Your AI Code Mentor: How I Used Claude to Level Up My Portfolio
11/1/2025
A brutally honest code review from an AI agent that delivered actionable improvements, taught me best practices, and helped me go from B+ to A+ code quality in one session.
Writing
Essays, notes, and product thinking on EV charging, AI, software development, and the future of technology.
Building a React Native Driver App with InControl API
11/1/2025
A comprehensive tutorial for creating a production-ready mobile driver app using the InControl GraphQL API, featuring real-time session monitoring, interactive maps, and remote charging control.
More is more: optimizing under a power limit
10/31/2025
Equally applied constraints are more inefficient than fewer full power sessions.
The Italian Tune-Up for EVs: Why Your Battery Might Need a Hard Drive
10/30/2025
Exploring the concept of battery conditioning for electric vehicles through high-power charging sessions, inspired by the automotive tradition of the Italian tune-up.
Guide to using Claude to write InCharge Energy scripts
10/29/2025
You no longer need to be a developer to create helpful scripts using the InControl API for automating charger reporting and management (but it helps)
GSI and a Quick note on Paul Krugman's Part 1 on Renewables
10/28/2025
Stunning energy efficiency is moving to the fore with new AI chips from GSI Technology
Thoughts on Paul Krugman's Part 1 on Renewables
10/27/2025
Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman wrote an insightful story about renewable energy and the case for protecting infant industries.
Power Management Algorithms for EV Charging Sites Part 1
10/25/2025
This post examines the primary algorithms used to manage power allocation at charging sites, their trade-offs, and optimal deployment scenarios.
Auto brand better than credit score at predicting default
10/21/2025
Fascinating data on correlations between the vehicle brand (and presumably the typical buyer) and the lateness of the car payment
Creating with LLMs
10/20/2025
My experience creating a Next.js portfolio site with ChatGPT 5 and Claude Sonnet 4.5.
The LLM Side of the Story Part One: ChatGPT on Building with Russell
10/20/2025
The LLM was tasked with writing its perspective on working with me to make a portfolio site.
The LLM Side of the Story Part Two: Claude on Building with Russell
10/20/2025
Claude's perspective on working with me
My muse, Ed Chao
10/19/2025
Quick links to the portfolios I was inspired by.
Ideas Are Cheap: The Story of the Charger Reliability Index We Didn't Ship
10/18/2025
Two years ago, our Data Analyst had a brilliant idea for a Charger Reliability Index. We didn't build it. Now our competitors are launching theirs. Ideas are worthless. Execution is everything.
ACT Expo: Three Next-Generation Multi-Vehicle Charging Products
5/21/2024
InCharge Energy unveils ICE-600, ICE-480, and ICE CUBE at ACT Expo—advanced charging systems delivering up to 500 kW per connector while charging up to 10 vehicles simultaneously with integrated battery storage options.
Fast Company World's Most Innovative Companies Recognition
3/21/2024
InCharge Energy named to Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies 2024 in Transportation category, coinciding with EPA tailpipe pollution limits announcement requiring 50% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2032.
Dual ICE-80A Level 2 Charger Launch
12/14/2023
InCharge Energy launches dual Level 2 charger delivering simultaneous 19.2 kW charging on both cables, with BABA compliance and intelligent demand response capabilities.
InControl 4.0: Software Release with Depot View
12/6/2023
InCharge Energy releases InControl 4.0 with Depot View virtual parking lot interface, enhanced dashboard widgets, and operational improvements based on managing 12,000+ charger ports at 98.6% uptime.
Volvo Trucks Turnkey Solutions Program Partnership
8/22/2023
InCharge Energy selected as one of two full-service partners for Volvo Trucks North America's new Turnkey Charging Solutions program, alongside Gilbarco Veeder-Root.
V2X Charger Portfolio Launch
4/28/2023
InCharge Energy launches three bidirectional DC fast chargers (ICE-22, ICE-44, ICE-66) enabling vehicle-to-grid capabilities, backup power, and renewable energy integration for fleet operations.
It Is Only Prioritization When It Hurts
1/18/2023
A poster from Facebook's Analog Research Laboratory captured the painful truth about product management: if choosing what to build doesn't hurt, you're not actually prioritizing.
Stem Partnership: Integrating Solar, Storage, and EV Charging
9/20/2022
Stem and InCharge Energy announce partnership integrating Stem's Athena AI platform with InControl CMS to optimize EV charging with solar generation, battery storage, and utility bill management.
Moreno Valley Schools: California's Largest Electric School Bus Fleet
8/1/2022
Moreno Valley Unified School District deploys 42 electric school buses with 43 DC fast chargers, achieving $600K annual savings in fuel and maintenance while serving 31,000+ students across 42 schools.
Scale Microgrid Solutions: $20M Fleet Electrification Project
5/1/2022
Quality Custom Distribution deploys 30 Volvo VNR Electric trucks with a renewable energy microgrid including 1,450 kW of solar, 3 MWh battery storage, and 16 InCharge DC fast chargers at their La Puente facility.
ABB Acquires Controlling Interest in InCharge Energy
1/27/2022
ABB increases its stake in InCharge Energy from 10% to approximately 60%, providing capital for larger projects, geographic expansion, and new product launches while founders retain leadership.
The Free Ice Cream Problem: Why Users Say Yes to Everything
1/19/2022
Ask users if they want a feature and they'll say yes. That 'yeah, sure' is not validation—it's the sound of someone agreeing to free ice cream they don't actually want.
Skating to Where the Puck Is Going: A Lesson in User-Centered Design
12/12/2019
What happens when your current users can't envision the future you're building for? A story about fast charging icons, Nissan Leafs, and the limits of user feedback.
The Agency Paradox: When Speed and Budget Collide
11/12/2019
Bringing in outside help can accelerate your timeline—but it also adds pressure that can compromise the very design process you're trying to execute well.
The A/B Testing Trap: How Data Can Lead You Astray
2/13/2019
A/B testing is one of the most powerful tools in product management. It's also one of the most dangerous. Here's how statistically significant results can lead to strategically terrible decisions.
In Defense of Silly Tech Perks (Sort Of)
12/20/2018
Yes, the foosball table is there to keep you at the office longer. Yes, free snacks are cheaper than raises. But also? Work is too serious and we do our best work when we're not stressed.
Measuring Success When You Don't Control Acquisition
11/11/2018
When millions of users arrive at your site because it's their default homepage, traditional growth metrics are meaningless. Here's what actually mattered on AT&T's start.att.net portal.
Why Every Product Designer Should Build a Finance Page
7/17/2018
Finance pages are where data visualization, UX complexity, and trust intersect. They're also the original dashboard—and building them will make you better at everything else.
The Exit Modal: When Your Last Impression Is Your Worst Impression
6/6/2018
Playing a video ad when users try to leave your site makes money. It also makes users hate you. Welcome to the real job of product management.
Marshall McLuhan
5/11/2018
Exploring John Dewey's observations on the compartmentalization of work and imagination through the lens of McLuhan's reversed text.
Famous Interns: You're In Good Company
5/10/2018
From Oprah to Spielberg to that 37-year-old guy who became a PM at Synacor, internships have launched some pretty impressive careers. Here's the advice they'd give you.
Netlify and Firebase Environment Variables
4/28/2018
A comprehensive guide to configuring Firebase with Netlify using environment variables, dotenv, and webpack.
Gatsby RSS Feed Configuration
4/10/2018
Fixing RSS feed configuration in Gatsby when your GraphQL query structure doesn't match the default plugin settings.
React Date Picking
4/9/2018
Using Airbnb's excellent react-dates library with Moment.js for beautiful date pickers in React applications.
Image Processing in Gatsby
3/16/2018
Understanding the complexities of pulling images from frontmatter in Gatsby using GraphQL and the various image plugins.
Iconic Icons
3/3/2018
Finding and implementing beautiful SVG social icons with custom hover effects using Glamor in Gatsby.
Gatsby Backticks
2/9/2018
A crucial debugging lesson: using backticks vs single quotes in gatsby-config.js filenames.
Why Video Ads Print Money (And Banner Ads Don't)
1/19/2018
The revenue gap between video and static advertising isn't just significant—it's staggering. Here's what I learned managing a news app with millions in ad revenue.
Pomodoro Timer
5/6/2016
Building an AngularJS Pomodoro Timer with Firebase integration for tracking focus sessions and tasks.
Angular Directives
4/25/2016
Understanding Angular directives, how to reference them in HTML, and how to create custom directives with proper naming conventions.
Moving to Rails
3/28/2016
Transitioning from WordPress to Rails for building a single page application with better flexibility and modern features.
HAML, HTML and Buttons
11/13/2015
Solving the challenge of implementing buttons in HAML when working with Rails, Bootstrap alerts, and data attributes.