{"id":27,"date":"2025-08-13T15:43:51","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T15:43:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/spring-summer-2025\/?p=27"},"modified":"2025-08-15T17:22:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T17:22:18","slug":"austin-brown-02-is-driving-americas-clean-transportation-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/spring-summer-2025\/austin-brown-02-is-driving-americas-clean-transportation-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin Brown \u201902 is Driving America\u2019s Clean Transportation Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Austin Brown \u201902, a technology and policy expert passionate about developing better, more efficient transportation systems, serves as the director of the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) at the U.S. Department of Energy. Brown leads critical research, development and deployment efforts aimed at accelerating the transition to a prosperous and sustainable transportation future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe transportation sector is essential to our quality of life and the economy, but it also contributes to some of our biggest problems,\u201d says Brown. \u201cOur mission is to fund impactful research that creates innovation, improves choices, makes transportation safer, cheaper and more accessible, and eliminates pollution while we\u2019re at it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The VTO invests about $450 million a year, making it the largest public funder worldwide of applied research and development for clean mobility. Its initiatives encompass advancing battery and electric vehicle (EV) technology for cars and trucks, improving heavy-duty engines, building resilient domestic supply chains and exploring innovative solutions like vehicle-to-grid integration and automated transportation. Collaborating with other government agencies, private industry and academic institutions, the VTO funds projects that improve system efficiency while addressing societal challenges such as safety and affordability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Vision for Transportation <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Brown\u2019s journey toward applied solutions began during his undergraduate years as a physics student at Harvey Mudd, though he didn\u2019t know it at the time as he focused on astrophysics. During grad school in biophysics, he found that his love of discovery was transformed into a desire to use knowledge for real-world impact. After earning a PhD from Stanford University, Brown served in Washington, D.C., first as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow at the Department of Energy, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and as assistant director for clean energy and transportation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. For four years, he was executive director of the Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy at the University of California, Davis, and, most recently, he was senior director for Transportation Emissions at the White House Climate Policy Office. As head of the VTO since August 2023, Brown seeks to create solutions that benefit people and the planet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do we move our people and our stuff and get access to the things that transportation gets us, like opportunity and family and education, but eliminate the emissions so that it\u2019s not causing harm?\u201d Brown asks. \u201cEvery project we fund and every technology we pursue is designed to make transportation work better for everyone while addressing its impacts.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tackling the Challenges of Electrification <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a part of the VTO\u2019s strategy, and Brown notes both their advantages and challenges. With over a million EVs sold in the U.S. in 2024 (representing about 10% of new vehicle sales), the technology is rapidly advancing. EVs are cheaper to maintain, quieter, and offer better performance compared to internal combustion engine vehicles. However, access to easy nationwide charging and mineral sourcing remain critical hurdles to address with research and deployment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Group
VTO Director Austin Brown remains connected to Harvey Mudd, serving as a member of AABOG, teaching and, here, hosting Mudders during a recent spring break visit to DC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The VTO is driving innovation to lower battery costs\u2014aiming for $75 per kilowatt-hour by 2030 (down from more than $1,000 in 2010 and around $120 today)\u2014and exploring battery recycling and alternatives like sodium-based batteries to add technology diversity and ensure secure supply chains. Recent VTO funding initiatives include $43 million for improving EV battery safety and $72 million for developing charging infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to advances in EV technology and infrastructure, the new interest in electric mobility is transforming personal transportation in myriad ways. In addition to cars, an area of growth in this space is one that Brown enjoys with his wife and 5-year-old son: electric bikes. U.S. sales of e-bikes exceeded $1 million in 2022. \u201cI love how our family e-bikes get us around with exactly as much workout as we want, and I hear from folks all the time who find them to be a great part of their personal transportation toolkit.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing Pollution Burden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Increasing fairness and improving health is central to Brown\u2019s work. \u201cLocal pollution from transportation disproportionately impacts communities that have the burdens of our system put upon them and receive fewer of the benefits. Transportation\u2014the second biggest expense for households\u2014is a big deal. If you can cut or eliminate their gasoline bill, that\u2019s got ethical advantages as well,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By investing in clean technologies and locally driven programs, the VTO seeks to ensure that every community has a voice and receives benefits from the clean energy transition. \u201cWe have an ethical requirement to develop safer systems, eliminate transportation barriers and reduce pollution for disadvantaged communities.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe have an ethical requirement to develop safer systems, eliminate transportation barriers and reduce pollution for disadvantaged communities.\u201d<\/p>\nAustin Brown \u201902<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Preparing for the Future: Automation and Beyond<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Vehicle automation represents both an opportunity and a challenge for Brown and his 40-member team. While automated vehicles have the potential to reduce traffic fatalities and improve convenience, their environmental impact is uncertain. Automation could lead to increased energy use if it encourages more traffic. \u201cWe need to ensure automation aligns with our shared goals rather than exacerbating existing problems,\u201d Brown says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery realistic solution in energy has its downsides and issues,\u201d he says. \u201cOne solution to a problem often creates some other problem as well. It\u2019s a constant effort to think ahead to the unintended consequences.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Generation of Transportation Leaders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The VTO is preparing for what\u2019s next by fostering the inventiveness of the next generation. One of Brown\u2019s favorite projects, the EcoCAR EV Challenge, builds upon a 35-year history of the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions, which include more than 30,000 students as alumni. The four-year collegiate automotive engineering competition provides a hands-on educational experience to students at 15 North American universities\u2014two in California (UC Riverside and UC Davis). Teams are in their third year engineering a next-generation battery electric vehicle\u2014a GM Cadillac LYRIQ\u2014that utilizes automation and vehicle-to-everything connectivity to implement energy-efficient and customer-pleasing features while meeting the decarbonization need of the automotive industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an October 2024 interview with Great Day Live Tampa Bay,<\/em> Brown said, \u201cThere are dozens of companies demonstrating automation and connectivity features, but they\u2019re all doing it in their own research ecosystem and very fiercely protecting what they find. One of the benefits we\u2019ll get from this competition is that we\u2019re taking 13 approaches to connectivity, automation and propulsion systems, and pitting them against each other in a friendly competition where we\u2019re able to compare apples to apples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTeams will be showcasing what [their cars] can do on a real road and in laboratory environments, where you can precisely measure energy use. We believe that this can help us showcase what are some of the standard tests that we should be able to use for the broader transportation innovation ecosystem to understand the implications of these different technologies in terms of their energy use reductions.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown is also personally passionate about teaching anyone interested about how they can help build a better transportation system. Since 2012, he has taught at Johns Hopkins University, and since 2023 he has taught the elective Transportation Technology and Climate Policy as part of HMC\u2019s Hixon Center for Climate and the Environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Team Effort<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Brown believes that the greatest impact is achieved by working together. He points out that his office\u2019s investments need to catalyze billions in follow-on investments from industry to help improve the trillion-dollar-scale transportation system, so leverage is essential. From funding cutting-edge projects to engaging with communities, collaboration is key to navigating the complexities of clean mobility because the real decisions are all made by individuals, companies, local governments and states. Brown and his team at the Vehicle Technologies Office are laying the foundation for a sustainable transportation future\u2014one that balances innovation, equity and environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Austin Brown \u201902, a technology and policy expert passionate about developing better, more efficient transportation systems, serves as the director of the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) at the U.S. Department of Energy. Brown leads critical research, development and deployment efforts aimed at accelerating the transition to a prosperous and sustainable transportation future. \u201cThe transportation sector […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/spring-summer-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/spring-summer-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/spring-summer-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/spring-summer-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/spring-summer-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/spring-summer-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":245,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/spring-summer-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27\/revisions\/245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/spring-summer-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/spring-summer-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/spring-summer-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/spring-summer-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}