Advanced Mobility Fuels Summit 2024
Additional Levers to Electrification for Realizing Net-Zero from Mobility
Date: Thursday, March 21, 2024
Venue: The Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel. 21111 Haggerty Rd., Novi, MI 48375
Format: In-Person
Sponsors (click the logos for details):
The transition to electrification, particularly powered by green electricity, stands as a crucial step in mitigating temperature increases and combatting climate change. However, the substantial existing global vehicle fleet poses a significant challenge. To address this, synthetic fuels and hydrogen-based systems emerge as promising solutions that can substantially contribute to minimizing the environmental impact of mobility. ITB’s 25th annual conference serves as an invaluable platform for participants to navigate this dynamic landscape, delving into the latest trends and technologies in fuel-based powertrains, storage, and delivery systems.
16 presentations, including a keynote address by Phinia, will explore innovative approaches towards a more sustainable future for mobility. Conference sessions include:
- Reducing Greenhouse Emissions from Mobility
- Developments in Compressed Hydrogen Storage Tanks
- Powertrain Developments for Hydrogen Vehicles
- Material Challenges for Fuel Systems
Click HERE to view the program agenda.
Please contact Bryan Eldredge, Program Director with any questions:
Email: beldredge@itbgroup.com / Phone: +1 248-380-6310.
CONFERENCE AGENDA (subject to change) - March 21, 2024
7:30 a.m. |
Registration, Networking, and Continental Breakfast
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8:45 a.m. |
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Dr. Joel Kopinsky, Managing Director and Co-Founder - The ITB Group
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Reducing Greenhouse Emissions from Mobility
9:00 a.m. |
OEM Perspective on Technical Considerations for B20+ Capable Vehicles
Energy Standards Technical Specialist - General Motors
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9:30 a.m. |
Renewable Diesel and the Road Ahead
Technical Manager, Renewable Road Transportation, NA - Neste
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10:00 a.m. |
Oakland County, Michigan’s Role in Advancement of Alternative Fuel Deployment
Mobility Innovations Coordinator - Oakland County Michigan
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10:20 a.m. |
Networking Break
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Developments in Compressed Hydrogen Storage Tanks
11:00 a.m. |
Benefits of Creating Hydrogen Tank Liners via Extrusion + Welding Compared to Other Common Processing Methods
Business Development Engineer - Arkema
Applications Engineer - Saint-Gobain
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11:30 a.m. |
Advancements in BlowView-H2 Simulation Software: Design and Optimization of Thermoplastic Liners for Hyperbaric On-board Hydrogen Storage Tanks
National Research Council Canada, Automotive and Surface Transportation
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12:00 p.m. |
Fully Thermoplastic Compressed Hydrogen Cylinders
President - BFLC&A (Technical Advisor to COVESS)
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12:30 p.m. |
Lunch
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1:30 p.m. |
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Vice President and Chief Technology Officer - Phinia
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Powertrain Developments for Hydrogen Vehicles
2:00 p.m. |
The Regulator Revolution – Building Efficient, Reliable Hydrogen Vehicles
Regional Sales Manager - TESCOM
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2:20 p.m. |
Vehicle-Hydrogen Refueling Station Connectivity Analysis Tool
Senior Technical Manager Fuel Systems - IDIADA Automotive Technology
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2:45 p.m. |
Is There a Use Case for Hydrogen in Medium Duty Trucks?
Engineering Director - Forvia
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3:15 p.m. |
Challenges and Opportunities in Development of Heavy-Duty Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines
Senior Member, Technical Staff - Sandia National Laboratories
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3:45 p.m. |
Networking Break
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Material Challenges for Fuel Systems
4:15 p.m. |
VESTAMID® Solutions for PFAS Free, Low Extractable Fuel Lines
Business Development Manager - Evonik
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4:35 p.m. |
Automotive Fluid Transport System: Performance Improvements Through Material Innovation
R&D Coating Specialist - Martinrea
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4:55 p.m. |
Syensqo and PFAS: A Responsible Innovation Journey
eMobility Marketing Manager - Syensqo
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5:15 p.m. |
Closing Remarks
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NOTE: ITB will photograph the conference for promotional purposes. By participating in the conference, you grant ITB permission to use your likeness in any/all conference related promotions.
Exhibitors:
Eaton
Kuraray
Precix
Schrader Pacific
Spectra Premium
VexaGroup
Dr. Joel Kopinsky
Managing Director - The ITB Group
Dr. Kopinsky (Ph.D. Chemical Engineering and MBA) is responsible for The ITB Group’s consulting assignments in energy storage, vehicle emissions, plastic engine parts and glazing systems. Over the past 25 years he has completed a variety of strategic and technical feasibility consulting projects for leading suppliers, OEMs and investment banks in North America, Europe and Asia. In addition, he has completed numerous multiclient reports concerned with energy storage, glazing and powertrain technologies. In the 1980’s, Dr. Kopinsky worked at the General Motors Research Labs followed by the completion of his MBA at Columbia University. On the side, Dr. Kopinsky is an avid clarinetist and long-haul hiker.
Shailesh Lopes
Energy Standards Technical Specialist - General Motors
Mr. Lopes is the Energy Standards Technical Specialist for General Motors in North America with responsibilities in the technical aspects and regulatory compliance concerning both traditional liquid fuels and low-carbon alternatives. He represents GM for the ASTM D02 committee on Petroleum Products and Liquid Fuels and serves as GM’s Committee member on industry forums such as the Engine Manufacturer Association and Alliance for Automotive Innovation. In his previous role at GM, he served as a diesel fuel technical expert supporting GM’s portfolio of diesel vehicles while spearheading technical efforts to establish the TOP TIERTM Diesel Fuel Retail Standard. He holds a PhD. Chemical Engineering from University of Missouri- Columbia.
Matt Leuck
Technical Manager, Renewable Road Transportation - Neste
Mr. Leuck is the Technical Manager for Neste US’ Renewable Road Transportation business. He has 18 years of diesel engine and energy experience and provides technical expertise to engine OEMs, fuel distributors, customers, and internal teams. Prior to joining Neste, he held Application Engineer roles at Cummins. He returned to his technical roots by joining Neste in 2017 and now provides SME support for Neste at the leading edge of cleaner, low carbon renewable fuels. Mr. Leuck holds a BS Engineering Technology degree from Texas Tech University and a MS Global Energy Management degree from the University of Colorado.
Chris Olzem
Mobility Innovations Coordinator - Oakland County Michigan
Mr. Olzem is the Mobility Innovations Coordinator for Oakland County Michigan. In his role, he engages domestic and international mobility firms with a goal of facilitating investment, job creation, and research and development activities. This work has included identifying mobility pilot opportunities, facilitating the planning and deployment of alternative fuels for public use, and collaborating on the development and promotion of county vehicle test facilities. Mr. Olzem manages the Oakland County Mobility Advisory Council, and is a member of both Michigan’s Council on Future Mobility & Electrification’s Hydrogen Action Team and the Detroit Smart Parking Lab’s standards committee.
Rob Kaminsky
Business Development Engineer - Arkema
Mr. Kaminsky is a Business Development Engineer in the High Performance Polymers group at Arkema. He has been supporting the automotive industry through various positions in this group for over five years, and currently focuses on finding ways their advanced material portfolio can support emerging technologies such as battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles. Mr. Kaminsky earned his degree in Material Science and Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and he is pursuing an MBA from Villanova University.
Jessica Kenepp
Applications Engineer - Saint-Gobain
Ms. Kenepp works as a Senior Application Engineer for Saint-Gobain Life Sciences. She holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Akron and enjoys working in the Rubber Capital of the world. Her work in thermoplastic processing serves markets ranging from food, chemical transfer, medical, fuel transfer, and more.
Zohir Benrabah
National Research Council Canada
Zohir Benrabah is a Forming and Blow Molding Simulation Scientist based at NRC’s Automotive and Surface Transportation Research Center in Boucherville, Quebec, Canada. Within this pivotal role, he leads the charge in advancing engineering software, most notably the innovative BlowView platform, meticulously designed to simulate and refine various blow molding processes. These include Conventional and Twin Sheet Extrusion, Stretch, Thermoforming, and the cutting-edge Suction Blow Molding. Zohir's academic journey is characterized by its multidisciplinary nature. He obtained both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering, culminating in the completion of his Ph.D. in computational structure at Laval University in 2002.His scholarly contributions extend far and wide, boasting over 40 published papers elucidating the intricacies of thermoplastic forming processes.
Bertrand Florentz
President - BFLC&A (Technical Advisor to COVESS)
Mr. Florentz has over 40 years of working experience with 27 years spent at Hutchinson. Here he served in various Director positions related to automotive sealing systems, aerospace and defense, R&D, composites, and cumulating as New Technology Strategy Director for Hydrogen. Currently Mr. Florentz is the President of BFLC&A (Technical Advisor to COVESS), where he focuses on consulting for diesel retrofit to hydrogen and hydrogen tanks. He holds a degree from the Higher School of Aeronautical Techniques and Automobile Construction.
Todd Anderson
Vice President and Chief Technology Officer - Phinia
Mr. Anderson has 30 years of Commercial Vehicle and Automotive Tier One experience in operations, engineering, and management. He received a US Design Patent (#6158743-A), and worked for many years in various roles including VP Engineering, VP Operations, VP/GM, and President at STEMCO Inc. He joined Delphi Technologies in mid-2019 as Vice President responsible for the Fuel Injection Systems global diesel product line. In April 2023, he received responsibility for Fuel Systems Global Engineering, and when PHINIA was formed in July 2023, he became PHINIA’s Vice President, Engineering and Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Anderson holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University, Executive Education Certification from Harvard School of Business, and Executive MBA courses from Queen’s College, Charlotte, NC.
Dillon McLaughlin
Regional Sales Manager / Hydrogen Business Development Manager - TESCOM
Mr. McLaughlin works as a Hydrogen Business Development Manager at Emerson. He has years of experience focused on hydrogen regulation and pressure control across all applications in the hydrogen market. These applications include on-vehicle pressure control, fueling stations, distribution, transport, and hydrogen storage. Mr. McLaughlin attended the University of Cincinnati.
Johan Bruyninx
Senior Technical Manager Fuel Systems - IDIADA
Mr. Bruyninx worked 13 years at Delphi Automotive Systems in Luxembourg. The last 5 years he was responsible for the test and validation of the fuel handling and evaporative products. He worked 8 years in the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) in Belgium as a research assistant, with areas of expertise in Vehicle Energy Technologies as the supervisor of RDE activities and air quality and materials surface treatment with atmospheric plasma. As of 2015, he has been working in the Powertrain Department of IDIADA as a senior technical manager within the fuel system department. His main roles include technology awareness, team support, consultancy services and project management. Mr. Bruyninx holds an Associate Degree in Automotive Engineering.
Charles Shappell
Engineering Director - Forvia
Charles Shappell is Engineering Director for Faurecia Hydrogen Solutions, leading the Design and Development of cutting-edge Hydrogen Storage Technologies. Charles has been leading Hydrogen and Innovation teams at Forvia for over 6 years and has more than 26 years experience in the automotive industry. He has led the startup and deployment of Forvia’s Hydrogen activity in North America and is deeply involved in the development of the Hydrogen Economy in the US.
Dr. Ales Srna
Senior Member, Technical Staff - Sandia National Laboratories
Dr. Srna is Senior Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories, where he is the Principal Investigator at the Sandia Heavy-Duty Optical Engine Laboratory. In his role, Dr. Srna is responsible for leading Sandia activities pertaining to Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines and works closely with industry partners to resolve key barriers in design and operation. He has published over 25 peer-reviewed publications with over 700 citations. Prior to joining Sandia, Dr. Srna worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, investigating hydrogen-diesel dual-fuel combustion concepts. Dr. Srna graduated in 2018 from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.
Dr. Christian Kochanek
Business Development Manager - Evonik
Dr. Kochanek joined Evonik in 2016 as project manager focusing on polyamide based composite materials and worked recently as Manager Extrusion Technologies within the Application Technology division. Currently he operates as Business Development Manager for Automotive and Mobility. In this role he is working on innovative applications of long chain polyamides. Dr. Kochanek holds a diploma in mechanical engineering from Technical University Dresden and finished his doctorate in mechanical engineering at RWTH Aachen University in 2016.
Anindya Banerji
R&D Coating Specialist - Martinrea
Dr. Banerji is an R&D Coating Specialist at Martinrea. He has led break-through projects from concept to implementation with cross-functional teams to develop next generation nano-polymer composite materials that is currently in production. Dr. Banerji is an accomplished author of multiple peer-reviewed scientific articles and patents which have over 1000 citations. Dr. Banerji earned a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in India, Master of Applied Science (M.A.Sc) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degrees in Materials Science & Engineering from University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Greg Poterala
eMobility Marketing Manager - Synesqo
Mr. Poterala is an eMobility Marketing Manager with Syensqo’s Specialty Polymers Business. He lends marketing support to Syensqo’s commercial team on applications including elastomer sealing, transmissions/electric drive units, bearings, fuel, air, exhaust, & thermal management systems. Prior to joining Syensqo he worked in a variety of commercial roles with Arkema, Asahi Kasei Plastics, and Teknor Color. Mr. Poterala got his start in the polymers world as a summer Materials Lab associate at Cadillac & BOC Group of GM while earning his Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Michigan.