Intro to Editor in Chief

My name is Micheal Austin (no typo, it’s a unique spelling).  I was born in the northern Colorado mountains on a hobby ranch that had no electrical power.  Today, my hobby is power.  When I was 11, my father tried to impress me by converting a gas-powered motorcycle to electric with an alternator and a 12VDC lead-acid battery.  When he turned it on, it flew into reverse and sent him smashing through a fence.  That was my introduction to electrified transportation.

I now introduce you to the IEEE’s “Transportation Electrification Initiative” (TEI).  In this monthly letter you will find provocative articles that discuss electrification of all types of transportation.  While maintaining a technical focus, the letter aims to bridge the gap between layperson, technology practitioner and R&D Scientist.  With this approach, we hope to enrich your understanding of what is possible with cutting edge technologies and how the applied world is deploying them today.  Our unabashed purpose is to set world-changing technologies in motion and to ensure that – unlike my Dad’s lead-acid motorcycle – they move forward.

The Transportation Electrification letter will discuss four main domains: Terrestrial (land based), Nautical (Ocean, lakes and bodies of water), Aeronautical (Air and Space) and Commercial-Manufacturing.  The main topics will include batteries and fuel cells, advanced charging methods, telemetrics, systems architectures and vehicle internal layouts, drive-trains, and the connected vehicle.  Important subtopics will include the convergence of Transportation and Electricity energy verticals, the study of the barriers impeding and opportunities fostering Transportation Electrification, and real world deployment experiences.

We ask you to participate in our exploration of these transformative technologies – Thank you for passing our vision along.

Micheal Austin
Editor in Chief