CALSTART, a national organization focused on growing the clean transportation technology industry, announced that it is opening an office in Troy, Michigan. The non-profit organization with more than 190 member companies wants to help suppliers and manufacturers in the Midwest become leaders in the global clean transportation technology industry.
“The goal of our office in Michigan will be to help Midwest companies create more jobs by being leaders in high efficiency and low carbon transportation technologies and vehicles that will dominate the global industry in the decades to come,” said John Boesel, CALSTART president and CEO. “We look forward to rapidly expanding and building upon our already significant base of member companies and programs in the Midwest.”
Boesel said the organization’s plans to open a Michigan office were strongly supported by its March 2018 confidential survey of automotive suppliers. Eighty-two percent of the respondents either agreed (52 percent) or strongly agreed (30 percent) that companies that are leaders in vehicle efficiency technologies will be more successful over the next 10 to 15 years. By a similar percentage, the suppliers also envision a major shift toward vehicle electrification in the 2026-’32 period.
Among current CALSTART’s 190-plus member companies and organizations are Ford, Eaton, the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (NE Ohio), General Motors, Parker, Meritor, Cummins Inc. and Caterpillar. CALSTART helps the industry grow by securing funding to develop and deploy advanced technology, providing third party technology evaluation services, managing incentive programs to increase product sales, advancing important public policies, facilitating strategic partnerships, providing timely information and analysis, and linking its members with investors.
CALSTART also has hired Maureen Marshall to be its Midwest regional director. Marshall is a veteran in the automotive industry and brings to CALSTART a wealth of experience and knowledge in key technology sectors and with organizations that are important to the company’s work, including with vehicle OEMs, Tier suppliers and consulting work. She has held engineering positions with both Ford and Chrysler, where she played a leading role in the Chrysler electric vehicle program in the 1990s and worked on advanced global powertrains and electrical systems. She has worked at Siemens and Harman International, including work on connected car technology. She worked with Booz Allen Hamilton, where she led work with the U.S. Army at TARDEC that helped them shape their ground vehicle and connected vehicle strategies, as well as supported the Department of Transportation on DSRC standard development and V2V and V2I infrastructure development. Marshall holds a master’s degree in business administration from Auburn University, a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Lawrence Technological University, as well as a certificate in strategy and innovation from MIT.
“I am very excited to be part of such a forward-looking organization and the opportunity to leverage the significant engineering and manufacturing capability and expertise in the Midwest. The low carbon future of the global vehicle market represents an enormous job creating opportunity for the region. Companies in the region are vital to U.S. leadership in this field,” said Marshall.
With the opening of its office in Troy, Michigan, CALSTART now has seven offices in four different states. A key factor in opening an office in Michigan was the growth of the organization’s business in the Midwest. Among others, current CALSTART programs in the region include: managing Drive Clean Chicago – a clean truck and bus purchase incentive program; support of the U.S. Army’s high efficiency and automated truck technology program in Warren, Michigan; coordination of a multi-state Midwest zero emission transit bus operator group; development and support of a Midwest Fuel Cell Roadmap; and a team member of the Ohio State University Low and No Emission Bus Component Testing program. CALSTART recently lead an effort and submitted a proposal to help rural transit properties in Wisconsin secure federal funding for the purchase of zero emission buses.
