New mobility technology is inspiring people around the world with possibilities of cleaner, safer, and more accessible transportation. Those inspirations are not limited to traditional automotive consumers and industry; new interest and innovation are streaming in from non-traditional consumers and insiders from big tech, consumer electronics, and the world of design.

One of those “outside” professionals inspired by new mobility is Charles Johnson, Founder of startup DrivenByCharles (DBC), whose most recent role was Global Director of Innovation at sportswear leader Puma Group in Herzogenaurach, Germany. The mission of his new enterprise is to advise on design, innovation, and strategy to help organizations by providing research and insight on product development, brand strategy, innovation road mapping, and story development.

Johnson’s journey to sustainable mobility began with an industrial design degree from Carnegie Mellon University. After graduating he thought he’d be designing computer housings, but wound up being recruited at an IDSA (Industrial Designers Society of America) conference by Saucony, the running shoe brand.

“I played lots of sports, and I was really into it,” said Johnson of his first job. “My first cleats were actually Spot Bilt (Saucony) Juicemobiles, OJ Simpson’s signature shoe.”

Sport shoes were a “cool mashup of soft materials and hard materials, the soft part and the molded part of the shoe. It was ‘pop-cultural,’ and related to superheroes—athletes. So, I just really enjoyed it.”

And so began his sportswear career, with the journey taking him to stints at Adidas, Avia, Crocs, and Puma Group.

 

Focus on innovation

Throughout his career, Johnson has been focused on innovation and advanced concept work, working on new technologies and new manufacturing methods—all with the goal to improve the performance of athletes. Much of his work was based on the research of athletics, biomechanics, and how the human body moves.

At Adidas, he worked on projects for the likes of tennis greats Steffi Graf and Stefan Edberg as well as basketball superstar Kobe Bryant. For instance, Graf’s shoes used a technology he worked on called Torsion, which was like an adaptive chassis in a car, said Johnson.

When Johnson first arrived at the Puma Group, it was considered a leader in sportswear sustainability. His time there overlapped with that of Jochen Zeitz, the CEO and later Chairman, who was driving sustainability as a part of the corporate mission and is now doing the same at Harley-Davidson. Johnson helped strengthen that sustainability direction, for instance working on making footwear using non-traditional manufacturing methods and materials.

“We figured out a way to make shoes using a triaxial weave machine which is used in the automotive industry to shape carbon-fiber bodywork,” he said. “But instead of using carbon fiber, we used biodegradable thread.”

His team investigated using bacteria to shape and die product: “nobody was doing that,” he said.

Of course, performance through innovation was also a focus.

In 2017, Johnson and the Puma Innovation team were tasked with making national teams and athletes like Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah, Canada’s Andre De Grasse, and Norway’s Karsten Warholm faster. They decided to focus on the all-important sprint suit.

“From our leadership position in motorsports, we were drawn to explore what we could do to improve aerodynamics, the science of which can be counter-intuitive,” he said. “The performance theory for our suit was based on addition rather than subtraction.”

To the surface of the suit, Puma designers added strategically placed “brushes” intended to disrupt the airflow around sprinters’ bodies, making them move through space with less resistance. However, they needed to prove the theory of what became known as the Brush Suit.

“We turned to Siemens Engineering Services, who created a virtual sprinter and simulated sprint environment,” said Johnson. “The data we pulled from this virtual world helped in our design refinement.”

While at Puma, Johnson was also invited to lead the team charge to create an innovative race suit that fit the 2015 BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R concept car, which was aimed at achieving the best possible fusion of driver and car.

“To visualize driver-connectivity, we drew from Nightcat technology we developed to help runners be visible at night using app-controlled, fiber-optic cables,” he said. “To increase comfort for champion [BMW Motorsport] drivers like Marco Wittmann, we used fireproof cotton for a natural feel, knit panels that adapt to movement, and ergonomic 3D sleeve patterning that match the shape of the arms in driving position.”

 

Two-wheeler enthusiasm

While many industrial designers wind up in the automotive industry, some like Johnson go other routes—like sports equipment. However, he “discovered” motorcycles, on a commuter level, before progressing into racing and building.

“The aspect of designing a bike, building it, and racing it—was this sort of full-circle experience,” said Johnson. “The thing that’s cool about racing motorcycles is that you have to be focused, you can’t have anything distracting you. That was also kind of thrilling, and I got pretty good at it. What’s also cool is building and maintaining something that you have to rely on for performance and for safety. It has to work or else.”

In parallel with his passion for two-wheelers has been a growing concern for the environment and sustainable mobility. This past year’s COVID-19 pandemic and his departure from Puma have helped focus his mind on a better way forward and broadened his horizons.

“My attention went more to what else can I achieve around sustainability, doing things that are good for the environment,” he said. “With that sort of thinking, plus my motorcycle/two-wheeled sort of passion, I started to give more attention to sustainable vehicles and electric vehicles. It’s this perfect bridge for me.”

Johnson is excited by some of the new mobility brands creating products that are good for the environment and enabling more eco-friendly lifestyles. He is especially inspired by the companies that he says are differentiating themselves with their e-vehicle designs.

“I think a lot of mobility brands are taking an existing paradigm and just putting an electric motor in it,” he said. “That’s not the case with [e-motorcycle pioneer] Cake; they’re embracing that it shouldn’t look like a motorcycle that’s already out there.”

His design interests also extend to four-wheeler innovators.

“If you look at the boxy electric van that I love, the Canoo, that’s a purpose-built electrified vehicle,” he said. “It started out as an electric vehicle, not ‘we’re going to convert this vehicle into an electric.’”

 

Adding another dimension

With DrivenbyCharles, Johnson is looking to help the new-mobility brands and their customers by adding another dimension beyond vehicles: “It’s not just that you’re driving an e-car or you’re buying into electric motorcycles, it’s a lifestyle choice.”

That lifestyle, in many cases, usually stops with the vehicle, he says, but he’d like to change that.

“You might want certain apparel or equipment that matches your day,” he said. “If you have an electric vehicle that you can ride on the street and then off-road, you’re going to want to wear something that’s not just good for the office or for the trail. There’s now this unmet need, functionally.”

He is looking to extend the experience of a mobility brand “into where the person goes and the rest of their life—when they’re off the bike or out of the car. Every mobility brand is not the same, so identifying how they’re different, or what makes them different and special, and then extending them in their way.”

Few electric motorcycle or scooter companies are doing this, believes Johnson.

“Mobility is a massive industry now, and you’re trying to distinguish yourself from the next company,” he said. “I don’t think anybody’s thinking beyond that.”

 

Designing for the Zero E-life

Johnson says his career has been all about designing for the human body and how the human traverses space and the environment.

“As part of that human experience, we want it to be healthy and safe, and that’s where the sustainability aspect comes to play in my thinking,” he said. “Design can be inspired by all of those things. That’s what makes me tick—bringing all of those things together.”

Johnson is also looking to inspire consumers looking to fully embrace sustainability.

“It is difficult for people who want to live [what] I refer to as the Zero E-life,” he said. “It’s not just how you get around, it’s the other things that you do to be environmentally friendly—and what choices to make.”

He wants to help make it easier for customers to buy into an e-vehicle experience.

“We can give them things alongside that are already in this ecosystem of sustainability, that the choice is kind of made for them,” he said. “It’s really enabling people to live a much more holistic Zero E-life.”

The concept was the subject of a recent proposal to the city of Nuremberg for a center that would inspire people and help them achieve a Zero E-Life. The idea was for a place to educate and connect the public with demonstrations, mobility brands, and suppliers—and to make it a fun experience—in an urban environment.

However, he is aware that, for many people, the road to a Zero E-life is a journey.

“I still have gas-powered vehicles in my garage, but you have to start somewhere,” he said. “I just want to be a part of that change. I want to do my part, to inspire that change for everybody.”