Date: July 23
Time : 2:45 PM to 4:00 PM
Location: Campanelli Club
Participants will examine how battery health analytics and telematics can be combined to improve electric fleet safety, reliability, and asset life. They will identify key performance indicators and data practices that support proactive maintenance and informed replacement planning. The session will help attendees understand how data-driven battery management can strengthen both operational performance and total cost outcomes.
Avaneesh Babu is a Co-Founder and CEO of Neuro Safety Systems (NSS) a neurotechnology company developing a fatigue prevention mechanism for the commercial trucking industry. A neuroengineering researcher at Johns Hopkins University under Dr. Nitish Thakor Avaneesh leads the development of in-ear EEG wearables that monitor real-time cognitive drift and fatigue. His work at NSS focuses on replacing invasive, reactive dashcams with a privacy-first biometric approach utilizing a proprietary Vigilance Score to prevent accidents before they occur. Avaneesh is currently overseeing commercial pilot deployments to establish a new actuarial standard for fleet safety and driver exoneration.
Prof. Pingen Chen is currently an Associate Professor with the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) and the founding director of Battery, Energy, and Smart Transportation (BEST) Lab. Dr. Chen is the lead faculty advisor for UTK’s EcoCAR Innovation Challenge team starting Fall 2026. Before joining UTK, Dr. Chen served as an Assistant Professor and Associate Professor with Tennessee Tech University from 2016 – 2025, and the founding director of Automotive Powertrain and Emissions Control Lab (APECL) and the leading faculty of the vehicle engineering program at Tennessee Tech. Dr. Chen was also a controls and diagnostics senior engineer at the Cummins Technical Center for two years. Dr. Chen is the author or co-author of 100 peer-reviewed publications including 29 journal articles, 71 conference papers, and 1 patent. Dr. Chen’s research activities have been supported by U.S. Department of Energy, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Cummins Inc., Denso, and Nissan, VW Group of America, Stellantis, with more than 28-million research expenditure. His research interests include hybrid and electric vehicle technologies and ecosystem development, automated and connected vehicles, energy-efficient mobility and building systems, battery recycling and reuse, internal combustion engine, aftertreatment systems, alternative/renewable fuels, and deployment of advanced vehicle technologies to serve the communities, particularly disadvantaged communities. Prof. Chen is a well-recognized researcher and educator. He is the recipient of the prestigious SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award in 2021, 2025 Drive Electric TN EV Champion Award, Distinguished Researcher Award (2019, 2024) from ASME Tennessee Tech Chapter.
Dr. Richard Bishop is a Professor of Practice in Mining Engineering at Virginia Tech whose work bridges mining engineering, mineral economics, critical minerals, and mining finance. He has an industry background in surface and underground mining, mineral processing, project management, consulting, and the capital markets. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Mining Engineering from Virginia Tech, along with a M.Eng from the European Mining Course, completed across Finland, England, Germany, and the Netherlands. Dr. Bishop currently leads major critical minerals research efforts, including the ~$10M Expand Appalachia CORE-CM project, focused on identifying and advancing domestic critical mineral resources across the Appalachian region.
Hani Hawari is the Lead Product Manager for EVs and Sustainability at Geotab, leveraging over fifteen years of experience in defining and delivering telematics and IoT solutions to the transportation sector.
His core focus is driving the transition of fleets to electric mobility by maximizing the potential of telematics to provide actionable insights. Hani’s work helps fleets build cost-effective and smart decarbonization strategies and optimize EV operations through developing features that improve vehicle utilization, inform on battery health, and streamline charging management.
Hani holds a master’s degree in Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology from the University of Waterloo and a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University.
