Photo caption: Dr. Levi Tillemann speaks at 2023 CERAWeek by S&P Global —the world’s preeminent energy conference found 1983.

Levi Tillemann, Ph. D.

Energy • Technology• Mobility • Strategy

Levi Tillemann is an energy and technology executive, strategist, entrepreneur, and author who has spent two decades helping companies, governments, and global institutions navigate technological disruption and build the markets of the future.

His career spans the executive suite, entrepreneurship, government, and international institutions—from building an advanced-technology company and leading global expansion for a Silicon Valley mobility company to advising the U.S. Department of Energy, leading an initiative at the World Economic Forum, and shaping executive conversations at CERAWeek.

Across those roles, Levi has built organizations and global coalitions, developed new markets, shaped policy and investment strategy, secured more than $50 million in public funding, and worked with senior leaders across the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Most recently: Senior Advisor, CERAWeek 2026 at S&P Global

READ LEVI'S FULL BIO HERE

AT THE INTERSECTION OF TECHNOLOGY AND TRANSFORMATION

Energy & Infrastructure

Energy transition, electricity demand, charging infrastructure and the technologies reshaping global energy systems.

Mobility & Transportation

Electric vehicles, battery technology, automotive transformation and the future of transportation.

Technology & Industrial Strategy

Artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, emerging technologies and global technological competition.

Strategy & Market Development

Commercialization, international expansion, strategic partnerships, investment and the development of new markets.

Global Policy & Geopolitics

Industrial policy, regulation, U.S.-China competition and the intersection of government, technology and markets.

SELECTED LEADERSHIP

S&P Global / CERAWeek

Senior Advisor, CERAWeek 2026

Advised on the substantive agenda for one of the world's leading energy conferences, developing executive-level discussions around electricity demand, data centers, electrification, mobility, industrial transformation and emerging technologies.

Ample

Vice President, Policy & International Outreach

Built and led the company's policy and international outreach function, aligning regulatory and government strategy with commercial deployment across the United States, Europe and Japan and securing more than $45 million in public funding.

World Economic Forum

Lead, Circular Cars Initiative

Built a coalition of more than 60 corporations, governments, research institutions and international organizations and led global work on the technological and business transformation of the automotive sector.

Valence Strategic

Founder & CEO / Senior Advisor

Advised organizations including Apple, BP, Toyota and S&P/IHS Markit on emerging technology, energy, mobility, investment and strategy.

U.S. Department of Energy

Special Advisor for Policy & International Affairs

Worked on batteries, EVs, charging infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, industrial policy and emerging energy technologies during the Obama Administration.

CURRENT & RECENT WORK

CERAWeek 2026

As Senior Advisor to CERAWeek 2026, Levi helped identify and frame emerging issues at the convergence of energy and technology and curated executive-level conversations among industry leaders, policymakers and innovators.

He moderated flagship discussions including:

The Five-Minute Challenge: Ultra-Fast Charging vs. Battery Swapping

Data Sharing and Industrial AI: Reuse at Scale

His recent analysis has examined data-center electricity demand, EV infrastructure and the implications of rapidly changing technology for energy systems.

SELECTED SPEAKING TOPICS

Levi brings two decades of experience in energy, technology and global markets to conversations with executives, policymakers, investors and technical leaders.

  • The Future of Energy & Electricity Demand
  • AI, Data Centers & Industrial Transformation
  • Electric Mobility & Transportation
  • Technology, Markets & Geopolitics
  • China, Industrial Strategy & Global Competition
  • From Emerging Technology to Commercial Scale

AUTHOR

The Great Race

The Global Quest for the Car of the Future


Long before electric vehicles became central to global industrial strategy, Levi Tillemann spent years researching the technological and geopolitical competition to reinvent the automobile.

The Great Race (Simon & Schuster, 2015) traces the century-long struggle among the United States, China and Japan for leadership in automotive technology and examines how entrepreneurship, government policy and industrial strategy shape technological change.


Levi's acclaimed book examines how technology, industrial strategy

and national competition have shaped the global race to reinvent the automobile.


Browse the Table of Contents via Google Books

EDITORIAL REVIEWS

Praise for The Great Race

Below are some reviews of Levi's book:

"The Great Race captures the drama of a global competition for markets and new technology that is changing the auto industry and indeed the world in which we all live. It is a gripping read that takes us inside critical decisions in China and Japan and the United States. Tillemann’s experience as a tech entrepreneur focused on cars, his skill as a linguist (he is fluent in Chinese and Japanese), and his expertise on energy policy enable him to bring unique insights. The result is an epochal saga of leadership, money, power, global competition and innovation; and Tillemann tells it all superbly. Whether your "thing” is the clash of nations or the battle for global markets -- or how fast you can get from zero to 60 -- you’ll like The Great Race a lot. Indeed, you will race through it!"

― Daniel Yergin, author of The Quest and the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Prize

"Mr Tillemann, an energy expert, writes about the car guys with the grasp of an insider. This seems to have been gained from founding a company which tried to bring a low-emission car engine to market and by the rigour of having led negotiations with Detroit. Fluent in Chinese and Japanese, he is able to take the adventure to the heart of the world’s other automotive powers.” ― Economist

"It is simply the best book out there on not just electric vehicles, but the complicated nexus between innovation, energy security and smart energy policy for the 21st century." ―Robbie Diamond, Founder and CEO, Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE)

OTHER WRITINGS

Selected Works

Levi Tillemann regularly contributes analysis on clean energy, electric vehicles and automotive policy. His writing has appeared in WIRED, The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, to name a few. Below are some of Levi's featured writings.

(Editor and Lead Contributor, Levi Tillemann)

(Lead Author, Levi Tillemann)

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Media & Speaking Engagements

Levi Tillemann is frequently invited to speak at conferences, briefings and private meetings and has appeared on various media platforms to provide thoughtful analysis on automotive policy. Check out some of his highlights below:


GET IN TOUCH

Contact &

Feedback

Levi is available for select keynote addresses, executive conversations, panel moderation, advisory and private briefings on energy, technology, mobility, industrial transformation and global markets.