Life’s Tough as an EV Startup – Alexa St. John

Alexa St. John is one of today’s top voices in the world of electric vehicles. She has established herself as a major reporter for EV tech and startups. As a top authority on all things EV, she consistently covers breaking stories for this booming industry – from Rivian to Lucid to Tesla and beyond.

In this episode, Alexa covers the latest in EVs and the many challenges young companies face when breaking into the space:

• Alexa has been covering electric vehicle startups and the future of automotive for Insider since 2021. Prior to that, she spent two years writing for Automotive News. During this timeframe, she has noticed an incredible shift toward mobility startups, particularly those in the electric space. 
• Many EV startups are starting to realize just how capital intensive it is to bring an entirely new product to market. Paired with production manufacturing challenges, charging infrastructure needs, and supply chain constraints (think lithium for batteries), some startups are struggling to stand out in the crowd. 
• Alexa admits she herself doesn’t own an EV. The main pain points? Like most, it’s price and charging infrastructure. If electric vehicles are to fully replace gas-powered options, EV manufacturers will need to make affordability a priority. They also need to take charging matters into their own hands, rather than kicking the can to third party charging companies. Some legacy car companies, like GM and Mercedes, are starting to take a more serious look at charging infrastructure.