Executive Director, Group Global Functional Leader - Electrical Systems

Micky Bly is Executive Director, Group Global Functional Leader of Vehicle Engineering’s Electrical Systems, Hybrids, Electric Vehicles and Batteries for General Motors. Named to this position in June of 2010, Bly oversees the company’s design and development of traditional electrical and infotainment systems, OnStar engineering, hybrid and electric vehicles, which includes the Chevrolet Volt’s vehicle integration and advanced battery development.

Previously, he was executive director of Engine Hardware Analysis, Design, Development and Validation.

From 2006-2008, Bly was director of Global Hybrid Integration and Controls. He oversaw the teams responsible for the production and development of GM’s multiple hybrid vehicles, and contributed to the integration work on the Volt. Bly’s team of engineers made sure all of the components – from the engine, transmission, brakes and batteries, to the controllers and software – came together seamlessly. He is particularly proud of the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, which was named Green Car Journal’s “Green Car of the Year.”

Bly joined GM as a student intern in 1986 and was hired to GM’s Powertrain Engineering staff after graduating from Georgia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1990. In 2003, he received a master’s degree in engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

In his 20 years at GM, Bly has worked on various powertrain programs in the United States, England and Germany. His first position was in Warren, Mich., as a Powertrain Development and Validation engineer. He held positions of increasing responsibility in the Small Block V8 engine group, including lead development engineer for the iconic Corvette C5 V8 engine group. In 1997, he was transferred to Lotus Cars in Norwich, England, and promoted to Engine Management Systems engineer for GM’s highly successful Ecotec L4 – GM’s first global four-cylinder engine program. He also was vehicle system engineer for powertrain for the Opel Corsa and Vectra programs at Opel engineering in Russelheim, Germany.

Upon returning to the U.S. in 2000, Bly was appointed engineering group manager for North America Emission Controls Hardware. Two years later, he assumed the role of V6 Calibration System manager at GM’s Milford Proving Grounds. In 2003, he was appointed to oversee all technical briefings and staff facilitation on behalf of the GM Powertrain group vice president and continued this work until his executive appointment overseeing hybrid vehicle integration in 2006.

Bly is GM’s key executive for the Georgia Institute of Technology and serves as a member of the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board. He is Co-Director of the General Motors/ University of Michigan Advanced Battery Coalition for Drivetrains, which is a joint research program focused on spanning the gap between battery material synthesis and vehicle controls integration while developing the next generation of battery engineers. He became a board member for Hughes Research Laboratories in October 2009 and a board member of Michigan FIRST Robotics in 2010. Bly is the former co-executive GM lead for EcoCAR, one of North America’s premier college automotive engineering competitions that is sponsored by GM and the U.S. Department of Energy.