Renewable Rides
Renewable Rides is the guide to the corporate energy transition. Featuring interviews with industry experts and business leaders, Renewable Rides aims to help companies tackle challenges and maximize opportunities in the pursuit of a resilient, profitable, and thriving energy future. Hosts Gareth Evans and Dan Roberts, founders of VECKTA, shed light on the energy transition and the benefits it presents for company brand, operations and resilience.
Renewable Rides
Ep 112: Building an Energy Program that Scales with Carson Bristol of Lithia & Driveway
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What does it actually take to move sustainability from strategy decks into real-world projects? In this episode, Carson Bristol from Lithia Motors shares how one of the world’s largest automotive retailers is approaching energy efficiency, electrification, and decarbonisation in a practical, scalable way. From rolling out solar and EV infrastructure across hundreds of locations to balancing financial outcomes with sustainability goals, Carson explains why progress comes from getting projects in the ground, not endlessly planning for the perfect solution.
Listen in to learn how Lithia supports its operators with site-specific energy strategies, why partnerships matter in renewable energy projects, and what businesses often misunderstand about EV infrastructure and grid capacity. Carson also shares valuable lessons from building sustainability programs, as well as his perspective on the future of battery storage, distributed energy, and why businesses need to start acting now instead of waiting for perfect conditions.
What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode:
- Why action matters more than endless planning.
- How Lithia approaches decarbonisation at scale.
- The realities of EV infrastructure deployment.
- Why partnerships are critical in energy projects.
- How operators influence sustainability success.
- The role of battery storage in the energy transition.
- Why energy projects must deliver financial value.
- Challenges around grid capacity and electrification.
- How businesses can customize energy strategies.
- Why incremental progress creates long-term impact.
Resources in Today's Episode:
- Carson Bristol: LinkedIn
- Lithia & Driveway
- Gareth Evans: LinkedIn
- Dan Roberts: LinkedIn
- VECKTA: News
You can view a video of the conversation on VECKTA's website here: https://tinyurl.com/yydfaev9