Episode 3 of FISITA's Beyond the Car podcast features a conversation with Pierre Millette, the Chief Technology Officer of ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.

ACEA is headquartered in Brussels, directly opposite the city's famous Berlaymont building, the home of the European Commission (EC), the executive branch of the European Union (EU).

We talked about the role of ACEA, and how it represents its members in discussions with European regulators, and on the world stage. We looked at the challenges currently facing automakers in general, and the European industry in particular. As the title suggests, we discussed at length the potential for a new small vehicle category and how that would be achieved in Europe as well as in other markets. And we chatted about challenges in the European and global automotive supply chains, the semiconductor crisis, and the evolution of the European automotive industry.

ACEA represents 16 car, truck, van and bus companies with manufacturing operations in Europe: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Renault Group, Stellantis, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.

You can learn more about the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association at www.acea.auto.

About the guest

Pierre-Olivier Millette is the Chief Technology Officer of ACEA. Connect with Pierre on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pomillette

You can listen to FISITA's 'Beyond the Car' podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

For more information about FISITA, head to FISITA.com - and to learn more about the 'Beyond the Car' podcast, you can contact us at info@fisita.com.

Thank you to Martyn Strong for production.

Parking is, for most drivers, one of the most mundane and frustrating aspects of driving. But it's also one of the most complex challenges in urban mobility - one that reaches deep into issues that include public transportation, urban design, business models, technology, and sustainability.

In this episode, we discuss the business and technology of parking with Lukas Neckermann, Co-Founder of the Urban Places Lab, and Managing Director of Neckermann Strategic Advisors, and Jonny Combe, President and CEO of PayByPhone.

We look at the technologies that have been developed to address the challenges of finding parking, paying for parking, and what else you can do with a parked car, as well as alternatives to parking, the future of connected car services, and the evolution of digital payment services.

Episode guests

Jonny Combe, President and CEO of PayByPhone

Learn more at paybyphone.com and connect with Jonny on LinkedIn

Lukas Neckermann, Co-Founder of the Urban Places Lab, and the Managing Director of Neckermann Strategic Advisors

Find out more at neckermann.net and connect with Lukas on LinkedIn

Links

Dynamic parking availability information in Paris:

Have We Helped Solved Parking’s Biggest Problem?

The Urban Places Lab White paper mentioned by Lukas (published in German):

"Parkflächen im Umbruch – Lösungen für den Einzelhandel"

Whitepaper Parkflächen - Urban Places Lab

You can listen to FISITA's 'Beyond the Car' podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

For more information about FISITA, head to FISITA.com - and to learn more about the 'Beyond the Car' podcast, you can contact us at info@fisita.com.

Thank you to Martyn Strong for production.

FISITA is the global alliance for automotive engineers and engineering leaders, led by the FISITA President.

In 2025, the two-year rolling presidency of FISITA was passed from Mike Anderson to ChangHwan Kim.

Mike is Vice President Global Battery & Propulsion Engineering at General Motors, and ChangHwan is Executive Vice President, and Head of Battery and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Development at Hyundai Motor Company.

As well as discussing their current corporate responsibilities, we talked at length about FISITA—what it means to them, Mike's reflections on his Presidency from 2023 to 2025, and how ChangHwan aims to lead the organisation during his tenure that runs from 2025 to 2027.

We discussed the role of FISITA, the important work it does in bringing engineers together in the pre-competitive space, and the evolution of the organisation.

This episode of Beyond the Car was recorded on the sidelines of the 2025 FISITA World Mobility Conference, so there are some gentle background atmospherics thanks to the buzz of the event that was going on around us.

I'd like to thank Mike and ChangHwan for being on the podcast. It’s not often that we get two FISITA presidents in the same room, so we’re delighted that this episode came together as it did.

About the guests

Mike Anderson, Vice President Global Battery & Propulsion Engineering at General Motors

linkedin.com/in/mike-anderson-a5040311

ChangHwan Kim, Executive Vice President, and Head of Battery and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Development at Hyundai Motor Company

linkedin.com/in/chang-hwan-kim-3b992b16

To learn more about FISITA, go to fisita.com

You can listen to FISITA's 'Beyond the Car' podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

For more information about FISITA, head to FISITA.com - and to learn more about the 'Beyond the Car' podcast, you can contact us at info@fisita.com.

Thank you to Martyn Strong for production.