PPG has announced that members of its leadership team will participate in panel discussions covering autonomous and electric vehicle technologies during the 2018 Automobili-D exposition and conference, Jan. 14-20 at Cobo Center in Detroit.

Held in conjunction with the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), Automobili-D is a global forum for mobility-focused companies, organizations and thought leaders.

David Bem, PPG Vice-President of science and technology and chief technology officer, will take part in a discussion titled “Formation of the Autonomous Drive Industry” on Wednesday, Jan. 17, from 12:30-1:15 p.m. Bem will discuss the important functional roles of coatings that will be used on interior and exterior surfaces of autonomous vehicles.

Joining Bem on the panel will be Samit Ghosh, CEO and president of P3 North America; David Silver, head of self-driving car development for Udacity; and Geoffrey Wood, director of business development, North America, for Harman. The discussion will be moderated by Ed Olson, co-founder and CEO of May Mobility.