connectedvehicles

In this episode of Point B, host Steve Schwinke dives into a discussion with Sr. Director of Mobility at Rightpoint, Bill Thompson about key considerations in creating an effective digital experience for the vehicle user.

Bill Thompson is Sr. Director of Mobility at Rightpoint, a digital experience company in a relentless pursuit of a world that works better for people. In his current role, Bill is focused on growing the mobility centered business responsible for creating connected experiences that move humanity across Land, Sea, Air, and Virtual environments.

Previous to Rightpoint, Bill spent 17 years at General Motors primarily focused on digital experiences from web, mobile and In-Vehicle. As leader of the In-Vehicle User Experience team, his responsibilities included team building, discipline growth, guiding strategic design, brand development, cross-channel collaboration, and implementation of digital interfaces across the global product portfolio. 

Over multiple generations of products, he has helped to bring industry-leading technologies such as Autonomous Cruise, Advanced Park Assist, Augmented Reality, Google Built-In, Apple CarPlay, Realtime 3D, as well as enhanced drive modes like Watts-to-Freedom and CrabWalk to market. 

It was in the In-Vehicle realm where Bill honed his belief that unified digital experiences are as critical for users as they are for brands; especially while moving to a future of electrification, automation, and endless mobility options connected through the digital frontier.

In this episode of Point B, our host Steve Schwinke is joined by electric vehicle expert Peter Savagian to talk about EVs: where they started, where they stand now, and what to expect in the next five years.

Peter Savagian is the Principal and Founder of Electrified Future Inc. and a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to Electrified Future, Peter served as CTO at Canoo, SVP of Engineering for Ampaire, and SVP of Engineering at Faraday Future where he oversaw the technical development of its FF91 Beta and Gamma-level vehicles. Peter also spent 18 years at General Motors where he serves as General Director and Chief Engineer, responsible for Electrification Systems and Electric Drives product development. His work at GM brought electrification to GM automobiles and involved several innovations in architecture, hardware, software systems, new development systems, and new integration methods. Notably, Peter's work resulted in the first modern Electric Vehicle - the GM EV1. Peter finds his purpose in sustainable mobility and transportation, and actively works towards creating a cleaner future through innovations and initiatives, particularly in the EV sector.

Point B is a Sibros original podcast that looks under the hood at the latest innovations in automotive technology and how they are impacting the trajectory of the industry. In other words, how are we getting from where we are now, Point A, to the future, Point B? In these quick, bite-sized episodes, we interview industry experts on key topics like micromobility, connectivity, electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, transportation 2.0, and more. 

In our premiere episode of Point B our guest moderator Jo Borras of Clean introduces the regular hosts of Point B: Michael Kara and Steve Schwinke. From being a kid obsessed with cars to a dad who found his hobby-calling as a DJ, these guys dive into what first brought them to the automotive industry, the issues they’ve encountered, and where the connected vehicle industry is headed.

Michael Kara is the Technical Solutions Manager at Sibros, managing the presales relationship for Sibros with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers worldwide. Prior to joining Sibros, Michael worked at HARMAN as a Partnership manager for Harman IGNITE as well as supporting HARMAN Redbend’s OTA solution in a pre-sales capacity. Earlier in his career, Michael spent over 20 years in technical workflow and business process consulting.

Steve Schwinke is Vice President of Customer Engagement at Sibros, working closely with OEMs and Tier One suppliers to accelerate their connected vehicle solutions. He is a pioneer in the industry having spent 22 years at General Motors as an original Executive member of the OnStar team designing their first 3-button system, developing and launching numerous industry-first connected vehicle products and services. He is a recognized expert in connected vehicle technology having served on the Executive Board of Directors for the Telecommunications Industry Association and has been awarded 34 patents involving telecommunications, telematics, and navigation. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master's of Science in Wireless Communication Systems from Santa Clara University.

Jo Borras is the regular host of CleanTechnica’s Clean Tech Talk & The Electrified News Podcast. He has over 20 years of industry experience including writing for major industry publications such as CleanTechnica, The Truth About Cars, Popular Mechanics, and more.