FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Background, expertise, what Tim works on, and how to get in touch. If your question is not here, email Tim.
- Who is Tim Sasseen?
- Tim Sasseen is a clean energy executive with 29 years of experience scaling hydrogen fuel cells, wind power, microgrids, and energy storage from concept to commercial deployment. He currently advises American Honda Motor Company on hydrogen power generation strategy. He previously served as Director of North American Market Development at Ballard Power Systems, where he helped grow the U.S. fuel cell bus market from roughly 4 vehicles per year to more than 200.
- What does Tim Sasseen do?
- Tim helps clean energy hardware get adopted in the real world. That means market development, government grant strategy, regulatory testimony, and the cross-organizational work between OEMs, transit agencies, utilities, regulators, and fuel providers. He focuses on hydrogen mobility, microgrids, and energy storage.
- Where is Tim Sasseen based?
- Tim spends his time in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, California, and he continues to have the home he built in Ojochal, Costa Rica. He is originally from the Midwest and loves that region, visiting frequently.
- What is Tim's background and education?
- Tim holds an MSEE from Michigan Technological University and an MBA from the UC San Diego Rady School of Business. His career started in wind turbine controls and structural design at Southwest Windpower and Clipper Windpower, expanded into microgrids and storage at CleanSpark and the Center for Sustainable Energy, and then into hydrogen at Ballard Power Systems and now Honda.
- How much grant funding has Tim helped win?
- Tim has authored or led winning proposals across CEC, CARB, DOE, and OCED programs totaling over 16 million dollars in awarded clean energy grants, plus participation in larger consortium awards for hydrogen hubs and transit deployments.
- Does Tim Sasseen speak at conferences?
- Yes. Tim delivers keynotes and technical talks at industry conferences, corporate events, and government forums. Recent stages include APTA, Hydrogen Americas Summit, VerdeXchange Green Hydrogen Forum, Zero Emission Bus Conference, the California Senate Transportation Committee, and the U.S. Treasury Department. Speaker requests go through the Speaking page.
- What topics does Tim cover?
- Scaling clean energy hardware from pilot to commercial deployment, the real barriers to hydrogen adoption, how to win clean energy government grants, why clean energy startups fail, and the role of AI and systems thinking in sustainable infrastructure. Full topic descriptions are on the Speaking page.
- Has Tim testified on energy policy?
- Yes. Tim has testified to the U.S. Treasury Department on the federal 45V hydrogen production tax credit, to the California Senate Energy Utilities and Communications Committee on hydrogen distribution (SB 662), and to the California Air Resources Board on the Innovative Clean Transit Rule. Recordings and links are on the Press page.
- Did Tim write a book?
- Yes. Evolving Energy: Redefining Innovation in Sustainable Energy Through AI, Flow State Governance, and Natural Principles is an Amazon Best-Seller. It explores how systems thinking and AI reshape how we design, fund, and govern clean energy infrastructure.
- What does Tim think about hydrogen versus batteries?
- Tim's position is that this is the wrong framing. Batteries dominate short-duration, light-duty, predictable-route applications. Hydrogen fits heavy-duty, long-duration, range-constrained, and back-to-back duty cycles where battery weight and recharge time break the business case. Most fleets need a portfolio of both. There is more on this in the Insights section.
- Is Tim available for consulting or advisory work?
- Tim takes on a small number of advisory engagements per year, focused on clean energy startups, transit operators, OEMs, and investors who need help getting hardware to commercial scale. Send a note through the Contact page with the problem you are working on.
- How can I contact Tim Sasseen?
- Use the Contact page or the Email Tim link in the footer. Tim typically replies within two business days.
Still have a question?
Send a note and Tim will get back to you within two business days.
Get in touch