Kathleen Nelson Romans - Business Innovation Engineer

Kathleen Nelson Romans works to develop and commercialize electric vehicle charging technology, serving as a bridge between Eaton's research division and business units to ensure that time and research will actually lead to revenue. In this episode of the YPE Podcast, she sits down with hosts Mark and Jake to discuss the current state of electric vehicle infrastructure, barriers to EV adoption, and even lab-grown meat. Show Notes: 00:34 Kathleen's role as business innovation engineer & what Eaton does 02:59 Kathleen's background & development program rotations 05:14 Electric vehicle infrastructure strategies & market segments 07:04 What bottlenecks exist for switching everyone to electric vehicles? 08:59 Managed charging & time-of-use tariffs 11:34 Opportunities for young professionals in this sector 15:14 Electric alternatives to off-road vehicles? 16:44 Common misconceptions about electric infrastructure 18:24 How do the YPE hosts feel about electric vehicles? 21:29 How would existing infrastructure handle the increase in charging demand? 24:14 Emerging trend of "DC as a service" 28:14 How public perception is a barrier to EV adoption 30:49 The carbon footprint of food; water consumption in food production 34:24 Ranking food by its carbon dioxide and car miles equivalent 37:04 Meat substitutes and lab-grown meat 37:44 Advice to share with young professionals on a similar career path 38:54 Has Kathleen changed her mind about something in her industry? 40:54 Kathleen's perspective on recycling 44:14 Do any industry trends keep Kathleen up at night? Kathleen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/knelsonromans/ The Rivian camp kitchen mentioned this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i4ezh8pneI