In this very special episode of the My Week in Cars podcast, Steve and Matt are joined by Andy Palmer – previously COO of Nissan, CEO of Aston Martin and now known as the 'Godfather of EVs' – in front of a live audience.
Autocar readers were invited to the Royal Automobile Club in London to hear Matt, Steve, Andy and the rest of the Autocar team discuss the birth of the Nissan Leaf, the evolution of battery technology, the impact of Chinese manufacturers, why Palmer turned down the job of Tesla CEO and much more.
Palmer is well known as the driving force behind the first Nissan Leaf, which, according to Palmer himself, caused Nissan's marketing department to "pull their hair out".
The launch of the Leaf was an achievement which earned him the title of 'godfather of EVs', but he was also responsible for the Nissan Qashqai, a car which shaped its segment but which he admits to have initially been a "long burner". And later, in his subsequent role as CEO of Aston Martin, he is remembered for headlining the Geneva show in 2019 with an all-new range of mid-engined supercars.
Having left Aston Martin in 2020, Andy is now CEO of PodPoint, chair at Hilo and Inobat and much more besides, making him well placed to offer fascinating analysis of the UK's battery factory network, predictions on emerging technology and insight into the contest between European legacy marques and newer Chinese rivals.
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