Powering the AV: Vehicle electrification and batteries
In the automotive industry, a majority of sustainable development efforts have focused on vehicle electrification as a practical solution for replacing internal combustion engines and fossil fuels to reduce emissions coming from the transportation sector. Today, EVs seem to grow in popularity and capability almost monthly, especially as exciting new models are brought to market. With the future of the automotive industry looking increasingly electric, Nand, VP of Automotive & Transportation industry, and I wanted to talk with an EV expert about EVs, battery technology, future development efforts, and how this trend will play into the autonomous vehicle revolution.
In this episode of the Future Car Podcast, we welcome Dr. Puneet Sinha to the show! Puneet is the Sr. Director of Battery Industry Vertical for Siemens Digital Industries Software. In addition, Puneet holds a doctorate degree in mechanical engineering and brings 15 years of industry experience in the field of batteries, fuel cells and electric vehicles. As always, I am joined by my co-host Nand Kochhar, VP of Automotive and Transportation Industries at Siemens Digital Industries Software.
What you will learn in this episode:
- How EV technologies have matured in the last few years, and how the business environment has evolved to support these changes
- How EV development contributes to the pursuit of autonomous vehicles
- Challenges involved in the design of a new all-electric vehicle
- How companies can balance the power demands for an EV with all the modern features consumers demand today
- How digitalization can support companies as they develop the vehicles of tomorrow
Nand Kochhar – VP, Automotive & Transportation Industry
Nand Kochhar is the vice president of Automotive and Transportation Industry Strategy for Siemens Digital Industries Software. He joined Siemens in 2020 after nearly 30 years with Ford Motor Company, where he most recently served as Global Safety Systems Chief Engineer. In this capacity, Kochhar was responsible for vehicle safety performance of all Ford and Lincoln brand products globally. He also served as Executive Technical Leader, CAE, and as a member of Ford’s Technology Advisory Board. Kochhar’s tenure at Ford also included executive engineering leadership across a range of disciplines including in product development, manufacturing, digitalization, simulation technology development and implementation.
Kochhar has additionally been active in SAE International, where he has served as Chairman of the Executive standards committee, leader of a cross-industry group focused on driving standards for mobility, autonomous vehicle development, electrification and connectivity. Kochhar also served as Chairman of SAE’s Motor Vehicle Council for 2015-16 terms, after which he was named the Vice Chair of Technical Standards Board (TSB) in 2017 and then TSB Chair in 2018 and 2019.
Kochhar graduated from Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) with a master’s degree in Engineering Mechanics. He was inducted as a member of the Academy of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers at Missouri S&T in 2005. He lives in Northville, Michigan with his wife and two kids.
Puneet Sinha – Sr. Director, Battery Industry
Puneet is an award winning Technology Executive with 14+ years of experience in electric vehicles and autonomous vehicle software and hardware product development, commercialization and taking pre-revenue startup to successful exit. Recognized industry expert on battery, electric powertrain, electronics and vehicle development with 7 patents, 20+ highly-cited journal papers, multiple invited talks, interviews and hands-on experience in addressing component-to- system integration challenges. Skilled in cross-functional leadership, EV and AV electrical-electronics-thermal-mechanical analysis, energy storage, batteries, modeling, and innovative solution development.
Conor Peick – Thought Leadership Writer
Conor works as a writer covering Automotive and Transportation topics for Siemens Digital Industries Software. In this role, he has helped produce a variety of materials including blogs, articles and whitepapers on automotive topics ranging from wire harness design and manufacturing to embedded software development and overall industry trends.
The Future Car Podcast
The tech-driven disruption of the auto industry cuts across domains, from silicon and software to sensors and AI to smart traffic management and mobility services. Get the chip- to city-scale story in regular interviews with technologists at Siemens and beyond.
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