Sitting in the driver’s seat comes naturally to Ron Graves, the recently retired head of ORNL’s Sustainable Transportation Program.
Graves has logged more than 100 days on national racetracks such as Daytona, Road Atlanta and Pocono and routinely reaches speeds of 175 mph in high-performance driving events. He jokes that it is not the speed that is dangerous at these events, but the “sudden stops.”
His early race track skills were developed in a DeTomaso Pantera that he restored, rebuilding the engine, transmission, brakes and updating the original pumpkin orange paint to a shiny red.
“Learning to drive fast in a car with bad brakes and diabolical handling has advantages in the long run,” said Ron, whose passion for cars has been a hobby and a career.
“Being a gearhead has enhanced networking with automotive executives and technology leaders over the years,” Ron said. “Most of the leadership is car people.”
During his 39 years at ORNL, Graves worked closely with vehicle experts from across the industry through R&D partnerships and by personally serving on technical teams, working groups and committees for DOE and other professional transportation organizations. He was the first ORNL staff member elected as a fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers International and has a slew of honors to his credit from DOE and organizations such as the Tennessee Automotive Manufacturers Association, which recently inducted him into its hall of fame for his positive impact on the state’s automotive industry.
ORNL twice contributed to the implementation of national clean fuel regulations and helped make non-sulfur “clean diesel” a reality, saving hundreds of millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions and virtually eliminating pollutants from diesel exhaust. His teams developed award-winning research instruments that industry cited as helping tune engine combustion in ways not thought possible and gave new insights on emission control chemistry.
As Sustainable Transportation Program director, Ron implemented expanded uses of ORNL big science tools to vehicle technology barriers along with new work for the Department of Transportation in transportation cyber security and battery safety, helping materials researchers’ innovations continue to have an impact on millions of vehicles. Before ORNL established the National Transportation Research Center in West Knox County, Ron made the quiet suggestion to leadership 40 years ago that ORNL could contribute in addressing the transportation-related national challenges of petroleum dependence and declining air quality.
Though he tends to downplay his pivotal role, Ron was a key driver behind the creation of ORNL’s engines and emissions research capabilities as well as the growth of its $65 million dollar Sustainable Transportation Program.
