Micro-Mobility Marvels: Powering Sustainable Transportation Innovations w/ Christopher Borroni-Bird

AVL's Reimagine Mobility Podcast

In this engaging episode, Dr. Christopher Borroni-Bird, founder of Afreecar LLC, delves into the transformative journey toward sustainable mobility solutions. Transitioning from his early career in major automotive companies, Chris embarked on a mission to harness innovation for the planet's benefit. The podcast highlights the Afreecar initiative, a testament to Chris's vision of providing solar-powered mobility in developing countries, addressing these regions' unique challenges. Through a blend of sustainability and design philosophy, Chris envisions a future where global mobility is not only accessible but also harmonious with the environment. The discussion extends to the broader implications of such sustainable practices on global climate change and the potential for design to catalyze significant positive change in communities worldwide.

Dr. Christopher Borroni-Bird is Founder of Afreecar LLC and an expert on sustainable and affordable mobility for ALL the world’s people. This builds on his 25-year career leading advanced mobility initiatives at several major organizations as well as volunteering in sub-Saharan Africa.

At Afreecar he is a senior advisor on future mobility to McKinsey and is also sought out to provide independent technical due diligence on future mobility solutions and companies in vehicle autonomy, connectivity and electrification.

Separately, Afreecar is also developing an e-kit that power assists non-motorized vehicles while also transforming them into mobile power sources, which has many applications in both the developing and developed worlds.

He served as Waymo’s Chief Engineer for Future Vehicle Programs and has been a Research Scientist at MIT Media Lab. From 2012 to 2017, he was Qualcomm’s VP of Strategic Development, responsible for wireless automotive solutions. Prior to this, he led GM’s Electric Networked Vehicle (EN-V), the world’s first drivable vehicles to demonstrate today’s accepted vision of future mobility (and extensively deployed at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo). He led GM’s Autonomy, Hy-wire and Sequel “skateboard” electric vehicle concepts, now widely adopted by the Auto Industry, and has 50 patents. He is co-author of “Reinventing the Automobile: Personal Urban Mobility for the 21st Century”, with Larry Burns and the late Bill Mitchell (MIT Press, 2010). Before joining GM in 2000, he led Chrysler’s gasoline fuel cell vehicle development. He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame as a Young Leader in 2000 and was one of Automotive News’ inaugural “Electrifying 100” in 2011.

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