our team

Çağkan is a trusted engineer and technical leader with over 15 years of experience, forged in the crucible of innovation in battery systems and manufacturing for the automotive and energy sectors. His career has been one long adventure of turning complex challenges into cleaner, more efficient solutions for commercial vehicles.

A proud Boilermaker with both a Bachelor's and Master's in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, Çağkan started his career at Cummins Inc., where he spent 10 years in controls and diagnostics, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality, where he earned Six Sigma black belt certification. As battery technology became viable for commercial vehicles, Çağkan led the development of Cummins' first lithium-ion battery systems,  pioneering the company’s initial efforts in the electrified vehicle space.

Çağkan then joined Sila Nanotechnologies, where he was the program lead and critical part of the technical team developing next-generation silicon anode particles, which can be produced in large quantities with automotive quality. Çağkan‘s efforts focused on leading Sila’s efforts to evolve from a deep science company to an automotive scale manufacturer.

In 2022, Çağkan joined Proterra Powered, to scale its battery platform and develop its next generation technology. As Director of Engineering for Battery Systems, he tackled the challenges integrating Proterra’s battery systems into 25 vehicle platforms - from buses to big semis. Of his many accomplishments at Proterra Powered, which include launching three battery platforms and a 2.5GWh Gigafactory in South Carolina, the one he is most proud of is the amazing team he had the privilege to build, lead and serve.

As Chief Technology Officer at Estes, Çağkan is leading the engineering team to create a next generation electrification systems to continue to propel the commercial vehicle market toward a cleaner and more efficient future. Outside of work, he and his wife enjoy ceramics, movies and travels. When not nerding out over stoicism principles or first principles thinking, Çağkan can be found grilling at family cookouts, scaling rocks, competing in triathlons, traveling in the Mediterranean or getting lost in Jules Verne classics.

Connect with Çağkan on LinkedIn