Switched On

Bloomberg

Conversations about global commodity markets and the disruptive technologies driving the transition to a low-carbon economy. Each week, Dana Perkins sits down with different BloombergNEF (BNEF) analysts to discuss their latest research and unique perspective on the future of energy, transport, agriculture, sustainability and more.

  • 11 minutes 47 seconds
    Pay-Per-Mile Comes to UK EVs: Analyst Reaction

    The UK’s latest budget sends mixed consequential signals for electric vehicles. A sharp increase in purchase subsidies is paired with plans for a new pay-per-mile charge, reshaping the economics of EV ownership as adoption accelerates. The changes could affect drivers very differently, depending on mileage, charging access and whether vehicles are privately owned or part of company fleets. As fuel tax revenues fade and public charging costs stay high, the UK is testing what it means to move from encouraging EV uptake to living with electric mobility at scale. On today’s show, Kamala Schelling is joined by Madeleine Brolly from BNEF’s EV charging team and Shananthan Kalaichelvan from BNEF’s EV team, to discuss their Analyst Reaction “UK Makes EVs Cheaper to Buy But More Expensive to Run.”

    Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

    Links to research notes from this episode:

    UK Makes EVs Cheaper to Buy But More Expensive to Run: React - https://www.bnef.com/analyst-reactions/t6drndt9njlw00

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    23 December 2025, 12:52 pm
  • 29 minutes 8 seconds
    Surplus for Many, Strain for a Few Transition Metals

    Global metals markets are shifting faster than anyone expected. Once projected to face widespread shortages, most key energy transition metals now show far more balanced outlooks. Surpluses are pushing battery metal prices down and accelerating the adoption of new chemistries, while demand for steel, copper and aluminum strengthens across clean energy infrastructure. Yet slow mine development, production caps, and rising geopolitical risks are creating new uncertainties. From batteries to transmission lines to electric-vehicle bodies, what do these changing metals dynamics mean for the future of the energy transition? On today’s show, Tom Rowands-Rees is joined by Kwasi Ampofo, BloombergNEF’s head of metals and mining, to discuss findings from the “Transition Metals Outlook 2025.”

    Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

    Links to research notes from this episode:

    Transition Metals Outlook 2025 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/38151

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    18 December 2025, 12:50 pm
  • 37 minutes 35 seconds
    Heavy Industry’s Bumpy Path to a Low-Carbon Future

    Heavy industry faces one of the hardest paths to net zero, yet momentum is starting to build. New decarbonization commitments reached nearly $15 billion by mid-2025. The largest chunk of investment is concentrated in the steel industry, where electric arc furnaces and hydrogen-ready technologies are already pushing down emissions. Other sectors, like aluminum, cement and plastics, are experimenting with recycled materials, electrified heat and bio-based feedstocks. Policy is also proving decisive, with Europe, Australia and Asia pushing carbon border tariffs, retrofit funds and industrial carbon markets. So is heavy industry finally turning a corner on its path to decarbonization? On today’s show, Kobad Bhavnagri is joined by Allen Tom Abraham, BloombergNEF’s head of sustainable materials, to walk through his team’s note “Industrial Decarbonization Market Outlook 2H 2025.”

    Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

    Links to research notes from this episode:

    Industrial Decarbonization Market Outlook 2H 2025 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/38051/view

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    11 December 2025, 9:04 am
  • 29 minutes 30 seconds
    From Mini EVs to Mega Scale: China’s Cars Go Global

    China’s electric vehicle market is moving at extraordinary speed. Generous incentives, trade-in subsidies, and aggressive pricing have fueled mass-market growth, and roughly half of the cars sold in the country today come with a plug. Now, this EV success story is moving beyond its domestic borders. Chinese brands already account for nearly one in five EVs sold outside the country, and new factories across Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America are helping them stay ahead of trade barriers. Could this be the moment when China’s electric mobility clout reshapes the global auto industry? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by Siyi Mi, a senior associate on BloombergNEF’s electric vehicles team, to discuss notes including “More of China’s Automakers Step Into Overseas Markets” and “EVs Are Just the Start for Global Carmakers’ China Rebound.”

    Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

    Links to research notes from this episode:

    More of China’s Automakers Step Into Overseas Markets - https://www.bnef.com/insights/38069

    EVs Are Just the Start for Global Carmakers’ China Rebound - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37181

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    4 December 2025, 12:05 pm
  • 25 minutes 28 seconds
    How Smart Chips Are Rewiring the Car Market

    As vehicles become increasingly intelligent and connected, the chips powering them are transforming the automotive industry. Traditional supply chains are giving way to new partnerships, and advanced processors are reshaping everything from vehicle costs to the balance of power between automakers and chipmakers. With automation advancing and chipmakers taking a larger role in vehicle development, could this be the moment that redefines how the automotive industry is built? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by Andrew Grant, BloombergNEF’s head of intelligent mobility, to discuss the note, “AI Chips Are Turning Vehicles Into Supercomputers.”

    Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

    Links to research notes from this episode:

    AI Chips Are Turning Vehicles Into Supercomputers - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37555

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    28 November 2025, 1:08 pm
  • 19 minutes 33 seconds
    Adaptation and Resilience: A New Investment Imperative

    How well prepared are we for a warming world? Climate adaptation is quickly moving from theory to strategy, reshaping investment priorities and exposing new risks and opportunities. On this bonus episode, Kobad Bhavnagri reads his note “Adaptation and Resilience: The New Investment Imperative” to explore how businesses, policymakers and financiers are adapting to a changing climate, and where the biggest gaps in knowledge and action remain.

    Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

    Links to research notes from this episode:

    Adaptation and Resilience: The New Investment Imperative - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37701

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    22 November 2025, 6:51 am
  • 33 minutes 14 seconds
    Ranking Resilience: Economies Adapting to Climate Risk

    Climate is reshaping the global economy. Losses from major weather events are now estimated at $1.4 trillion each year, and as the damaged assets, disrupted supply chains and declines in productivity pile up, climate risk is turning from an environmental issue into a financial one. BloombergNEF has thus developed an Adaptation Preparedness Framework to assess how major economies are preparing for this new reality. Which countries are best equipped to withstand what’s coming, and how are they getting there? On today’s show, Kobad Bhavnagri is joined by Danya Liu, a senior associate on BloombergNEF’s climate risk team, and Natasha Mawdsley, a strategy analyst, to discuss their note, “Ranking Resilience: Assessing Country Climate Adaptation.”

    Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

    Links to research notes from this episode:

    Ranking Resilience: Assessing Country Climate Adaptation - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37695

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    20 November 2025, 1:05 pm
  • 33 minutes 12 seconds
    Heavy Duty, Low Carbon: How Trucks Are Going Electric

    The 85 million medium- and heavy-duty trucks on the road last year were responsible for nearly a 10th of global emissions, and an array of technologies and business models are in trial as a way to cut these vehicles’ carbon footprint. A lack of charging infrastructure and high upfront prices remain high hurdles to clear. Yet China boasts record e-truck and e-tractor sales, Europe offers them considerable policy support, and even in the US (where sales are slow) the charging market is evolving quickly. From ports in Shanghai to freight corridors in California, could cleaner trucking prove the real test of how fast heavy industry can decarbonize? On today’s show, Dana Perkins is joined by BloombergNEF’s head of commercial transport, Nikolas Soulopoulos, and associate Maynie Yang to discuss their team’s recent notes, “Zero Emission Commercial Vehicles: Accelerating the Transition” and “Commercial Vehicle Decarbonization Monthly: E-Tractors.”

    Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

    Links to research notes from this episode:

    Commercial Vehicle Decarbonization Monthly: E-Tractors - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37859

    Zero Emission Commercial Vehicles: Accelerating the Transition - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37519

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    13 November 2025, 7:17 am
  • 32 minutes 16 seconds
    The Hydrogen Hurdle: Costs, Policy and Progress

    Hydrogen was once the golden child of the energy transition. Yet high costs and limited policy support proved high hurdles for the technology’s progress, global deployment has fallen well short of expectations. Forecasts now project around 5.5 million tons of production by 2030 – half of what was expected just a few years ago and far below industry and government ambitions. Of course, as with all things energy transition, the story gets more complicated the closer you look. The US is betting on blue hydrogen even as it turns away from many clean technologies, China is driving ahead with green, and India is emerging as a low-cost producer. And around the world, hydrogen is gradually gaining a foothold in hard-to-abate sectors like shipping and aviation, where the fuel could play a transformative role. On today’s show, Kobad Bhavnagri is joined by BloombergNEF’s head of hydrogen research, Martin Tengler, to discuss some of his team’s recent work, including “Hydrogen Supply Outlook 2025: Blue Takes the Lead” and “Ammonia Supply Outlook 2025: Tenders Shape Demand.”

    Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

    Links to research notes from this episode:

    Hydrogen Supply Outlook 2025: Blue Takes the Lead - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37489?context=eyJ0eXBlIjoiaW5zaWdodCIsInNvcnQiOiJkYXRlIiwicmVnaW9uIjpbXSwic2VjdG9yIjpbXSwiYXV0aG9yIjpbIjQwMjc3Il0sImluc2lnaHQtdHlwZSI6W119

    Ammonia Supply Outlook 2025: Tenders Shape Demand - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37457?context=eyJ0eXBlIjoiaW5zaWdodCIsInNvcnQiOiJkYXRlIiwicmVnaW9uIjpbXSwic2VjdG9yIjpbXSwiYXV0aG9yIjpbIjQwMjc3Il0sImluc2lnaHQtdHlwZSI6W119

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    5 November 2025, 9:37 am
  • 31 minutes 33 seconds
    COP30 Countdown: Ambition, Politics, Reality

    In a few days’ time, world leaders will gather in Brazil for the COP30 climate conference. It’s been 10 years since the Paris Agreement laid out ambitions for a net-zero future, yet momentum is waning. Fewer than a third of nations have submitted their 2035 climate pledges, and current trajectories suggest that the global warming threshold agreed in Paris will be far exceeded by the end of the century. Political shifts, economic pressures, and the US’s withdrawal from the Agreement are all casting a shadow over the upcoming negotiations. Still, there are glimmers of progress, including China unveiling its first absolute emissions target and Brazil pushing for a global carbon market. So can COP30 reignite the collective drive toward net zero? On today’s show, Kobad Bhavnagri is joined by BloombergNEF’s head of global policy, Victoria Cuming, and energy transitions associate Brynne Mary Merkley to discuss their recent note “COP30 Climate Talks to Advance Amid Geopolitical Turmoil.”

    Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

    Links to research notes from this episode:

    COP30 Climate Talks to Advance Amid Geopolitical Turmoil - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37817

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    30 October 2025, 9:36 am
  • 38 minutes 58 seconds
    Capital Clash: Clean Energy vs Fossil Fuel Finance

    Global energy investment is entering a period of realignment. Tariffs, inflation and geopolitical tensions have disrupted financial models, while a backlash against ESG along with renewed fossil fuel demand, driven partly by AI’s power needs, are redirecting capital flows. At the same time, electricity demand continues to rise, intensifying competition between clean and conventional energy. So how can investors and banks determine where their best opportunities lie, whether in clean technologies or fossil fuels?

    At the BloombergNEF Summit London, Jonathan Luan, BNEF’s head of finance & investment research, moderated a panel titled “Weighing the Investment Opportunity: Conventional Versus Clean Energy.” This episode brings listeners that panel, which featured Ulrik Fugmann, Co-CIO, Environmental Strategies Group at BNPP Asset Management; Ralph Ibendahl, Managing Director, Global Head of Energy Transition for RBC Capital Markets; and Bianca Ziccarelli, Managing Director of CPPIB.

    To learn more about BNEF’s Summits taking place around the world and to see recordings of BNEF Talks at previous Summits, head to https://about.bnef.com/events/type/summit/

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    22 October 2025, 7:45 am
  • More Episodes? Get the App