Speakers

Dr. Jan Swart

Dr. Jan Swart is a Principal in Exponent’s Automotive Engineering Practice, and is an internationally recognized Lithium-ion battery expert. He applies engineering and science principals in the analysis, investigation, and understanding of Lithium-ion battery system design, safety, and failures. Dr. Swart specializes in battery systems for consumer products, the telecommunication industry, home micro-BESS systems, utility grid BESS systems, eMobility, and transportation applications.

Ruben Gameros-Ramos

While in the Vehicle Engineering practice at Exponent Mr. Gameros-Ramos has been extensively involved in the planning and execution of battery tests at the pack, module, and cell level for a range of clients in the battery space. Using his background in robotics and rapid prototyping Mr. Gameros-Ramos has been able to develop custom testing to meet industry needs for assessments and in support of technology development. In addition to work in the battery space, Mr. Gameros-Ramos also supports robotics efforts across industry and government.

Deshan Naidoo

Deshan is a multidisciplinary executive with 12 years’ experience in Manufacturing & Finance.

He holds qualifications from University of Cape Town and Wits Business School, complemented by executive certificates in advanced valuation, entrepreneurship, and corporate governance from Erasmus University Rotterdam, Harvard Business School, and INSEAD, respectively. Internationally recognized as a certified Director through IDP-C from INSEAD, Deshan has achieved significant milestones as the youngest board member in the South African financial services and automotive industries, amassing over 8 years of board-level experience at the age of 35.

Beyond his executive roles, Deshan has advised the South African government on fostering local export businesses and has contributed to some of the country’s industry masterplans. He also served as regional Chairman and board member of the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM), from 2017 – 2023. His achievements have garnered prestigious recognition, including the South African Youth Industrialist and Exporter of the Year in 2022, presented by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

With a global business network and multicultural exposure, Deshan excels in intercultural management and leadership. He is deeply committed to continuous learning and is passionate about the convergence of technology, finance, leadership development, and digital transformation.

Deshan’s comprehensive skill set, demonstrated leadership abilities, strategic vision, and efficient execution make him a versatile and accomplished professional in the business arena.

Deshan’s latest venture is developing afrivolt™, Africa’s first gigafactory.

Dr. Michael Cundy

Dr. Cundy is a licensed Mechanical Engineer with over seventeen years of engineering experience, including more than eleven years consulting in failure analysis and hazard analysis areas involving complex mechanical and electrical systems. He is often hired to provide analysis in the fields of combustion, fire science, heat transfer, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics in events such as the investigation of fires, explosions, carbon monoxide exposures, and water or fluid losses.

His projects span a variety of industries including transportation, oil & gas, industrial facilities and equipment, and commercial and residential building systems, including heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), and refrigeration equipment. He is a Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator, and a Certified Fire Protection Specialist. He has worked in areas of product development, third-party validation, product safety, and in academia.

Dr. Cundy has performed fire cause and origin investigations involving on-road and off-road vehicles; electric and hybrid vehicles; specialty vehicles such as forklifts, snow groomers, street sweepers, recreational vehicles, boats, and e-bikes; a variety of structures such as houses, warehouses, and commercial facilities (e.g. commercial kitchens); at industrial facilities such as oil refineries and hydraulic fracturing well pads; with industrial equipment, including boilers; with fuel-gas systems, including propane tanks, and in other areas. He has also investigated multiple thermal events involving grid-scale lithium ion battery energy storage systems (BESS), as well as the design of BESS modules. As part of his investigations and hazard analysis work, he has designed and carried out hundreds of fire and explosion tests. Dr. Cundy has also performed carbon monoxide exposure investigations involving vehicles and structures, with combustion equipment including internal combustion engines and fuel-fired appliances. He has also investigated water loss claims involving appliance design issues, installation issues, and malfunctioning equipment in plastic and metal systems, including in fire suppression systems.

Dr. Cundy currently holds a Faculty Associate position at Arizona State University in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, where he teaches a Failure Analysis & Prevention Course. Additionally, Dr. Cundy was awarded a contract to research and develop a training program to assist 1st and 2nd responders in responding to electric vehicle and fuel cell vehicle collisions.
His research and testing activities are broad and include the design, construction, and utilization of a large-scale oxygen depletion calorimeter to measure heat release rates and total heat release from large format lithium ion battery cells, flammable refrigerant testing, electrical short circuit testing, explosion testing of gas and electrical appliances, failing airbag inflators, and heat transfer testing in clothing, among other activities.

Prior to founding Inception Forensic Engineering, Dr. Cundy was a consultant at Exponent, Inc. He joined Exponent following his work at the University of Michigan as a Research Assistant in the Quantitative Laser Diagnostics Laboratory in the Walter E. Lay Automotive Laboratory, where he designed and applied various novel laser-based spectroscopy and optical measurement systems to study combustion in internal combustion engines. His work included designing and applying temperature field diagnostics, based on laser-induced fluorescence, to evaluate heat transfer from hot gases to the engine block; utilizing particle-image velocimetry to study flow patterns in engines; and designing and applying fuel concentration diagnostics to study combustion stability, including misfires and partial burns, in an advanced internal combustion engine. While at the University of Michigan, Dr. Cundy was also an instructor for a laboratory course that focused on experimental data collection, analysis, data presentation, and error analysis.

Prior to his work at the University of Michigan, Dr. Cundy designed and constructed a laser micromachining system at the Medical University of South Carolina to manufacture microfluidic devices for use in proteomics research. He also performed fluid mechanics research in a wind tunnel in the Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics Laboratory at The Ohio State University. He worked on a project funded by the U.S. Air Force, where he designed a laser diagnostic tool to measure density fluctuations induced by a magnetohydrodynamic force in the boundary layer of a supersonic flow.

Jody Leber

International Compliance Professional offering 35 years of experience in the E & E sector. Specialties include Battery, Electromagnetic Interference, Electromagnetic Compatibility, Environmental Simulation, Product Safety and Renewable Energy. Extensive knowledge in all aspects of E & E laboratory management, operations and market expansion.

COMMITTEES

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION (IEC) TECHNICAL COMMITTEES

SC 21A Secondary cells and batteries containing alkaline or other non-acid electrolytes

Working Group 5 Convenor
US TAG Technical Advisor

TC 21 Secondary cells and batteries

US TAG Technical Advisor

TC 35 Primary cells and batteries
TC 120 Electrical Energy Storage (EES) systems

INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS (IEEE) POWER ENGINEERING SOCIETY (PES)

Energy Storage and Stationary Battery Committee (ESSB)

NATIONAL ELECTRICAL MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION (NEMA) TECHNICAL COMMITTEES

C18 Committee on Portable Cells & Batteries

Chair SC 2 Portable Rechargeable Batteries
Chair SC 7 Safety of Secondary Batteries

NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION (NFPA) TECHNICAL COMMITTEES

NFPA 855 Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems

UNDERWRITERS LABORATORY (UL) TECHNICAL COMMITTEES

TC 1642

UL 1642 Lithium Batteries
UL 2054 Household and Commercial Batteries
UL 60086-4 Safety for Primary Batteries – Part 4: Safety of Lithium Batteries
UL 62133-X Secondary Cells and Batteries Containing Alkaline or Other Non-Acid Electrolytes – Safety Requirements for Portable Sealed Secondary Cells, and for Batteries Made from Them, for Use in Portable Applications

TC 1741

UL 1741 Inverters, Converters, Controllers and Interconnection System Equipment for Use With Distributed Energy Resources
UL 62093 Balance-of-System Components for Photovoltaic Systems – Design Qualification Natural Environments
UL 62109-1 Safety of power converters for use in photovoltaic power systems – Part 1: General requirements
UL 62109-2 Safety of power converters for use in photovoltaic power systems – Part 2: Particular requirements for inverters
UL 62109-3 Safety of power converters for use in photovoltaic power systems – Part 3: Particular requirements for electronic devices in combination with photovoltaic elements
UL 63112 Photovoltaic (PV) arrays – Earth fault protection equipment – Safety and safety-related functionality

TC 1778

UL 1778 Uninterruptible Power Systems
UL 62040-1 Uninterruptible power systems (UPS) – Part 1: Safety requirements
UL 62477-1 Safety requirements for power electronic converter systems and equipment – Part 1: General

TC 1973

UL 1973 Batteries for Use in Stationary and Motive Auxiliary Power Applications
UL 1989 Standby Batteries

TC 1974 Evaluation for Repurposing Batteries

TC 2272 Electrical Systems for Personal E-Mobility Devices

TC 2580

UL 2271 Batteries for Use In Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) Applications
UL 2580 Batteries for Use in Electric Vehicles

TC 2595 General Requirements for Battery-Powered Appliances

TC 2743 Portable Power Packs

TC 2849 Electrical Systems for eBikes

TC 3030 Unmanned Aircraft Systems

TC 4200A Products Incorporating Button Cell Batteries of Lithium and Similar Technologies

TC 9540

UL 9540 Energy Storage Systems and Equipment
UL 9540A Test Method for Evaluating Thermal Runaway Fire Propagation in Battery Energy Storage Systems

SOCIETY OF AUTOMOBILE ENGINEERS (SAE) COMMITTEES

Battery Materials Testing Committee
Battery Safety Standards Testing Committee
Battery Standards Testing Committee
Battery Standards Truck Battery Committee
Battery Transportation Committee
Bus Battery Committee
G-27 Lithium Battery Packaging Performance