Back to the Future of Automotive Powertrain - 1.21 Gigawatts, Are We There Yet?

Dr. Sven Beiker has spent more than two decades focusing on the future of mobility and automotive safety during a career spanning BMW Group, McKinsey & Company, and Stanford University. Today, Sven is the Managing Director of Silicon Valley Mobility, a consulting and advisory firm he founded in 2017 specializing in technical diligence, product roadmaps and business models for mobility.

Dr. Beiker is also an External Advisor to SAE International where he works with the industry association to further improve safety, efficiency, and convenience of automobiles and automated vehicles in particular. And he serves on advisory boards of several startups in the mobility space, as an advisor to the German American Chamber of Commerce in San Francisco, and as an advisor / co-editor to the Springer Lecture Notes in Mobility.

Daron Gifford is a Partner with Plante Moran, an accounting and consulting firm based in Michigan.  He leads the strategy and automotive industry consulting practices for Plante Moran.

Daron has over 40 years of experience in automotive and manufacturing industry, beginning his career with General Motors.  He is a seasoned professional and respected voice within executive circles, providing management consulting services to a wide range of corporate organizations. His versatile experience in the manufacturing and automotive sectors includes OEMs, suppliers, retailers, distributors and engineering services across the globe.  

Daron has a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Virginia, and a Bachelor of Industrial Administration degree from General Motors Institute (now known as Kettering University).  He has certifications in Valuation (as a CVA), Production and Inventory Management, and Electroplating and Surface Finishing. 

Chris has more than 30 years of experience in developing propulsion system technologies  that  improve  fuel  economy,  performance,  and  emissions.    He  leads  his  own consulting  company  where  he  is  on  retainer  for  several  electric  vehicle  manufacturers  and  suppliers.  Chris serves on the Board of US Venture, a $9.5B automotive consumables company,  where he also chairs the Governance Committee, as well as the Vice Chairman of the Board for  Optique, an augmented and virtual reality company specializing in immersive near eye optic  systems.   

Chris holds more than 30 patents in engine and transmission design, engine control algorithms,  and electrification in both the U.S. and Europe. He was the recipient of the Walter P. Chrysler  Award for patent of the year and SAE's Forest R. McFarland Award. He elected an SAE Fellow by  SAE International in 2011.   

Chris holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Manchester  Institute of Science and Technology in Manchester, England. He earned his Master’s Diploma in  Strategy  and  Innovation  from  the  Said  Business  School  at  the  University  of  Oxford  in  Oxford,  England. 

Gary Silberg is the KPMG LLP's National Industry Lead Partner for the Automotive, as well as the Global Lead Partner for Ford Motor Company. With 25+ years of business experience, including over 15 years in the automotive industry, he advises numerous domestic and multinational companies in areas of strategy and mergers and acquisitions, and  joint ventures. His specific focus includes helping clients identify and evaluate investment and growth strategies from technology start-ups to large scale, multibillion dollar investments.  In addition, for the past six years, he has focused on the intersection of technology and the automotive industry with groundbreaking research on self-driving cars, connectivity and mobility-on-demand services.  He has written extensively about the auto industry.