Professor Philip Krein talks electric vehicles and solar power in new podcast

ECE ILLINOIS Research Professor and power electronics expert Philip T Krein, Grainger Endowed Chair Emeritus in Electric Machinery and Electromechanics in Electrical and Computer Engineering, recently went on the Illinois Innovators Podcast with Mike Koon to discuss the future of advanced energy applications, specifically in electric vehicles and solar power.

As the past chair of the IEEE Transportation Electrification Community, Krein is a leading expert in power and energy systems, including power electronics, machines, drives, transportation electrification, and electrical energy, with emphasis on nonlinear control approaches. 

In a recent article with IEEE Spectrum, Krein detailed the ways that colleges are prepping the next generation of manufacturers, which includes training in artificial intelligence and robotics. When discussing the growing future of electric vehicles, Krein noted that the challenge with electric vehicles is "to integrate them much more completely with controls, advanced capabilities, and a certain amount of intelligence."

"It's not just about vehicles that ultimately can drive themselves, it's also about vehicles that make the best use of a limited energy source like a battery pack and about vehicles that can take advantage of safety functions and various kinds of potential added features one can get when you do electrification."

Check out the podcast here.