Powering Generations:
Legacy to the Future
Pete Thimmaiah
Pete Poovanna is a Canadian Queen Elizabeth Scholar recognized by the 28th Governor General of Canada. Currently, he is the clean transportation analyst at Plug In BC and administers the BC Fleet Electrification program and the West Coast Electric Fleets program.
Born and raised in Coorg, India, he has a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the Vis Technological University, India. A Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Coventry University, the U.K. and a Ph.D. in Mechatronic Systems Engineering from the Simon Fraser University.
He has engaged extensively with fleet managers and manufacturers to understand the barriers and identifying solutions to the fleet electrification. Pete has conducted extensive studies on the life cycle assessment of electric vehicles, and he has extensive research and writing experience. Pete is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post, Policy Options, and has several scientific publications related to clean technology. Before moving to Canada for his Ph.D., Pete worked with the automotive company Robert Bosch, Germany as a senior computational fluid dynamics engineer. He is an inventor of a patent-pending technology ‘nature inspired air-conditioner for zero-emission vehicles.
