CHRIS BORRONI-BIRD

Director of advanced technology vehicle concepts, General Motors

Chosen because: Borroni-Bird, 46, directs GM's EN-V concept, a battery-powered vehicle, based on the two-wheeled Segway scooter, with a top speed of 25 mph. The program is GM's bet on a solution for future cities too densely populated to handle today's cars and trucks. Unveiled in 2010, the EN-V, which stands for Electric Networked Vehicle, can drive itself and communicate wirelessly with other EN-Vs to avoid crashes.

Quote: The EN-V offers "the first realistic solution to addressing all the problems of personal mobility in cities," Borroni-Bird said in April. "Making this become a reality is my passion."