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Dustin is a seasoned leader and innovator in the field of electric mobility, with over two decades of experience driving decarbonization efforts across the automotive and heavy-duty transportation sectors. Dustin’s career is marked by 18 patents, his dedication to advancing the state-of-the-art in electrification, his ability to build and scale organizations, and his commitment to decarbonizing all corners of the transportation industry. 

A graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder (BSME, 2003), Dustin began his career in design at Honda R&D in Columbus, Ohio, with a focus on interior safety systems, human factors, and eventually studio engineering in Los Angeles. In 2007, Dustin relocated to the Bay Area to join Tesla Motors, shifting focus to the emerging field of electric vehicles. As a key member of Tesla’s powertrain engineering team, he was instrumental in the development of the electric drivetrain and battery systems for the groundbreaking 2008 Tesla Roadster. Over the next several years, Dustin played a crucial role in the design and scaling of battery technology for Tesla’s flagship Model S/X platform, as well as into investor-partner platforms with Daimler and Toyota. His final project with Tesla was to define the battery architecture for the Model 3 platform, a breakout product which helped solidify Tesla as the global leader in electrification.

In 2015, after nearly nine years at Tesla, Dustin took on a new challenge joining the leading manufacturer of electric transit buses, Proterra. The opportunity for technology transfer from passenger cars to the heavy-duty vehicle category was readily apparent. Stepping in to found and architect Proterra’s battery engineering organization, he built a world-class team, laboratory, and product platform from scratch. His leadership and vision were pivotal in the launch of Proterra Powered, a business unit dedicated to providing battery technology to commercial vehicle manufacturers around the world. During his time at Proterra, Dustin held various leadership roles, culminating in his appointment as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) from 2020 to 2024. As CTO, he oversaw the expansion of Proterra’s electrification efforts, supporting 14 global customers and integrating battery technology into 25 different commercial vehicle platforms, while also taking the company public in 2021. During this period his team developed and launched three battery pack manufacturing facilities, including a ‘gigafactory’ in South Carolina which continues to scale today under Volvo Group ownership.

In 2024, Dustin transitioned to the role of co-founder and CEO of Estes to further advance the decarbonization potential of the mobility sector. His focus has again shifted, now to the development and novel materials, architectures, and processes which push the boundaries of electrification industrialization. Dustin often repeats the adage “complex is easy, simple is hard”, to lead his organization towards the cost and performance improvements which will unlock the ‘early majority’ era of electrification.

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