. We also look at product market fit and the complex mix of price sensitivity, vehicle preferences, and infrastructure trust shaping consumer decisions in 2026.
