How they make the world's fastest EV chargers | Exponent Energy CEO gives factory tour! BP2B S2 Ep.7

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

September 5, 2025

Duration

1h 9m

Channel

Best Place To Build

Watch on YouTube

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📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Inside the factory that produces the world's fastest EV Charger! In this Best Place to Build Podcast episode, Arun Vinayak (Co-Founder & CEO, Exponent Energy, former CPO, Ather Energy) breaks down the hidden engineering challenges behind rapid EV charging and why the future of mobility in India requires a full-stack energy solution. 👉 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why petroleum “dumb nozzle” model doesn’t work for EVs
• The real reason fast-charging batteries are hard to build
• Why energy is a transaction problem (like Visa: card + POS)
• How Exponent Energy is building the entire stack — battery + charger + software — for 15-min charging
• Arun’s early journey: building a brakeless car from Bangalore’s Shivajinagar scrap market
• Key lessons from scaling Ather Energy and now Exponent Energy
• The future of EV adoption in India and why mobility needs fresh thinking

Whether you’re curious about EV startups, battery innovation, or India’s clean mobility future, this conversation offers a rare inside look from one of India’s leading energy entrepreneurs. Looking for something specific? Here you go: 0:00 Introduction 0:52 Meet Arun Vinayak: Co-Founder and CEO of Exponent Energy 1:30 Exponent Energy & the world’s fastest EV charger 3:23 Building a car at 16 years old 5:41 Building the future of Energy 7:10 What’s holding back EV adoption 11:07 The Real Challenge: Charging Infrastructure 12:36 The Energy Economics and EV vs Petroleum 16:12 Why you can’t just pass more current to a battery 19:55 How exponent solves fast charging 26:47 Economics & making EVs more accessible 31:24 Where is Exponent Energy now: team, progress, investors 33:30 Exponent’s Series B announcement video 34:40 Lithium-Ion Tech & how metrics differ by Industry 37:45 Arun’s Life at IIT Madras and Raftaar Formula Racing 42:07 Being CPO at Ather and starting Exponent 46:59 Building in India. Twice. 51:34 Mentoring CFI students and Hiring from CFI 52: 35 Arun’s tweets & being a Bangalorean 56: 30 Test Cricket and Startups 40:20 Scaling EV Infrastructure in India 45:15 Inside the Factory: Building the World’s Fastest Chargers 51:00 The Future of Rapid Charging & Global Expansion 56:20 Cricket & Startup Life 58:14 Exponent Energy Factory Tour

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Arun Vinayak

  guest

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Best Place To Build, featuring Arun Vinayak, How they make the world's fastest EV chargers | Exponent Energy CEO gives factory tour! BP2B S2 Ep.7 explores exponent Energy’s full-stack approach to ultra-fast EV charging in India Exponent Energy targets India’s commercial vehicles, arguing that although they are only ~10% of vehicles, they consume ~70% of on-road energy, making them the highest-leverage segment to electrify.

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