James Gamble

Vice President, Engine and Power Solutions Technology 

As Vice President of Wabtec’s Engine and Power Solutions Technology team, James is responsible for the global technology and investment strategy, new product development, and global engineering organization that develops and maintains products within the Engine, Cooling Systems, Turbocharger and Fuel Cell spaces.  He has served in this role for the past 5 years.   During his time in the role, Wabtec has launched significant products such as the 7FDL Advantage product line and Wabtec’s new high speed engine for locomotive and power applications.  

A native of Pittsburgh, Gamble built his 24-year career developing innovative engine and cooling technology solutions in power generation, marine and locomotive markets within Wabtec and Formerly General Electric Transportation.  Some career highlights include performing as Sr. Engineering Manager for Engine Mechanical development during the launch of the Tier 4 locomotive/Marine product lines and acting as an engineering leader during the development of General Electric/Wabtec’s clean sheet 1.5-3.0MW high speed engine.   

James graduated from Gannon University with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Degrees in Mechanical Engineering.  Currently he serves on the Mechanical Engineering external advisory board of Gannon University.  Outside of Wabtec, James and his family are very involved with supporting charitable organizations which are focused on youth development in the Grove City community.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. André Casal Kulzer

Chair in Automotive Powertrain Systems, IFS Institute of Automotive Engineering, Univ. Stuttgart FKFS Board of Management, FKFS Automotive R&D

André Casal Kulzer is Professor at the Institute for Automotive Powertrain Systems, University of Stuttgart since January 2022. Prof. Kulzer received a MSc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Technical University of Lisbon in 1999 and a PhD. degree from University of Stuttgart in 2004. For his PhD. thesis he received the TR100 Award in 2004 from MIT’s Technology Review - "one of the world’s top young innovators under 35". After receiving is PhD. he held the position of Senior Researcher and various Management positions at Robert Bosch GmbH in Schwieberdingen till 2011. From 2012 till 2021 he was Manager for Advanced Development Powertrain, together with Synthetic Fuels and Electrified Powertrain Concept Development at Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG in Weissach. His former and actual research interests range from electromobility, hybridisation, combustion, emissions, powertrain systems virtual development, artificial intelligence, and Life- Cycle-Analysis over to hydrogen and E-Fuels topics.

Dr. Laurent Pilon

Program Director, ARPA-E

Laurent Pilon is a Program Director at ARPA-E with interest in materials and manufacturing for energy applications including electrical energy storage. Pilon, joined ARPA-E from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he is a Professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department. At UCLA, Pilon is engaged in a wide range of interdisciplinary research projects at the intersection of interfacial and transport phenomena, and material science for the development of sustainable energy conversion, storage, and efficiency technologies. He has authored more than 200 archival journal publications. He is the recipient of several prestigious awards including the CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (2005), the Bergles-Rohsenow Young Investigator Award in Heat Transfer (2008), and the Heat Transfer Memorial Award (2021) from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He is a Fellow of ASME. Pilon received his BS and MS in Applied Physics from the Grenoble Institute of Technology, France and his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 2002.

Presentation: Technology Needs for a Circular EV Battery Supply Chain

More than 50% of all vehicles on the road globally are expected to be electric by 2050. The surge in electric vehicle (EV) demand will be accompanied by a surge in EV battery waste, albeit with a 10-20 year delay depending on conditions of use. Recycling is typically put forth as the solution of choice for managing spent battery waste. However, current recycling technologies are energy intensive, emit significant quantities of greenhouse gases, and recover only a fraction of the battery mass, sending the rest to landfills. Moreover, as less expensive battery chemistries are introduced, the economics of recycling become more challenging as less high-value metals (e.g., cobalt or nickel) can be recovered. Circular economy concepts applied to EV batteries suggests that they should be designed and manufactured with the end of life in mind while considering recycling as a process of last resort. These strategies emphasize the need for material selection, design, and manufacturing strategies that can maintain battery materials, cells, and packs at their highest level of performance for as long as possible and facilitate disassembly at the end of life. This keynote will present ongoing efforts at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to advance high-risk high-impact transformational technologies to achieve a circular battery supply chain through (A) material regeneration and innovative cell designs; (B) modular pack designs, reversible manufacturing methods, and autonomous robotic disassembly to facilitate repair, remanufacture, and recycling; and (C) advanced cell-level sensing methods to prolong the battery life while ensuring safety. Such technologies could offer new business opportunities and have the potential to reduce demand for pristine materials and to lower the energy burden, the lifetime cost, and the carbon footprint associated with EV production and operation, and thereby maximize the environmental benefits of vehicle electrification.