The Fleet Forward Conference, taking place Nov. 10-12 at the Hayes Mansion in San Jose, announced its closing keynote and complete agenda.

The closing keynote will be delivered by Steve Hornyak, chief revenue officer of BrightDrop, General Motors’ new business unit that offers electric vehicles and products, software, and services for delivery and logistics companies.

In “Fleet Electrification Challenges & Opportunities,” convening on Friday, Nov. 12, at 3:30 p.m., Hornyak will discuss the significant planning, policy, and infrastructure challenges to fleet electrification and how major corporations in the transportation and logistics manage electric vehicle fleets at scale.

Hornyak is responsible for developing BrightDrop’s sales and marketing strategy. Before joining BrightDrop, he was chief commercial officer at Fabric, helping clients improve their logistics with automated micro-fulfillment centers.

“We’re delighted to have Steve deliver the closing keynote,” said Chris Brown, conference chair. “And we’re excited to learn more about BrightDrop’s vision for electrification in the delivery and logistics space.”

Innovation in Motion

BrightDrop will also display its electric light commercial van, the EV600, and its EP1 electric pallet as part of Innovation in Motion, a vehicle ride-and-drive and technology demo showcase.

Innovation in Motion, which starts Thursday at 11:30 a.m., features Ride-and-Drive Opportunities with electric vehicles from Volvo, Polestar, Roush CleanTech, Lightning eMotors, Chevrolet, XL Fleet, and Club Car.

In addition to BrightDrop, displays and demonstrations include Beam’s EV ARC 2020 Sustainable EV Charging Unit, Waymo Via’s Class 8 Peterbilt-based autonomous tractor, Ford F-150 Lightning and accessories, Ford e-Transit van, ELMS Urban Delivery Van and Utility Truck, and Spiffy Combo van.

Conference Agenda

The conference kicks off with a cocktail reception on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 5:00 p.m. In addition to the cocktail reception, attendees have ample opportunity to network over two breakfasts, two lunches, an opening reception, and three coffee breaks.

“The agenda for this year’s Fleet Forward Conference offers a ‘balanced diet’ of big-picture vision and on-the-ground solutions fleets can deploy tomorrow and the near future,” Brown said.

“This year, we have a greater focus on the market of electric commercial vehicles, as that market has grown. But we also have insights and expertise to share around how to use data to fleet EVs, the migration to OEM-sourced data, electrification infrastructure, the evolution of the autonomous trucking market, and forward-thinking solutions to the supply chain crisis.”