Soheil Akbari interviewed on Still TBD Podcast

Teal CEO Soheil Akbari recently joined Matt Ferrell on the Still TBD podcast to discuss the company's innovative approach to solving the EV charging industry's reliability crisis. The in-depth conversation explored Teal's engineering philosophy and the market opportunity created by widespread customer frustration with existing charging solutions.

Soheil Akbari, Teal’s CEO talking with Matt Ferrel from the Still TBD podcast.

During the interview, Akbari articulated Teal's unique position in an industry struggling with systematic problems. His insights into the "rush to market" mentality affecting many competitors highlighted why Teal's patient, engineering-focused approach is resonating with customers who prioritize operational uptime over flashy features.

The conversation delved into Teal's ground-up design philosophy, where every component is engineered for simplicity and serviceability. Akbari's explanation of the "best parts are the parts that don't exist" principle illustrates how Teal creates superior reliability by removing unnecessary complexity rather than adding features.

“The best parts in these chargers are the parts that don't exist... they're not gonna break. You don't need to worry about their supply chain, and there's no interface to break.”

— Soheil Akbari, CEO

Particularly compelling was Akbari's discussion of the industry's tendency toward over-engineering and the resulting maintenance nightmares for field technicians. His vision for charging equipment that can be serviced by a "grade 10 smart kid" with simple tools demonstrates Teal's commitment to practical solutions that serve real operational needs.

“For an infrastructure piece of equipment, reliability is everything. Infrastructure has to be reliable. ”

— Soheil Akbari, CEO