Battery Insiders

About Battery Insiders

Conversations with the people building the battery industry. Hosted by Dr. Simon Engelke, founder of Battery Associates and the BatteryMBA. Cell manufacturing, energy storage, EVs, raw materials, recycling, and the policy behind them. Simon speaks with founders, engineers and executives about what they are building and what they would do differently. Past guests include Frank Blome (PowerCo), Matt Shen (CATL), Siyu Huang (Factorial) and Yann Vincent (ACC). Produced by Battery Associates, the team behind the BatteryMBA: battery.mba Guest and sponsor enquiries: batteryinsiders.com

Publisher

Battery Associates

Category

technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 Mar 2021

Latest episode

3 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

3 of 158 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   3 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   In conversation with Siyu Huang, Founder and CEO at Factorial Energy

   Dr. Simon Engelke interviews Siyu Huang, Founder and CEO at Factorial Energy, about advancing solid-state batteries and their commercialization journey.

2. 

   24 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   In conversation with Matt Shen, General Manager of CATL

   Dr. Simon Engelke interviews CATL General Manager Matt Shen about the company's European strategy, market entry, and operational challenges.

3. 

   24 Sept 2025TRANSCRIPT

   In conversation with Yann Vincent, CEO of ACC

   Dr. Simon Engelke speaks with Yann Vincent, CEO of Automotive Cells Company (ACC) to explore the strategic vision and challenges of strengthening Europe's battery independence through sustainable manufacturing, regulatory navigation, and future expansion plans. ACC is a European battery manufacturer backed by Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz, and TotalEnergies. They build gigafactories to power Europe’s clean mobility shift and to strengthen the continent’s battery independence and industrial resilience. What we cover in this episode: Yann Vincent's personal insights on leadership and his transition from automotive to battery manufacturing ACC's origin story and its vision for Europe's battery independence Battery cell costs, local supply chains, chemistry choices, and EU regulations The impact of electric vehicle (EV) demand on expansion plans and ACC's financing strategies ACC's sustainability efforts, potential moves beyond automotive into energy storage and next-generation battery technologies The importance of local supply chains and partnerships with European battery material suppliers Challenges of competing with Chinese manufacturers, the need for European sovereignty in battery production, and the role of government support and regulations Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to ACC and the European Battery Landscape 02:58 Yann Vincent's Background and the Formation of ACC 05:26 Current Status and Future Plans of ACC 08:08 Yann's Personal Motivations for Transitioning from Automotive to Battery Cell Production 14:02 Challenges in Battery Cell Costs and Competition with China 16:49 The Importance of European Battery Supply Chains for the European Car Industry 18:11 How Europe Can Catch Up with China in Battery Cell Manufacturing 23:50 Tariffs vs. Subsidies as Regulatory Support 27:24 Competitive Advantages and Disadvantages of a Fully European Battery Material Supply Chain 30:06 Navigating Battery Chemistry and Market Trends 35:09 Balancing Manufacturing with R&D 36:37 Is Regulation a Competitive Advantage or a Burden? Sustainability in Battery Production 38:48 How the European Financing Ecosystem is Responding to the Battery Industry 46:09 Market Demand Dynamics and Future Expansion Plans 50:18 Thoughts on Expansion Approach 52:52 Similarities and Differences Between Battery Manufacturing and Car Manufacturing 54:32 Future Outlook for ACC and the Battery Market

Inside a recent episode

In conversation with Siyu Huang, Founder and CEO at Factorial Energy

Published 3 Aug 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Yeah, absolutely. I think for solid state, especially in the Western Hemisphere, I would say it is ready to be launched in a commercial deployment. And this is exciting work that we have been doing over the last three years, starting from 23, when we launched the first 100 amp hour cell solid state battery. That was a CES event with Stellantis. We built this first 100m power solid state with lithium metal in it. And that cell has 390 Watt per kilogram energy density. And we shipped the first B sample to Mercedes last year. And that also with the same high energy density comparison to the lithium-ion batteries. […]

Who has been a guest on Battery Insiders

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Siyu Huang
• Matt Shen
• Frank Blome

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

258,020

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

13 ratings

Spotify

4.5 / 5

17 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 51 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

48

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

51

Contact Battery Insiders

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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