1B - Zero Emission Trucks

Brennan Borlaug

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

United States

Brennan Borlaug is a Research Analyst in the Transportation Energy Transitions Analysis group at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) where he performs modeling and analysis supporting the deployment of zero emission vehicles and associated infrastructure throughout (and occasionally outside) the United States. Brennan is a graduate of the Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS) program at the University of California Berkeley and holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Washington State University. He resides in Colorado.

Vishant Kothari

World Resources Institute

United States

Vishant Kothari is a Manager in the Electric Mobility team at WRI Ross Centre for Sustainable Cities. He manages technical assistance with school districts on WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative and has worked on projects related to charging infrastructure, vehicle-grid integration, fleet electrification, and consumer behavior across the US and Asia. Prior to WRI, he worked with US cities in helping them overcome barriers to decarbonization and climate action planning. He has a globally diverse background, working in non-profit and startup roles for over 9 years across India, Netherlands, Philippines, and the US. Vishant holds a master's degree in sustainability management from Columbia University, USA and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, India

Mikko Pihlatie

VTT Technical Research Centrre of Finland

Finland

Mikko PIHLATIE received the M.Sc. degree in engineering physics from Helsinki University of Technology, Finland, in 1997 and D.Sc. (Technology) in engineering physics from Aalto University, Finland, in 2010. He is working at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland since 2008, currently as a Principal Scientist in research area Transport and Mobility. Previously he has worked as a Research Team Leader on Electrical Powertrains and Storage at VTT. Before VTT, he was a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellow at Risoe National Laboratory and DTU in Denmark during 2006-2008 and working on ceramic fuel cell materials. Before joining Risoe and DTU he held several positions within the nuclear industry. His current research interests are in zero-emission transportation, including batteries, electrical powertrains, charging, commercial electric vehicles and their systems, as well as system-level techno-economics of zero-emission transportation.

Nikita Zaiko

Lindholmen Science Park

Sweden

Nikita Zaiko joined Lindholmen Science Park (LSP), a non-economic organization hosting several R&I-programs e.g. mobility, in 2020 in the role of project manager. He is coordinating and participating in several complex innovation projects involving multiple stakeholders from the industry, academia and public sector, with electrification of heavy-duty vehicles being the common theme. He holds a M.Sc. in Logistics and Transport Management from School of Business, Economics and Law at Gothenburg University.