<p>99% of registered fleets belong to small and mid-size businesses — but the EV industry wasn't built for them. High upfront costs, years-long waits for grid access, and charging solutions designed for large operators have left the backbone of the American economy behind.</p><br><p>This week on <em>Everybody in the Pool,</em> we meet a founder who’s changing that. Galina Russell, co-founder of Mitra EV, built a turnkey solution that bundles electric trucks and vans with charging infrastructure, so plumbers, electricians, and delivery companies can electrify their fleets without the logistical headache.</p><p><br></p><h3>We talk about:</h3><ul><li>Why small commercial fleets are the most overlooked (and impactful) EV opportunity</li><li>The barriers to EV adoption for small and mid-size business owners</li><li>Mitra’s "laptop and charger" model: leasing vehicles and installing charging together, from day one</li><li>How Mitra works within existing grid capacity instead of waiting years for new power</li><li>Battery storage, peak shaving, and the vision for 50 megawatts of distributed backup power</li><li>Why cost savings — not climate ideology — is the killer pitch to small business owners</li></ul><h3>Links:</h3><ul><li>Mitra EV: <a href="https://www.mitra-ev.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.mitra-ev.com/</a></li><li>Galina’s book recommendation, <em>The Grid</em> by Gretchen Bakke: <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/grid-9781632865687/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/grid-9781632865687/</a></li><li>All episodes: <a href="https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/</a></li><li>Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: <a href="https://www.mollywood.co/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.mollywood.co/</a></li><li>Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: <a href="https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/</a></li></ul><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>