Co-Founder
Chief Innovation Officer

Both a successful serial entrepreneur and inventor, Badr has spent much of his life surrounded by car enthusiasts and developed a keen interest in automotive engineering - and making it more sustainable. Coupled with a passion for technology he completed computer science and media communication studies at University of San Francisco. In addition to Hydra Energy, Badr co-founded LaunchCode, a software solutions company, and GridGear, a hardware and software manufacturer of electrical smart meters. He also supports his family business which owns the distribution rights for several name brand vehicles and heavy duty machinery in Saudi Arabia.

Chief Technology Officer

A seasoned engineer with a > 30 year background at leading hydrogen products companies, Jo was a Hydrogen Systems Specialist and cofounder at General Hydrogen where he developed hydrogen fuel cell technology for industrial forklifts, and other past experience includes engineering at Powertech Systems and being a key member of the engineering team at Ballard Power Systems, where he pioneered the deployment of the world’s first fuel cell bus. His connection to heavy equipment started as a Diesel Electric Generation Engineer for Caterpillar International. He has a BSME from Washington State University, and has extended his engineering education at MIT and University of British Columbia.

Director of Technology and Training

With a decade of experience as a Red Seal Journeyman Electrician and a Bachelor of Engineering, Tyson Whyte has earned his way to being Hydra’s Director of Technology and Training. Starting as an intern in 2016 Tyson has worked his way up to his current position and now guides the next generation of students who join Hydra.

Alongside Jo in 2016, Tyson worked to convert Hydra’s first truck, the first dual-fuel Hydrogen-diesel truck in Canada. Tyson’s passion for the environment, and specifically the potential of hydrogen, inspired him to leave the electrical trades and enter the clean tech industry.

Director of Innovation

After a joint research project between the University of British Columbia and Hydra Energy, Patrick joined the team in 2017. Since then he has been involved in Hydra’s hydrogen dual-fuel technology application, where he leads the on-road performance and emission measurement campaigns.

These days Patrick is focused on Hydra’s Research and Innovation Council, where he is working together closely with academia and other research groups to find solutions to advance Hydra’s technology and to grow Hydra’s IP portfolio.

Patrick holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich.

Machine Learning Lead

Michael Karpinski-Leydier received his PhD studying machine learning modelling for control system calibration of automotive applications at the University of British Columbia in 2021. Prior to this Michael worked for 5 years in controls system engineering, designing supervisory and motor control algorithms as well as embedded data logging systems for passenger vehicles with a specialization on electrified vehicle powertrains.

After his PhD, Michael was directly hired by Hydra Energy to take the concepts developed during his PhD and apply them to developing data collection strategies and machine learning calibration methodologies for Hydra Energy’s conversion kits.

Research Engineer

Xavier Biancardi began working for Hydra Energy as a Co-op student while studying materials engineering at the University of British Columbia. After graduating with a Bachelors of Applied Science Xavier returned to Hydra and has been working as the lead developer for its data logging systems.

Being a strong advocate for sustainability within engineering, Xavier is passionate about helping shape the future of transportation and design liveable cities.

Data Analyst