REI Alumni Spotlight – EV Driver Ltd

GMC Certificate Achievers & REI Alumni Spotlight

EV Driver Ltd, Linda Grave

The Renewable Energy Institute (REI) is pleased to focus on the achievements of those who have attended REI courses and achieved the internationally recognised Galileo Master Certificate to further their careers in the Green Energy sector. The REI caught up Linda Grave, of E-Mobility business EV Driver Ltd, to hear about her progress since she attended the Electric Vehicles course at the University of London. Linda joined the REI’s network of course participants from over 140 countries worldwide, including delegates from NHS, the BBC, Nissan, and the World Bank. The Electric Vehicles course is held regularly at the University of London in the United Kingdom, at the George Washington University in Washington D.C. and in New York City, USA.

“The lecturer says it how it is, you get full facts with background on what an EV is and how it works.”

– EV Driver Ltd, Linda Grave

1. Hi Linda, what is your current expertise and how does this relate to the Renewable Energy field?

I started out in banking working for American Express. This was followed by 15 years of juggling family, a personal fitness business and jointly running one the most successful regional charity fund raising groups, Breakthrough Breast Cancer Suffolk. In 2006, an opportunity came along to be instrumental in the growth and development of East Green Energy, a start-up Renewable Energy company based in the East of England. This combined my passion for the environment and business. I took it from a fledgling start up to a credible and profitable £2 million turnover business within 5 years, before selling my shares in 2018. After this, I concentrated fully on EV Driver, which we incorporated in 2016, having spotted a growing opportunity in the E-Mobility marketplace. EV Driver is primarily a network operator but also offers consultancy services to the E Mobility sector.

2. Why did you choose to train with the Renewable Energy Institute? I was looking for credible courses that I felt I would really gain something useful from, and the Electric Vehicles course looked like it would fit the bill. I was impressed with the professionalism and wanted the course content to cover the important lessons learnt from Europe, not to just be focussed on the UK market. Another added value of attending the course was the networking, we met some great people in the industry and have stayed in touch with a few of them, we may even be looking at a new business venture with one!

“Another added value of attending the course was the networking, we met some great people in the industry”

– EV Driver Ltd, Linda Grave

3. What are the skills and knowledge that you gained on the Electric Vehicles course?

I was primarily interested in the Charging Infrastructure Business Case and I have to say the lecturer says it how it is, you get full facts with background on what an EV is and how it works. Learning more about policies and regulations was extremely useful, and I do refer back to these when needed.

4. How have you applied these skills to your career since taking the course, either directly or indirectly?

Having already started the business EV Driver Ltd and being directly involved in the charging of EVs , I was able to apply the facts gained during the REI course to balance the outlandish predictions and negativity seen in the press and other media forums. The Electric Vehicles course has given me unbiased facts to base my business decisions on, which has been extremely useful.

5. What do your career plans for the future look like?

There are many interesting things happening in the world of E-Mobility; every day there is a merger or acquisition and the market is maturing. I am passionate about roaming and interoperability and getting all Electric Vehicle charging networks to share, and I also care about the customer service element. I am involved in both these aforementioned areas, as well as running EV Driver, so I am keeping busy.