The Future of The Electric Vehicle Industry

Michael Pickholz joins Green.org to share learn about his vision for the future of the electric vehicle industry.

Michael, thank you for being here. Tell us a little bit about your background.

Automotive industry veteran with a primary emphasis on vehicle illumination and lighting applications on an international scale. Additional extensive involvement in multiple facets of vehicle exterior systems, including facias, impact energy management (vehicle as well as pedestrian impact level), vehicle interior coatings as well as ADAS and automated vehicle solutions enabling sensors to operate in all weather conditions. Presently focused on the development of innovative solutions and intellectual property addressing lighting performance, cost, weight and energy consumption reductions, product robustness and durability along with innovations in systems integration. Emphasis on achieving tangible environmental benefits through the practical application of new materials solutions yielding practical, fully recyclable products.

What would you do with $1 billion dollars?

Provide capital and direct assistance to worthy causes, which address actual human needs. Personal emphasis on individual and collective safety solutions, which are both sustainable and economically viable, so they deliver tangible results.

Why do you think sustainability is such an important topic today?

Long term environmentally sustainable approaches to everything we do are simply self-evident requirements in order to preserve a functional, healthy, livable environment for all earth’s inhabitants. Quality of life, environmental considerations have clearly not always been at the forefront of priorities, thus conceiving as well as implementing practical, environmentally as well as economically-sound solutions to everyday needs is essential to maintaining a livable, healthy planet for all to enjoy as well as thrive.

What do you envision your industry looking like in ten years?

Interestingly, an automated, driverless vehicle world was widely trumpeted ten (10) years ago, where the widespread use of inexpensive self-driving vehicles would become the norm by 2025. Such a broadly accepted forecast has massively failed to materialize, in the process upending multiple business strategies conceived to fit and address such models.

Thus, the accuracy associated with making long-term predictions is very much in question. What is clear is that environmentally sound methods and solutions towards providing viable transportation means for individuals, groups, as well as goods are essential. This will have a profound impact on which technologies and solutions prevail. Specifically addressing the vehicle illumination field, quite clear that the automated, driver-less forecast has had a major adverse impact on business decisions associated with Headlamp production and technologies.

Specifically, on driverless vehicles, Headlamps are effectively relegated to the simple role of direction of travel indicators, multiple sensors taking over the driving task, particularly in nighttime conditions, effective illumination thus no longer a concern. Yet, despite considerable efforts, driverless vehicles continue to underperform, fail to achieve the forecast levels of performance and reliability required. As such fully foresee the rapid resurgence in emphasis for significantly improved vehicle illumination as it represents a major safety as well as quality of life matter for all. Proper illumination is not just important to drivers and passengers, also to pedestrians, cyclists as well as to animals and fauna. Preventing avoidable accidents through improved illumination is also a very high environmental priority as, oftentimes, avoidable vehicles accidents cause major environmental damage. A future where drivers are better able to see in all driving environments is thus and integral part of achieving a sustainable future.

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