2018 Top 40 Under 40: Brydon Owen, B.Sc. (EE), MASc (EE), P.Eng.

• One word to describe yourself: Determined
• Alma mater: University of Manitoba
• Favorite book: "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking
• Favorite TV show: "Community"
• Favorite movie: "Plan 9 from Outer Space"
• Favorite hobby(ies): Golfing, wine-making, fishing, boating, free time with my son and daughter
• Fun fact about yourself:When I was in elementary school, I once tried to build a radio set that would let me talk to extraterrestrials.
• Favorite station or stop that you have ever visited or frequent (and why): Union Station in Toronto because it was a great hub for trains/buses/subways and all of the major sports teams during my time living in the city.
• Favorite route you have ever ridden or frequent (and why): Route 75 Winnipeg Transit, because as a teenager this was the my regular ride to school and the best way to get nearby to where most of my friends lived.

It was an internship program with New Flyer during his junior year at the University of Manitoba that launched Brydon Owen’s career. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in engineering from Manitoba and a Master of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Toronto before returning to New Flyer.

During his tenure at New Flyer, he has improved and developed many fundamental electronic components for traditional buses by simplifying design while increasing reliability, and worked to innovate and perfect New Flyer’s first battery-electric bus, first launched in 2012.

Before joining the New Flyer leadership team, he worked in New Flyer Production Engineering as a project engineer. Here, he was responsible for leading technical efforts to develop 20 hydrogen fuel cell buses for BC Transit prior to the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. This fleet converted hydrogen on board to an electric energy source to recharge batteries and ultimately power an electric drive motor. The buses made history as the largest fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses in the world and the program provided valuable takeaways and ultimately laid the foundation for New Flyer’s current battery-electric, zero-emission bus programs.

During the development of New Flyer’s purely battery-electric bus, owen lead efforts to design both the original battery controller software and New Flyer’s original proprietary electric bus charging equipment, which he currently holds a patent for.

Owen’s contributions to transit sustainability extend beyond New Flyer and his work in charging has developed new, agreed-upon standards that make fleet electrification achievable and practical as long-term investments. He helped innovate the Society of Automotive Engineers charging standards for interoperability among transit buses, an effort that extends to an international platform. He kicked off the original discussions and was a founding member of the SAE J3105, J3068 and J2594 committees. Today, he continues to participate in regular meetings with the goal of providing standard, interoperable charging assets for transit authorities to use for years to come, regardless of the OEM or charging equipment suppliers.

He was directly involved in New Flyer’s original electric bus safety assessments and currently participates on the SAE J3125 committee for high-voltage battery safety development. Currently, Owen is leading efforts to develop a multi-year technology roadmap for the future architecture of our transit vehicles, ensuring that New Flyer not only drives zero-emission propulsion implementation, but also provides innovation in electric system architecture and design, the autonomy of transit vehicles, and continued modernization of connected vehicles all while providing even more advanced diagnostics that incorporate predictive maintenance planning.

Owen worked with stakeholders to create a detailed training course for New Flyer’s Vehicle Innovation Center, which opened in October 2017. Since that time, 282 people have attended and received electric bus training. As battery-electric technology acceptance grows, the need for high-voltage and chemical safety escalates.

Owen is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Manitoba (APEGM), The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Through these memberships, he often volunteers for various promotions and high-school outreach programs and has also mentored dozens of engineers-in-training as they work toward obtaining their professional engineering designations.

“No question, a huge factor that helped launch my career at New Flyer was their exceptional internship program which gave me a fantastic opportunity to learn about the company and the industry at large while still in university. I believe that on-going involvement between our industry and academic institutions is key to ensuring our long-term growth and success.”

“[The achievement I'm most proud of is] the launch of our Xcelsior Charge zero-emission platform, as we can now offer customers our latest and greatest battery/propulsion implementation as well as standardized interoperable charging solutions." 

“When it comes to working with others, always try to put yourself in their shoes and strive to understand their needs and motivations.”

“[What I like best about being a part of the transit industry is] the opportunity to lead the development of practical sustainable mass transportation that will improve the overall ridership experience of our end users.”