Grid Connections Podcast (and Life) Updates

Summary
In today's episode, I’m sharing some updates on what’s in store for the podcast moving forward (and recent personal update: I am moving!). I’m looking to increase the number of episodes per week with more episodes involving different panels of guests. Along with exploring partnerships with other teams for more upcoming collaborations like last week's episode with Francie of the Out of Spec Podcast.

I’m also thrilled to announce that I’ll be attending the Electrify Expo in San Francisco later this month, and I’d love to meet some of you there!

I’m always looking for ways to improve the podcast, so I’d really appreciate your feedback and suggestions for future guests and topics. Reach out on Twitter or email me!

Plus, in this episode I shared my thoughts on a recent test drive of the Tesla Model 3 Performance and my search for a second car.


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Creators & Guests

Host

Chase Drum

Host of Grid Connections and Founder of Bespoke EVs

What is Grid Connections?

Discover the future of energy in the Grid Connections Podcast. Join our expert host as we explore the latest innovations and developments in the world of renewable energy, electric vehicles, and sustainable transportation.
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Good afternoon Grid connections listeners.

I just wanted to give you a bit of an update here So this is gonna be a little bit
different than the normal episodes.

And so if you're here for an interview You can probably skip this week.

We'll have some great things coming next week But I just wanted to give a quick update on
just some of the things happening on the podcast recent experience I had I'm just trying

to get some more feedback and share some other exciting updates about what I'm looking to
do with the podcast

So if you're just looking for an interview, sorry, it's just gonna be me talking today,
but tune back in next week.

So first off, of a life update.

As you may notice, what looks like a kind of nondescript blue room, I have recently moved,
and so that kind of threw off this week's scheduling.

So next week, it is going to be the start of a couple new things, and I don't wanna get
a...

of myself just yet because I want to make sure we can keep the cadence of doing it that
often working.

But I think we'll be able to go up to more episodes per week.

But first, I just wanted to share, yeah, so I recently moved from Central Oregon, Bend, to
the Columbia Gorge area, which is about two and a half hours north of Bend, still kind of

Oregon and Washington there.

And coincidentally, it's where both my wife and I grew up.

So we're excited to be back in this area.

It means I'll be a little bit closer to Portland and I think that'll unlock some
interesting things coming up in regards to possibly doing partnerships with other teams,

possibly even car reviews and more in -person things.

So speaking of which, if anyone listening is going to be at the Electrify Expo later this
month in San Francisco, technically Oakland, but the San Francisco Electrify Expo, I

believe the 24th and 25th,

later this month, I will actually be there and I would love yes 24th 25th and I would love
to meet with anyone that does and is able to attend and can speak with in person I'm

actually gonna be there if you remember a couple episodes back we had DJ Burtwell on and
he's since asked me to come on as an emcee for one of the Events that they host at the

electrify expo.

So I'm really excited about that and pretty honored to be here

Are to be there for that now as you may notice Yeah, everything looks a little Not quite
up to the usual Polish and the audio I apologies if it's not quite the same.

I'm still getting my office set up I just I don't even fully move but I just did another
run yesterday of stuff up from bend So hopefully by next week will be back and things will

look more situators and we're gonna be back to the normal quality of

audio and video that you guys are usually expecting.

So yeah, there's one personal change of the move, but yeah, I'm hoping to be at more
events.

And recently, as I had Francie from the Unrespect podcast on, I'm hoping to do more work
actually with not just their team, but others as well to kind of make sure we're

delivering that really engaging content.

So that brings me to one of the questions I have for you guys.

please reach out to us, whether it be on social, on even Twitter X, or on our YouTube and
podcast page, some of what you would like to see.

What we're looking to do moving forward will be continue to do our one -on -one episodes
where we have a subject matter expert come on and I get to talk with him and we learn

together more about his specific error, his or her specific error of the, whether it be.

the grid, electric vehicles, or that area of their expertise.

But one of the things that have been consistently popular and I really enjoy doing are
kind when we do our panel episodes.

I'll continue to have John McElroy and Matt Teske along with Orin McDonald come on pretty
regularly.

We're hoping that maybe you'll do it once a month, but given all of our schedules, I think
it's realistic to at least expect quarterly to start and maybe we can do more great.

But that

I'm hoping to do more often with a few different guests.

So please let me know who you would like to have on just even as a normal one -to -one
Guess which a lot of you listeners have been awesome at a lot of people have reached out

to me either directly the email or on Twitter about people who you'd like to have on and
that's been a great way to get some more guests, but I would also welcome

hearing what kind of topics or technologies and specific people you'd like to have on as
we start doing more of these panel interviews.

And I think that's gonna be a lot of fun.

So those are kind of the big updates from my side about what I'm looking to do with the
podcast, where we're trying to take things.

And then I think one of the things I just really wanted to learn more about, and a lot of
people have been great about this in the comments on the YouTube page.

But just learning more about what you guys want to see more of.

Do you want me to start doing car reviews?

I've had some people mention that in the past.

I may be able to partner with others to do that, do kind of electric vehicle focused
reviews or kind of unique takes.

mean, obviously the Out of Specs Studios team has been awesome and doing a lot of those.

And I'm hoping it's going to work with them.

Maybe even some road trip testing in the future with them.

But just kind of curious if that different style of content is something that

the listeners would be interested in.

And then also, I just want to share some interesting things that have happened to me.

I had the opportunity to test drive the new Model 3 Performance and I was wildly impressed
with it.

Not that I wasn't obviously a fan, I don't want to seem like a total fanboy of the Tesla
stuff, but it was just an all around great vehicle and it just reminded me of honestly the

first time I ever got in like a BMW 3 Series.

Everything just felt great.

Everything just sounded good and really solid.

And it just seemed like the car took a step up.

And the performance Model 3, I kind of get it.

Some people think it looks a little simplistic or it's not that big of an evolution.

And I kind of agree with that.

Having said that, I think it finally looks how it should.

It's really clean, simple, but still aggressive.

And was just so much fun to drive.

Obviously,

It's kind of, as they say, happiness on demand.

You just push that pedal and it is just wild how quickly that thing starts moving.

But at the same time, I was really impressed with it.

Had always done the, I think all Teslas obviously had done really well with the
acceleration and the Model 3 had been kind of one of their first vehicles to, Model S

obviously had some success with this, but just given its size and affluence.

I really just elevated it to being a really great all -around

car whether that be handling to daily driving, but there was still a little of the
refinement things and I think just this recent test drive really impressed upon me how big

of a step up it was and If you are in the space Looking for a car definitely would
recommend it would welcome talking with anyone offline about it.

I'm actually even thinking we have a model wise our daily and then we have

1987 Land Rover Defender, which yes, is still a work in progress.

should probably give an update on that soon.

I'm still waiting on some parts.

I'm trying to work with the Felton team.

And it's really, to be honest with you, it's not the end of the world that's taken this
long.

There's been so many other things like this, maybe other stuff, and even financial things
that we've been working on that delaying this a little bit has not been any means on them

either.

And I wish them so much.

I just want to say congrats them for all the stuff I've been seeing them post with the new
factory they're building in the UK.

But needless to say, can't wait till I have the time and resources to properly update the
Rover and do some of the conversion like I want to with the technology they're working on.

But it has kind of come to our attention since we're in the gorge and our Model Y has been
the daily.

The Rover is still great, drives well, but kind of doing the

trips which are usually at least an hour from where we live into Portland especially with
the weather and the gorge it just seems very likely we're going to need to get a second

car anyway and so I'm trying to figure out do I want to do a model 3 performance and have
a fun daily or do I want to do something different altogether I'm open to other things but

at the price point and everything that you get I hate to say it but the model 3 is still
just a really tempting product

just when it comes to the all -around package and then the performance for what you get
for the money, I'm a really big fan of.

For a hot second, I kind of looked at maybe going with the Ionic 5 in or whatever it's
called, their track version, but I just love the styling way more, even though you could

say the Ionic's a little more practical day to day because of the, it being a wagon style.

But even then, we already had the model.

I think this is primarily just gonna be a commuter car -ish anyway.

Commuter car slash fun car.

There are some other things still on the horizon that have yet to come out.

That could be fun, like the new Porsche electric Cayman essentially, or Boxster, but TBD
on price.

They'll probably be on the higher side, probably worth whatever it comes out as, but might
either be still too far out.

And maybe a little too sport oriented, it's definitely something I'm looking for.

I think longer term to get to having just a fun, two seater car in some ways that's what
the defender is, technically at C3 right now, but, yeah, I think some, something more

sports car and then, replacing the longer term, the model Y maybe we'll see what the new
one's like, but maybe something a little bit bigger, more of an SUV ish or

truck sort of thing but at the moment I think that's the goal is just to get a second car
I'm leaning towards something more fun and commuter and maybe more ideal for a road trip

so I'm going a little bit back and forth between either a long -range model 3 or a model 3
performance and then just put on a square wheel setup and different tires to hopefully get

the range to more similar to what the long -range Y is.

I'd love to see

what that actual Delta is in range and see someone do a test on that.

But that's going to lead, been leaning towards just for around town and driving.

It still has plenty of range as it is and how fast it charges.

just seemed like such a fun vehicle.

It's just, I was pretty impressed with it going over bumps.

It's still so much, it's still pretty stiff, but it still handles and rides so much better
than not just the previous Model 3, but even our Model 1.

And the sport and non sport modes you can kind of put it for the handling do make a
difference But it was kind of funny because it did seem it felt like honestly that

sometimes when I had this It did overall feel good But I've got some bumps and it almost
felt like it was smoother of those bumps than when it was in its Normal, it doesn't have

like a specific comfort one.

But the mode that seems to be the more comfortable of the two so

Those are some other personal and kind of podcast related updates.

If there's another car I should look at, please let me know.

But that was kind of why I kind of reached out and I'm looking to maybe talk to a couple
of people about it, but at the moment, pretty heavily leaning to the Model 3 performance.

We'll see what happens there and we'll have updates soon.

Otherwise, yes, I think the main message is just please let me know what...

You guys would like to see on the podcast whether that be different types of guests, the
topics.

I'm kind of working again with Francie of the Out of Spikes Studios to at least do another
episode here pretty shortly on a couple of topics, just following up from some of the

comments and questions you guys had from those episodes.

So really excited to see and get that out there shortly.

And I think this will be kind of a new chapter of just getting more episodes out more
frequently and having more of these panel episodes.

Please reach out and let us know.

With that, I will stop rambling and this is the Great Connections Podcast.

Until next week, signing off.