Burkhard Huhnke

Chief Technology Officer at Scout Motors

Speaker

Dr. Burkhard Huhnke serves as Chief Technical Officer at Scout Motors, leading the company’s vehicle engineering strategy and team.

With more than 25 years of experience, Huhnke knows the ins and outs of the automotive industry. His passion for shaping the next generation of smart, capable vehicles and automotive technology coupled with his entrepreneurial spirit is helping to develop and engineer a new era of rugged, capable Scout^® vehicles.

Huhnke joined Scout Motors in 2023 after serving most recently as the Chief Technology Officer for Fisker Inc, where he led the company’s global engineering and software teams. Prior to Fisker, he held the role of Vice President of Automotive at Synopsys, Inc., a chip-design company in Silicon Valley. There, he spearheaded the company’s triple-shift-left strategy, advancing testing, quality, and performance evaluation to the early stages of the development process.

Huhnke previously spent 20 years with the Volkswagen Group, holding leadership roles within engineering and R&D. He initiated and co-founded the Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Center (VAIL) at Stanford University, where students pioneer vehicle technology with a focus on human-centered mobility solutions.

Huhnke attended the Technische Universität Braunschweig (University of Brunswick - Institute of Technology) in Braunschweig, Germany, where he studied electrical and electronics engineering. He later returned to the university and obtained a Doctorate in optical distance measurement.