GM Propulsion Exec Gets SAE Engineering Innovation Award

SAE International has selected Larry Nitz, who heads General Motors Co.’s global transmission and electrification activities, as the winner of this year’s Edward N. Cole Award for Automotive Engineering Innovation.

The award will be presented in April during the SAE 2016 World Congress in Detroit.

Nitz currently oversees all of GM’s automatic and manual transmissions and electrified propulsion systems. He has 44 U.S. patents and four GM Boss Kettering Awards for engineering innovation.

During his nearly 40-year career with GM, Nitz has worked on gasoline engines, manual and automatic transmissions, propulsion and vehicle controls, and hybrid and electric systems. His accomplishments include leading the development of clutch-to-clutch transmission controls for passenger and commercial vehicles.

He also led the development of the plug-in hybrid propulsion system for the Chevrolet Volt car and the teams that developed the GM Allison parallel-hybrid system for urban buses and GM’s two-mode hybrid for fullsize trucks. His team also developed the powertrain for the Chevrolet Spark electric vehicle and upcoming Chevrolet Bolt EV.

Established in 1978, the Edward N. Cole Award for Automotive Engineering Innovation recognizes an SAE member for lifetime achievements or a significant individual accomplishment in automotive engineering. It is named after former GM president Ed Cole.