The Secret Lives of Electric Vehicle Owners
ASU professor and Tech Skeptic Goes Electric author Jamey Wetmore joins Modem Futura to discuss electric vehicle ownership, charging challenges, data privacy, and why informed skepticism matters.
For this week’s episode of Modem Futura, I’m thrilled to be joined by my long-time friend and colleague Jamey Wetmore, alongside co-host Sean Leahy, for a conversation about the real-world challenges and unexpected insights that come with making teh transition from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles.
Jamey’s a professor in ASU’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society and a leading thinker on the complex relationship between emerging technologies and society. His work sits at the intersection of tech, ethics, and public decision-making. But it also turns out that he’s also a bit of a car geek, with a deep knowledge of automotive history and our cultural connection to cars.
He’s also the author of the Substack Tech Skeptic Goes Electric, where he’s been chronicling his personal journey into EV ownership. Much of this week’s episode builds on his reflections there — offering a grounded and insightful (and occasionally skeptical) perspective on what it actually means to go electric.
Whether or not you’re into EVs, this a thoughtful, engaging, and often surprising discussion that I’d highly recommend giving a listen.
Listen on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify or YouTube. And as usual, if you want to jump to specific entry points, check out ChatGPT o1-Pro’s generated summary with approximate time stamps below.1
Entry points from ChatGPT o1-Pro:
Transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs)
Approximate timestamp: ~15:00
Andrew, Sean and Jamey discuss the practical experience and considerations of transitioning from internal combustion engine cars to electric vehicles, covering personal anecdotes, benefits, challenges, and the nuances of EV ownership.
Privacy and Data Concerns in Modern Vehicles
Approximate timestamp: ~23:40
The conversation addresses significant concerns regarding data privacy and monitoring associated with modern electric vehicles. This includes how automakers collect, use, and potentially misuse driver data.
Governance and Regulation of Vehicle Technology
Approximate timestamp: ~41:39
Sean, Jamey and Andrew talk about the role of government and private companies in regulating vehicle safety, technology standards, and charging infrastructure, highlighting debates around effective governance for common good vs. individual corporate interests.
Charging Infrastructure and Range Anxiety
Approximate timestamp: ~52:40
Jamey, Sean and Andrew discuss the state of charging infrastructure, the practicality and challenges of charging EVs, and personal strategies to manage range anxiety effectively.
Environmental and Societal Impacts of EV Adoption
Approximate timestamp: ~1:02:47
Andrew, Sean and Jamey explore the broader implications of electric vehicle adoption, touching on environmental sustainability, lifecycle management of EV batteries, and the societal adjustments required for widespread EV integration.
As always you can watch the episode on YouTube as well as listening to us — check it out here.
If you find the podcast useful or think others will enjoy listening, please do share it with colleagues and leave us a rating or review.
Thanks!
These are the themes that OpenAI o1-Pro thought were interesting. Lightly edited.
