JOHN THOMAS:
Founder and CEO of ALTe LLC in Plymouth, an engineering and technology company committed to leading the evolution of the automobile industry from gasoline-powered vehicles to electric technology. ALTe is the innovator and supplier of the Range Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV) powertrain system used to retrofit existing vehicles to advance their fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. Designed to replace a base V-8 internal combustion powertrain, the patented REEV system improves fuel economy from 80 to 200 percent. Thomas worked his way up in the automotive industry with 16 years in product and production engineering at the Fisher Body Division of General Motors and at Ford Powertrain, followed by 13 years of increasing responsibility at major Tier 1 automotive suppliers and OEMs. His roles spanned program management, sales and marketing, and operations, culminating in vice president and general manager of Collins & Aikman Specialty Products Group, director of special projects for Magna Steyr, and general manager of Tesla Motors for three years prior to founding ALTe in 2008. Thomas presented at the 2008 SAE Ride & Drive event and was a panelist at the SAE Convergence Conference, where he shared the perspective of a startup electric OEM as it relates to disruptive business models. He has also addressed the U.S. Senate about clean energy jobs and how innovative entrepreneurial companies can participate in the shift of the mobility industry to the electrification of vehicles – and the infrastructure needed to support it – benefitting the economy and the environment in the process. Thomas has bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and business administration from Lawrence Technological University and an MBA from Eastern Michigan University.
