Welcome

This is the eighth workshop organized by the IEEE Power Electronics Society\´s Transportation Power Technical Committee to focus on power electronics in transportation. With more and more hybrid electric vehicles on the road and fuel cell vehicle research in the high gear, power electronics continues to attract attention of the researchers in industry, academia, and govemment. WET2004 addresses various aspects of power electronic devices, circuits, and systems in vehicles and provides a forum for in-depth and interactive discussions among researchers. This year we have an excellent lineup of papers and speakers who will discuss topics ranging from advanced ultracapacitors, Sic power devices, to new electric motors and power converters. We are very pleased to have Dr. Anand Sankaran kom Ford Motor Company to deliver a keynote speech on "Power Electronics in Hybrid Escape: Challenges and Success."