Sarah Cardinali is the acting group manager for the Technical Assistance for Clean Transportation group. In this capacity, she leads overall task and resource management for transportation deployment technical assistance work, including technical assistance activities specific to alternative fuel and vehicle deployment for the Joint Office of Energy & Transportation, DOE Vehicle Technology Office (VTO), Clean Cities Coalitions, Federal Transit Administration, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Cardinali has prior expertise in technical assistance for alternate fuel/vehicle deployment, strategic planning, product safety and risk management, business development, and government and industry partnerships. Prior to joining NREL in 2021, she worked for Nissan North America, Inc., focusing on vehicle engineering and product safety, as well as regulatory compliance.

Research Interests

Alternative fuels and fueling infrastructure

Alternative fuel vehicle and lithium-ion battery safety

Transportation regulatory planning and implementation

Transportation technology analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Vehicle technology integration

Transportation and mobility research

Education

M.A., Science, Technology, and Public Policy, The George Washington University

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University

Professional Experience

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

• Acting Manager, Technical Assistance for Clean Transportation (TACT) (2023–present)
• Senior Transportation Program Manager (2021–present)

Nissan North America, Inc.

• Senior Product Safety Manager (2014–2021)
• Product Safety Manager (2011–2014)
• Regulatory Compliance and Corporate Planning Program Manager (2009–2011)
• Safety & Intelligent Transportation Systems Senior Engineer (2007–2009)
• Intelligent Transportation Systems Project Engineer (2005–2007)

Assistant Program Manager, United States Air Force (2003–2005)

Brake Development Engineer, General Motors (2002–2003)