SAE BOOKS: Mobility for All with Christopher Borroni-Bird

How can we make vehicles more sustainable for those who can afford to buy a new car, and how can we make mobility more affordable for the remaining 90%?

Christopher Borroni-Bird knows his perspective on mobility isn't typical. He has worked at Qualcomm Technologies and before that at DaimlerChrysler and as director of advanced technology vehicle concepts at General Motors R&D. While at GM in the early 2000s, Borroni-Bird worked with a team that adapted then-promising hydrogen fuel-cell technology for passenger vehicles into a skateboard layout with batteries under the seats and in-wheel electric motors. Their work became the GM AUTOnomy skateboard chassis concept in 2002 and, later, the GM Hy-Wire concept.

Borroni-Bird's book, Sustainable and Affordable Mobility for All: Putting the Heart Back into Technology, published last year by SAE International, is another example of his re-evaluation of what mobility will look like in the future. The book tackles critical issues like economic development, environmental sustainability, and universal access. SAE Media spoke with Borroni-Bird. Our conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.