Energy storage and advanced materials company Nanoramic said it added former General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner and R&D leader Larry Burns to its advisory board.
Nanoramic said Wednesday that the pair was brought on to help the company revolutionize the lithium ion battery market with its specific type of electrode technology, Neocarbonix. The company says Neocarbonix can help electric vehicle battery manufacturers reduce costs by 20 percent and boost energy density to 30 percent.
Wagoner, whose career at GM spanned 32 years, was chairman and CEO of the company until he was forced out during its bankruptcy and U.S. government bailout in 2009. Burns worked as GM’s corporate vice president of R&D from 1998 to 2009. In that role, he presided over advanced technology development, product portfolio and strategic planning.
“Both Rick Wagoner and Larry Burns have vast experience across the EV and transportation sectors, as well as with lithium-ion energy storage systems and strategic planning,” Nanoramic CEO Eric Kish said in a news release. “They will play a key role in driving the adoption of Neocarbonix and providing EVs with superior energy recovery, charge time, acceleration, braking and performance in extreme environments.”
Both executives have actively advised and invested in other companies, including automotive startups. Wagoner is chairman of Invesco, an investment management company headquartered in Atlanta. He is a board member of ChargePoint Inc., Excelitas Technologies and Graham Holdings.
Wagoner previously invested in YourMechanic, a startup offering mobile vehicle service and repairs.
“I am a big supporter of the auto industry’s move to EVs and believe the technology that Nanoramic has developed can play a significant role in supporting that direction by offering smart ways to reduce battery cost and improve quality and reliability,” Wagoner said in the statement.
Burns advises Kitson & Partners, Goodyear and Niron Magnetics and was a consultant to Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous driving unit. He was also a professor of engineering practice at the University of Michigan and directed a Columbia University program on sustainable mobility.
“Combined with strong leadership and a focused strategy, [Nanoramic] is transforming energy storage and thermo-material technologies,” Burns said in the statement. “I am looking forward to helping this exciting company realize its full commercial potential.”
