Program
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GATE Center for Electric Drive Transportation
San Diego State University
Southwest Research Institute
Simplify Tech LLC
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Panels
Enhancing Efficiency: The Role of Controls and Optimization in Electric Vehicle Performance
Time:
Wednesday, June 18 at 2:00pm
Moderator: Shobhit Gupta, GM
Speakers:
- Chunhao (Joseph) Lee, Tech fellow at GM
- Hareesh Parepalli, Lucid Motors
- Dr. Caleb Secrest, Global lead – Borgwarner electrified propulsion system controls
Abstract: The electrification of powertrains represents a pivotal step toward sustainable mobility, yet achieving their full potential demands the integration of advanced controls, optimization techniques, and cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). This panel convenes leading experts to explore how AI/ML-driven strategies are transforming the design, operation, and performance of next-generation electrified powertrains. Key topics include intelligent energy management systems, real-time adaptive control algorithms, predictive thermal optimization, and data-driven approaches to enhance efficiency, extend range, and improve reliability. Panelists will also tackle critical challenges such as battery degradation, thermal management, and seamless system integration under dynamic driving conditions. Join us to uncover how the synergy of AI/ML, controls, and optimization is shaping the future of electrified transportation, delivering smarter, cleaner, and more efficient mobility solutions.
So You Think You Can Fly: What it takes to Certify Electric Aircraft Fireside Chat & Rolling Recap
Time: Wednesday, June 18 at 2:00pm
Moderator:Herb Schlickenmaier
Speakers:
- Vince Schultz, NASA EPFD Regulations & Standards Lead
- Herb Schlickenmaier, Regulations & Standards SME HS Advanced Concepts LLC
- Christoph Gentser, Chair, ATSM F44, Diamond Aircraft
- Ed Lovelace, Chair, SAE E-40, Ampaire
- Kevin Bruce, Chair, ASTM F39.05 Working Group on Battery ESS for Propulsion
- Michael Walz, FAA Certification Policy for Electric Engines
- Regis Ressotto, EASA Certification Specialist for Electric Engines
Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicle Electrification:
Building a sustainable Ecosystem
Time: Wednesday, June 18 at 4:00pm
Moderator: Zuzhao Ye
Speakers:
- Vasileios Papapostolou, South Coast Air Quality Management District
- Brent Buffington, Southern California Edison
- Nanpeng Yu, University of California, Riverside
- Jacob Richard, CALSTART
- Chaitanya Inamdar, Kenworth Truck Company , Paccar, Inc,
Description:
Electrifying medium- and heavy-duty vehicles is critical for reducing emissions, improving air quality, and building a more sustainable transportation sector. However, the transition faces significant challenges, including high upfront costs, limited charging infrastructure, and power grid constraints. Fleets remain hesitant due to operational uncertainties, creating a “chicken-and-egg” dilemma for investing in charging networks and power grid upgrades, which must be strategically sited and scaled to ensure cost-effectiveness. This panel will explore strategies for overcoming these barriers through coordinated infrastructure development, fleet electrification planning, regulatory incentives, and innovative business models. Experts will discuss how to align industry stakeholders, utilities, and policymakers to accelerate adoption while demonstrating the long-term economic benefits of electrification.
NASA and Aircraft Electrification: Progress and Challenges
Time: Wednesday, June 18 at 4:00pm
Moderator: Gaudy Bezos-O’Connor, NASA EPFD
Speakers:
- Ben Loxton, MagniX
- Christine Andrews, GE
- Ed Lovelace, Ampaire
- Jeff Engler, Wright Electric
Advancing Aviation Electrification: Pathways to a Sustainable Future
Time: Thursday, June 19 at 2:00pm
Moderator:Fengyu Wang, New Mexico State University
Speakers:
- Dr. Liang Sun, Associate Professor, Baylor University
- Dr. Nick Gunady, CEO, Aerovy
- Dr. Di Shi, Associate Professor, New Mexico State University
- Dr. Jeffery Saunders, Technical Fellow, Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation
Description:
This panel will bring together industry leaders, policymakers, and researchers to provide a holistic overview of the opportunities and challenges associated with aviation electrification. The discussions aim to 1) drive collaboration among stakeholders to address key barriers to electrified aviation. 2) showcase cutting-edge research and technologies shaping the future of eVTOL. 3) offer actionable insights into creating sustainable and equitable electrification pathways.
Safe and advanced low-carbon rail transportation electrification technologies
Time: Thursday, June 19 at 2:00pm
Organizer: Xiaofeng Yang
Speakers:
- Dr. Tiefu Zhao, UNC Charlotte, USA
- Dr. Zhongbei Tian, University of Birmingham, UK
- Dr. Xiaofeng Yang, Beijing Jiaotong University, China
- Dr. Zhongping Yang, Beijing Jiaotong University, China
- Mohamed Hegazi, PhD – Subject Matter Expert, DB E.C.O. North America Inc.
Description:
With the rapid development of global rail transportation, the world is actively promoting rail energy transformation. The demand of Safe and advanced low-carbon rail transportation electrification technologies is essential to guarantee the operation of rail transit. In recent years, emerging technologies such as high-efficiency power supply, energy conversion, safe challenges, condition monitoring, lifecycle health management, renewable energy integration and AI technologies have emerged continuously. The deep integration of these technologies will support safer and low-carbon rail transportation electrification system. Therefore, this panel invited relevant experts to discuss safe and advanced low -carbon rail transit electrification technologies. All scholars from industry and academia who are interested in this field are welcome to join this panel. Let’s explore related technologies in depth and promote technological progress.
Advanced battery technology for transportation electrification
Time: Thursday, June 19 at 4:00pm
Moderator: Weihan Li
Speakers:
- Valentin Sulzer, CEO, Ionworks
- Yuzhang Li, Assistant Professor, UCLA
- Weihan Li, Junior Professor, RWTH Aachen University
- Xin Wu, Technology-to-Market Advisor, ARPA-E
Description:
As battery technology plays a key role in the global shift toward sustainable energy, staying up-to-date on these advancements is crucial for improving the efficiency, reliability, and lifespan of energy storage systems. This session will dive into the technical aspects of battery modeling, diagnostics, and aging prediction, with a focus on both automotive and stationary applications. Our expert speakers will explore new methods for simulating battery behavior, introduce cutting-edge diagnostic tools for real-time issue detection, and highlight advanced techniques for predicting battery lifespan. By combining physics-based and data-driven approaches, we’ll demonstrate how these innovations are transforming battery development, management, and optimization to allow for more accurate predictions, adaptive diagnostics, and smarter optimizations.
ARPA-E Program Review
Moderator: Xin Wu, Vivien Lecoustre
- Milos Ilak, Dynamics, Control, and Autonomy Team Lead, RTX Technology Research Center
- John Hong, Senior Engineer, GE Aerospace Research
- Christopher Cadou, Keystone Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park
- Xiao-Dong Zhou, Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs
- Subir Roychoudhury, Vice President of Research & Engineering, Precision Combustion Inc.
- Amy Jankovsky, Advanced Air Transport Technology Project, Aircraft Electrification Subproject Manager, NASA Glenn Research Center
- Colin Tschida, Chief Technology Officer, Wright Electric
- Sara Roggia, Head of magniDrive Product, magniX
- Thanatheepan Balachandran, Director of Engineering, Hinetics Inc.
Description:
This special two-session panel will present an overview and update on two active ARPA-E programs focused on aviation electrification: Range Extenders for Electric Aviation with Low Carbon and High Efficiency (REEACH) and Aviation-class Synergistically Cooled Electric-motors with iNtegrated Drives (ASCEND). The panel will highlight the latest advances in high-efficiency, lightweight onboard electric power generation and integrated electric powertrain development, recognizing these as key enabling technologies for realizing commercial electric aviation. Launched in 2021, these two programs aim to accelerate the development of commercial-class electric aviation energy technology solutions through significant improvements in power and energy density as well as performance for air-worthy electric power generation system at MW-scale and integrated electric powertrains. Entering their final year, the programs have spurred innovation in materials, machine designs, power electronics topologies, cooling technologies, controls, and optimization techniques to achieve high power density, performance, and efficiency metrics. The participants for this two-session panel will include key personnel and representatives from some of the ARPAE REEACH and ASCEND teams.
Tutorials
- Multiphysics analysis and design of rotating machines-PMSM- considering different aspects: electromagnetic, thermal, control and mechanical constraints
- High Power Density Electric Machine Design for Aerospace Propulsion
- Grid Integration of EV Charging Infrastructure: Smart Charge Management (SCM) and Vehicle to Everything (V2X)
- Electrified Aircraft Propulsion Approaches for Modeling and Electrical Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing
- Medium Voltage Converters in Transportation Electrification
Short Courses
- GaN Switching Devices for High-Efficiency Power Electronics Applications
- Aerospace and Automotive Electrified Designs, Progression, and Mutual Benefits
- Main considerations for inverter design with SiC MOSFET
- Efficient Electrified Transportation: Harnessing Reduced Order Modelling
- Advanced Battery Management for Transportation Electrification: Challenges and Approaches
Industry Sessions
The Industry Sessions at ITEC+EATS 2025 offer a valuable platform for technical professionals working in the electrification of transportation. These sponsored, technical sessions are designed to deliver applied insights and real-world case studies from leading companies and subject matter experts across automotive, aerospace, and energy sectors.
Participants will gain exposure to:
- Practical solutions and lessons learned from commercial deployments
- Technical perspectives on product development and systems integration
- Updates on standards, policy, and regulatory frameworks impacting the field
- Opportunities to engage directly with industry peers and innovators
Ideal for engineers, developers, and technical leads, the Industry Sessions are focused on bridging the gap between research and implementation. Join us to explore the technologies shaping the future of electrified mobility.
Selecting the Right Test Solutfion for Aerospace Compliance Standards
Presented by: George LiuAs aircraft systems become increasingly
electrified, simulating real-world power
conditions with precision is critical for effective
testing and certification. Both commercial and
military platforms require advanced AC and DC
power sources and electronic loads to meet
evolving power architectures and stringent
aerospace standards. This presentation explores
the latest trends in onboard power systems—
such as variable-frequency (wild frequency) AC
and high-voltage DC—and how they impact test
strategy. Attendees will gain insights into the
latest trends, challenges, and best practices in
AC/DC power testing for aerospace applications.
We’ll also share key considerations for selecting
power sources and loads that can reliably
simulate and absorb power under dynamic
conditions, while ensuring compliance with
standards like MIL-STD-704, DO-160, and
aircraft-specific test requirements.
Power Loss Analysis and Efficiency Mapping for EV Motors
Presented by: Hidekazu MasudaElectric vehicle (EV) motors require high efficiency across a wide range of speeds and torques. To support performance improvement, it is critical to understand overall efficiency and the sources of power loss. This presentation introduces a method to separate motor losses and generate efficiency maps using the Hioki PW8001 Power Analyzer.
Focusing on Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSMs), we demonstrate how to calculate mechanical output and losses by measuring voltage, current, torque, and speed. Losses are separated into copper losses (arising from winding resistance) and iron losses (caused by magnetic hysteresis and eddy currents). Leveraging the PW8001’s high-accuracy, wideband measurement capabilities, both fundamental and harmonic components are captured with precision, enabling accurate loss separation.
The analyzer’s User Defined Function (UDF) feature supports custom equations for automated, real-time loss calculations. The resulting efficiency and loss maps plotted across speed and torque domains offer valuable insights to support motor design optimization and R&D decision-making.
Critical challenges such as wideband power measurement and low power factors are addressed by PW8001’s phase correction and sensor matching functions.
We welcome attendees to visit our exhibition booth #122 for a live demonstration of this solution in action. Discover how precision power measurement is driving advancements in EV motor efficiency and sustainable design.
Insulation Materials for EMobility Applications – A Discussion on Material Selection and Process Considerations
Presented by: Michael Ricker and Stephen Tuckwell- Wire Enamel
- Chemistry Considerations
- Current Trend in Emobility Applications
- Impregnation Resins
- Technical Considerations
- Challenges with requirements in the current industry and our approach
- Process Development
- Thermal Potting and Adhesives