Conference Keynote Speakers

Dr. Andy Frank, UCDavis, California
The Plug-In Highway for energy sustainability in both transportation and stationary use

Prof Frank teaches and does research in energy efficient transportation systems with emphasis on the automobiles, trucks, and buses. Prof Frank teaches courses in the Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Dept. in Dynamics and Control and on the theory of hybrid vehicles. He and his students have demonstrated the concept of Plug-In Hybrid for sustainability for the last 15 years. In this time he and his students have won student competitions for the most fuel efficient vehicle 4 times and Prof Frank was the recipient of the first Best Faculty Advisor Award by NSF and The US DOE. He is currently Director of the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Research Center. He has testified many times in front of the Calif. Air Resources Board, Calif. Energy Commission, South Coast Air Quality Management District The congress of the United States, etc on the benefits of the Plug-In Hybrid for displacing gasoline and to transition to a zero petroleum society without any disruption in life style.

His talk will provide the motivation and need to move society quickly toward ameliorating the effects of burning fossil fuel on Climate change and address the impending oil peak that has occurred. The talk will show that it is possible to move toward a zero carbon society now without waiting for new technology breakthroughs using our present energy infrastructure. The talk will show some of the hardware developed at the University of California--Davis and provide a summary of the performance achieved. The talk will then show how the PHEV can be used to level the load of the power generating system and how it can be integrated into renewable energy generators and gradually reduce the need for backup generation since the PHEV represents distributed energy storage at the locations where it is needed. Finally the talk will show how the PHEV will lead to energy independence by motivating each individual to be himself energy independent without any sacrifice, and in fact, with a great improvement in his lifestyle.

Chelsea Sexton, Executive Director, Plug In America
Plug-in Hybrids, the Role of Grassroots Efforts in Transforming an Industry

Chelsea Sexton is a Los Angeles area native who found her passion at an early age with the General Motors EV1 electric vehicle program. Focusing on building a market for alternate-fuel vehicles through partnerships with corporate and non-profit stakeholders, shaping public policy and incentives, developing marketing strategies, and working directly with the drivers themselves, Chelsea became well-known as an advocate for clean, efficient, fun transportation.

When General Motors ended the EV1 program in 2001, Chelsea left the company and went on to make meaningful contributions in other areas. Still, cars, energy and technology remain so much a part of her DNA that she continues to focus on how they may be used to improve our global economy and environment. Chelsea joined the X PRIZE Foundation and led the creation of its next prize effort, which will deal with both energy and automobiles. Chelsea continues to focus on these issues through her non-profit, Lightning Rod, and serves as the Executive Director of Plug In America, a coalition of individuals and organizations that advocates for the use of plug-in vehicles by assisting legislators in creating effective policy, working with automakers to encourage production, and through consumer education. Chelsea is one of the key individuals featured in the 2006 film, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" by Sony Pictures Classics, the book "Plug-In Hybrids, the Cars that Will Recharge America" by Sherry Boschert, and in the Sundance Channel Series, "Big Ideas for a Small Planet."

Dr. Ali Emadi, Illinois Institute of Technology and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies, Inc., Chicago
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Challenges and unprecedented opportunities into the future

Dr. Ali Emadi is a professor of electrical engineering and the director of the Electric Power and Power Electronics Center and Grainger Laboratories at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, where he has established research and teaching facilities as well as courses in power electronics, motor drives, and vehicular power systems. He is also the founder, director, and chairman of the board of the Industry/Multi-university Consortium on Advanced Automotive Systems (IMCAAS). Dr. Emadi is the founder and chief technology officer of Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies, Inc. continue...

This presentation begins with a brief description of the current status and future trends in the automotive industry. The motivation for the research, development, and commercialization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) will then be explained. In addition, different PHEV configurations and business models will be presented with a focus on engineering fundamentals as well as state-of-the-art research and development in the areas of PHEV components and system integration. In this presentation, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) aspects as well as plug-in on-board/off-board issues of the power electronic chargers will also be reviewed. Energy storage systems including Li-ion and NiMH batteries and their associated electronics and electronic control units will be described as well. Hybridizing the energy storage systems using ultra-capacitors will be presented as an attractive possibility. Furthermore, power electronic and propulsion motor drive issues will be covered in detail. Particular attention will be given to the hybrid drive trains and PHEV controllers. Throughout the presentation, related component-level as well as system-level challenges are explained and possible solutions are recommended. Unprecedented opportunities in the areas of power electronics, energy storage, system control, and hybrid drive trains will be highlighted together with the power grid unique prospects. Various PHEVs and PHEV conversion kits, which have recently been introduced, will be reviewed. The plug-in hybrid electric conversion kit (P-HECK) developed at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and its start-up company - Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies, Inc. - will be described in detail. In addition, related projects of IIT's Electric Power and Power Electronics Center will be presented.

Felix Kramer, Founder California Cars Initiative, Cal Cars
Mapping the future of PHEV

Felix Kramer is an entrepreneur and lifelong environmentalist. Concentrating on innovative ideas, events and businesses in energy and technology, he builds ambitious and "first-ever" projects and companies. In 2002, working with entrepreneurs, environmentalists, engineers, and drivers, he founded the non-profit California Cars Initiative to put plug-in hybrid vehicles on the map by technology demonstrations, advocacy and buyers' clubs. CalCars.org created the PRIUS+ Campaign, converting the popular Toyota into a prototype grid-connected "PHEV." In April 2006 he became the world's first non-technical consumer owner of a plug-in hybrid. Now PHEVs are broadly supported by elected officials across the political spectrum, corporations, government, media and citizens groups. And automakers have said they're a good idea but have not yet committed to mass production timetables. He says, "I envision millions of PHEVs, charged off-peak, providing distributed storage for a power grid fueled by increasingly renewable sources. Local travel will be electric, and low-carbon biofuels will provide range extension. This is a great way to significantly reduce greenhouse gases and use of imported oil." Felix Kramer talk will focus on the advantages of PHEV and how the technology may be rolled out into the market place.

Ewan Pritchard, Hybrid Program Manager, Advanced Energy
Experience gained with PHEV school buses

A process engineering consultant with Advanced Energy since 1997, Ewan Pritchard leads the company's initiatives in hybrid technology. In 2002, Pritchard initiated the plug-in hybrid electric school bus project, which is transforming the classic school bus platform into a full plug-in hybrid, achieving more than 12 miles per gallon. To date, this collaborative effort has resulted in the manufacturing of 19 plug-in hybrid school buses that are presently being delivered nationwide. Two of these buses were deployed in Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C., in May 2007. Pritchard is also the resource manager for NC GreenPower, a subsidiary of Advanced Energy working to encourage the development of renewable energy sources for North Carolina's power supply. The program allows N.C. electric customers the choice to switch to clean renewable power. As manager of that program Pritchard has worked with many solar, wind, hydro and landfill methane producers to become fully operational in the state. The tie between renewable energy and plug-in hybrids provides a tremendous insight into the potential to convert the highly inefficient and polluting transportation industry to highly efficient and clean renewable energy. As a creative problem solver with more than 10 years of experience and expertise of industrial heating processes, Pritchard also spend time consulting with facilities throughout North Carolina about infrared and radio frequency process opportunities. He also has expertise in data logging, data analysis, education on thermal processes and extensive work on the gas catalytic study. Pritchard quickly became invaluable to the team for his creativity and ability to look at projects from a different angle. He often draws on his experience in both laboratory and in-plant environments in the fabrication shop, where he helps design and build prototype equipment for industrial customers to test in their plants.Pritchard earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and master's of science degree in mechanical engineering with a focus on energy from N.C. State University. He is an active member and a past chairman of the Eastern North Carolina Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He also is an active member of the Triangle Electric Automobile Association. His professional experience includes work with forging at GKN Automotive, several years of teaching computer courses at N.C. State University and computer aided drafting and design experience.

Jasna Tomic, WestStart-CALSTART, California
Beyond Hybrids - The HTUF process and pathway for plug-in hybrids

Jasna Tomic is Fuels Program Manager at WestStart-CALSTART. Her interest is in alternative transportation solutions involving new technologies and fuels. The two main areas that she is presently working in are the Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF), bringing hybrid trucks to the marketplace, and use of alternative fuels in transportation. Within HTUF, she leads the deployment and field testing of twenty-four pre-production hybrid trucks and investigates best pathways and uses for plug-in hybrids. Dr. Tomic's expertise includes research in vehicles-to-grid power (V2G) - innovative use of electric-drive vehicles for transportation and power generation. She holds a Ph.D. in Fuel Science from Pennsylvania State University and has over 14 years of experience working in the field of energy and fuels. She has published extensively on energy conversion processes as well as use of electric-drive vehicles.

The presentation will focus on the experiences and successes of the HTUF process - bringing users and suppliers together and creating a successful market for hybrid trucks. The structure and the different stages of the process will be described. The experience and results of the field deployment of the twenty-four hybrid trucks - the largest field testing of hybrid trucks to date - will be shared. The process has been valuable not only in demonstrating the benefits and best uses of hybrids, but in speeding up the development of testing protocols. The lessons learned from this process are valuable in the development of the plug-in hybrid pathway, which is potentially more challenging due to the more complex technology. The talk will conclude with a pathway for plug-in hybrids which includes the additional benefits of the PHEV technology (e.g. V2G and export power).

Phillip Sharer, Argonne National Laboratories (PSAT)
The Powertrain Systems Analysis Toolkit - PSAT

Phillip Sharer is Systems Analysis Engineer at Argonne National Laboratory. He received a Master of Science in Engineering from Purdue University Calumet in 2002. He has over seven years of experience modeling hybrid electric vehicles using PSAT at Argonne National Laboratory. He was awarded an R&D100 Award in 2004 represented to the 100 most technologically significant new products and processes introduced into the market each year for the development of PSAT. He also has contributed to provide direction to U.S. DOE R&D activities with the publication of dozens of technical papers.

The U.S. Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI) describes plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) as a way to dramatically increase energy efficiency and use spare electric generating capacity. The U.S. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle R&D Plan describes the different activities required to achieve the goals. The U.S. DOE will use PSAT to guide its analysis activities, stating that: ANL's Powertrain Systems Analysis Toolkit (PSAT) will be used to design and evaluate a series of PHEVs with various 'primary electric' ranges, considering all-electric and charge-depleting strategies. The primary outcomes of the vehicle analysis are (1) potential for fuel consumption reduction of PHEVs as a function of propulsion system configuration, component sizing and control algorithms, and (2) component performance goals and requirements (for R&D/solicitations). Argonne uses an integrated approach complementing simulation with vehicle testing and hardware in the loop to help DOE fulfill their PHEV research goals.

David Hughes, Geological Survey of Canada
The Energy Sustainability Dilemma: Powering the Future in a Finite World

David Hughes is a geologist with 35 years experience studying the energy resources of Canada for the Geological Survey of Canada and the private sector. He is the Leader of the National Coal Inventory, which is a digital knowledge base on coal used to determine the availability of resources for conventional and non-conventional uses, including coalbed methane production and the sequestration of CO2. He is also Team Leader for Unconventional Gas for the Canadian Gas Potential Committee, an organization which publishes Canada's most authoritative assessments of National natural gas potential. David's evolving analysis of global and North American energy issues has been presented across Canada and the United States to Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments as well as many private sector organizations. Aspects of his analysis have also been picked up by the popular press.

The explosive growth in global energy consumption over the past 160 years marking The Age of Hydrocarbons has allowed the world's population to grow five-fold, per-capita energy consumption to grow eight-fold, and total global energy consumption to rise by 43 times. The Energy Sustainability Dilemma arises from the fact that 89% of today's consumption is derived from non-renewable fuels (oil, gas, coal and uranium), and each of these fuels will have a production peak within the 21st century. Managing the transition to a more sustainable future in a non-chaotic manner will be a challenge of unprecedented proportions for humankind - a challenge that must be faced objectively and proactively employing all of our options for demand reduction and incremental supply. Failure to do so comes with very real risks for the well-being of future generations.

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