George Dominic Bellino

George Dominic Bellino was born on June 13, 1952 at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Oakland, CA to George Joseph and Mary Grace Bellino. He was the second of five children. His father was in the U.S. Navy; therefore, they lived in a variety of locations including Palo Alto, Guam, Texas, San Diego, La Jolla and Oxnard. George and his siblings attended several Catholic elementary schools and in 1970 George graduated from Santa Clara High School.

During and after high school, George had a wide variety of work experiences including picking lemons at Donlon Farms, washing dishes and busing tables at the Lobster Trap in Oxnard and digging ditches for the L.A. County Flood Control. George was able to buy his first car – a Volkswagen Bug and which began his love of cars.

In 1971 due to the draft, George enlisted with a active-duty service commitment for four years with the U.S. Air Force. After his basic training in Merced, CA, he was deployed to Thailand working as a General Accounting Specialist. In 1975 he returned to the U.S., ending his active duty status but served in the Naval Air Reserve at Pt. Mugu, CA.

In 1975 George married his first wife, Chaweewan with whom he had three daughters, Gynda, Ganjana and Candice. After military service, and while working, George pursued his college degree at La Verne University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting in 1980.

In 1976 George began his career at Hughes Aircraft Company, Pt. Mugu as a Material Handler/Accounting. While working for Hughes in Los Angeles, Long Beach, El Segundo and Torrance he held various positions finally becoming the Business Manager for Logistics Engineering Management Operation.

From Hughes, George moved to General Motors where he began an 18 year career working on Electric Vehicle Infrastructure development. Among his accomplishments while at GM was: obtaining over $8 million of federal grants for GM’s first EV infrastructure development and demonstration program, and creating GM’s MagneCharge Inductive charger product distribution channel. George eventually became the Assistant Program Manager of GM’s entire Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program. During that time, George helped a number of companies become MagneCharge distributors. After the original EV program phased out , George briefly moved over to the Fuel Cell Division of GM where he developed a Field Service Support data management system that was used in three continents.

In 2007, George started working on the integration of GM’s electric vehicle technology with utility Smart Grid technologies. Even after retiring from GM in 2009, George remained a consultant to GM’s Infrastructure Commercialization Business Group working with regional infrastructure planning groups, the Society of Automotive Engineers and GM’s OnStar Global Electric Vehicle and Smart Grid Services business unit. In 2009 George started his own consulting business, Infrastructure Technology, Inc. In 2013 he started working with the Electric Power Research Institute on the development of a cloud based Plug-In Electric Vehicle utility integrated load control communications platform.

He was the Cofounder and Program Manager of the Open Vehicle Grid Integration Platform project which is the longest standing and largest utility and automotive industry collaborative effort to commercialize vehicle embedded communication technology to communicate with the electric grid. He participated for years in efforts by the California agencies to advance vehicle grid integration He co-founded a start-up, Flex Power Controls, that is developing technologies for homes and small businesses to integrate rooftop solar, stationary batteries and electric vehicles to provide grid support and resiliency.

George and Annette were married on November 22, 1986 at St. Francis Church in Bakersfield. George’s greatest love was for Annette, his daughters, Gynda, Ganjana, Candice, nephew Jed and especially caring for his grandson and buddy, Jovahn.

George was a loving, kind, caring, generous husband, Papa, brother, uncle and friend. George was a “caretaker” probably due to his Dad’s early passing when George was 12 years old. He was known as being very generous, kind, patient, and selfless. Many of his colleagues described him as having a courageous, strong spirit, with tremendous commitment enthusiasm for his innovative work and business. He truly was a visionary entrepreneur who was totally dedicated and committed to everyone he knew and everything he did, both personally and professionally.

George was true to his Catholic faith. He exemplified these beliefs and values to Annette and his family. He was proud to be a member of the Knights of Columbus at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church. It was very important for George to provide a Catholic education for his grandson, Jovahn.

One of George’s passion was playing golf. Every year he and Dick Bowman played in the St. Bonaventure School Golf Tournament. Some years Father Mark Warnstedt, Jim Cahill or Matt Anderson joined them. In 2016 George, Matt Anderson, Steve Kalajian, and Dick Bowman placed second in the St. Bonaventure School Golf Tournament.

God was calling him home, as he faced his illness and death with tremendous courage and faith. The song “Calling All Angels” is a perfect example of how George lived his life in faith, hope and love, George knew – the greatest of these is LOVE!

George is survived by his wife, Annette, daughters Gynda, Ganjana, and Candice Bellino; grandson, Jovahn Darden; sister Mary Grace Karonis and her husband Ted; sister Mary Suzanne Houston and her husband Bill; sister Mary Rita Bellino; sister-in-law Becky Halt Bellino; nephews Jed and Kevin Bellino; nieces Shannon Houston Scott, Katie Bellino, Chelsea Houston and numerous cousins. George was predeceased by his parents, George Joseph and Mary Grace Bellino and brother, Thomas Joseph Bellino.

Sunil Chhaya, Ph.D.

Innovator and Technology Executive - Energy and Automotive

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It is with extreme sadness and regrets that I am informing friends and colleagues of the passing of my dear friend, George Bellino last Friday, November 1st at his home in Huntington Beach, CA. I am inviting our common colleagues and friends to express your thoughts who have interacted with him over his long and very consequential career in the Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure space. While George and I worked at the General Motors Electric Vehicle Program throughout my work there, we did not interact almost at all at that time given our focus on different parts of the vehicle. However, since I joined EPRI, I was almost instantly connected with George and that lasted the last 12+ years that I have been with EPRI. I feel honored and privileged to have had the opportunity to work very closely with this unassuming, magnanimous, witty and the most diligent and creative visionary and program manager par excellence. We spoke last week when he called me to appreciate all the good times we've had, and I promised him that I will give him the full account of all that is to transpire in the next few decades when we meet again! RIP George.

Peter Savagian

Sad to hear. George was skilled and a kind and gentle spirit. He had a strong mind for opportunity and was an absolutely gifted technical writer. He worked long hours when the team effort demanded it. He could read deeply into a solicitation and almost immediately articulate a winning strategy. In my experience, he never lost a proposal in competition when he led it. While I was at GM, when we had to win, we hired George. We will miss his great ideas, his sense of humor and his easy smiles.

Bob Dawsey

George was a good friend, respected colleague, and most importantly, a genuinely nice man. Many times, George was placed in difficult and unenviable situations, only to handle them professionally and with aplomb. He will be greatly missed by those of us that have worked closely with him in recent years. His technical skill was instrumental in building our company, and it will be impossible to replace him. (edited)

Posting this on Behalf of Rich Scholer- “To George from Rich Scholer: I was thinking of calling to you again when I saw the note of your passing. There are lots of words to describe you but Friend is the first. I knew you when you were at GM and helped when we started our SAE standards for PEV Communications trying to keep Slav Berezin under control, then kept the effort going with you also started working at EPRI. That helped to get the projects and knew they led to results demonstrating your passion for electrification and able to work these thru the planning stage to the final reports. Your preference was in working with all of us and making sure we could all help. You always chuckled and when I saw he passed on Halloween, my first vision was of you at the pearly gates, head slightly turned with a smirk saying “trick or treat” as you walked thru. I’m sure I’ll think of you often and give you an extra smile on each Halloween.” (edited)

Gregory Smith

Every comment I have read rings true and I thought maybe I would list the words and phrases that I think of when thinking of George Bellino: • Gracious • Giving • Dedicated • Positive • Poet • Passionate • Focus on a solution • Cheerful • Stoic • Funny • Helpful It is hard to describe how much he will be missed, but we all are better from knowing him and how he has made an imprint on all of us and just maybe pass that along to the people we each touch in our lives.

Doug Canfield Pres. at EV TECH, Inc.

Had privilege of working with and for George on several occasions. Strangest experience was when I conducted a training session on MagnaCharge tech services. Only had two in the class, and George was one of them. Our paths cross over the years and he will be missed. Always a straight shooter. Matter of fact, he, Bob Stemple and Bob Percell were about the only "good guys" I knew at GM.

Tim Perzanowski

George was a mentor, colleague and friend who could always bring a smile to my face and a new perspective to any problem. He was always a guiding star in an indecisive corporate environment. He reminded me of a button one of my employees wore which read " Lead, follow or get the h*'ll out of the way. " My my prayers and sympathy go out to his family.

Scott Brierley Manager, Corporate Strategy and Planning at Nissan North America

I’m so sorry to hear of George’s passing. He was pleasant to work with and just a nice guy. He contributed so much to the development of EV technologies and commercialization. He’ll surely be missed. Thank you for sharing this.

Mark Selogie Sr. Director, Global Propulsion & Electrical Engineering

George Bellino was in on the beginning of our transition to EVs starting with the EV1. He was a great collaborator and gentleman. He will be missed by all that knew him.

Slav Berezin

Very sad news indeed and a huge loss to all of us... I met George back in 2010 and worked very close with him until my next assignment in 2014. But we always chatted since. What a fun and education that was! I have learned from him immensely, there's no way to recount it all, never mind listing it in a post. His most striking traits to me were his passion in everything he did and loyalty starting with one to his family. I will miss him until we meet again. RIP buddy! Ciao! "Frank"

James Vogt International Business Development - Tritium

Oh no Sunil. I am very sorry to hear about George. I met him 10 years ago when I was working with the Volt team at GM. I always looked forward to seeing him at the EPRI IWC meetings. He was a great guy and was a genuinely nice man. I recall arriving late to a hotel. George was with a table full of people and they were finishing dinner; some had left. George insisted that I join them and he stayed while I ordered and finished my dinner. We had a great conversation. I will miss him.

Barbara M. Gonzalez Principal- Business Program Manager at Pepco Holdings

So sorry to hear about this sad news. My condolences to his family, his GM and EPRI's family. The George I knew was classy and cool. I pray that he rest in peace. Thank you Sunil for letting us know.

Farzana Islam Vehicle-to-Grid Professional

I am extremely sorry to hear this. When I started working for OVGIP, I got to know him and worked so closely. He was such a generous and hard working person. He will be missed badly. Rest In Peace George.

Silva Hiti Senior Director - Electric Power Conversion at Rivian

For many years, George and I had offices close to each other, on a short, dark hallway in GM ATC in Torrance. George was a gentlemen, a kind and a nice person. For the longest time, he was greeting me with a cheerful “Hi Hiti”, because he somehow thought that my name was of a Portuguese origin. We had a nice laugh about it, when I eventually asked why after many years. I remember our discussions about parental know hows. Our work overlapped sometimes, and I recall admiring his project proposal creation and writing skills, and the clarity of expression and thought.

Joel R. Pointon Founder and Principal - JRP Charge

I am very sad to hear of George's passing. I will always remember our first introduction to George and the GM crew at the GM Research Center in the early days of the Chevy Volt's development meeting with the EPRI Member Utilities and EV Stakeholders. I connected with George immediately for his wry sense of humor and was impressed with his ability to engage on any aspect of EV evolution and give you a direct candid opinion. I loved George's no BS approach...and could always count on him giving me the first greeting whenever I attended an event as he hung out at the entrance taking a "break". We had so many irreverent conversations and many laughs over the years at those entrances :) George...your humor and intelligence will be greatly missed. Happy motoring my friend. (edited)

Alex Keros Lead Architect, EV Infrastructure at General Motors

As I entered the GM world of electrification, it was daily interactions with George that I learned the ropes. While we were a team, George was clearly an amazing mentor to me...his legacy resides in my daily work...and probably in your daily work,too...his name won’t land in this history books, but clearly he made the history possible. Love you, George! (edited)

Jeffrey Lehman, PE Passionate about the electric transformation of our transportation economy!

Thank you for posting this Sunil, and thank you George. You will be missed!

Haukur "Hawk" Asgeirsson Retired from DTE Energy as Manager Power Systems Technologies

Sad to hear that George passed away. My interaction with him at GM and EPRI were special because of his knowledge and expertise in the EV charging space. A very thoughtful, humble and generous person. He will be missed.

Mark McGranaghan Vice President, Integrated Grid at EPRI

George Bellino was a visionary and a great industry contributor. He helped make the case for interoperability between the grid and electric vehicles in the early stages of the interoperability standards development at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). We have been building on this ever since.

Richard Schorske Executive Director, ZNE Alliance

A good man who made a difference and connected the dots for all of us in EV world. RIP

Kathy Knoop Senior Energy Advisor at Arizona Public Service - APS

I am so sorry to hear this. George was so kind, funny, generous and an amazing intellect. He left his mark on the industry and I am so much richer for having met him.

Sunil Goyal Ford Motor Company

I’m very sorry to hear about George, we were working together on OVGIP, he will be missed. RIP George🙏🏽

Chris Chen Independent Consultant at C2 Consulting

Surprising and saddening news. I'll miss George, his friendship and his positive energy.

Charlie Yankitis Bosch Automotive Service Solutions

George and I spent a lot of time together in California, Michigan and other states meeting with utilities and cities in the early days just before the Gen1 Volt launch. He was a good friend as well as being as a trusted client. I will never forget George, Sleep in peace my friend.

BRANDI ABRAM Blue Bird Corporation

Oh no! This is sad news. Prayers to his family and friends during this time.

Vipul Gore Gridscape Solutions

RIP George. A very good, passionate man with a vision

Amy Yamamoto Sumitomo Electric

George was the industry leader and he paved the way for electrification and VGI. It was my great honor to work with him and I will miss him so much.

Cedric Daniels Alabama Power Company

I pray his family is embraced with peace and comfort during this time. George was a technical giant working in the industry, while always being friendly whenever we engaged often. He has left a positive wave that will continue.

Rick Reinhard Phoenix Cars LLC.

George thanks for all that you have done for me and the EV and Alt fuels community You will truly be missed

Charlie Botsford CWB Solutions

George, you've carried the baton for a very long leg of the race. It's time for the rest of us to continue your work. I've so enjoyed your friendship. RIP George.

Sarah Densmore Principal at Black & Veatch Management Consulting (Power)

I met George when I was working on an opportunity for an EV open standard platform. You know when you meet people who are just nicer and more enjoyable than the rest? Exceptional character. He was one of them. Saddened to hear this news.

Nitin Patel Fiat-Chrysler Automobile Group

George was a great colleague to work with. He provided mentoring to me during my early days at GM and I am forever grateful for that. May his soul Rest In Peace.

Brian Grunkemeyer FlexCharging

Sunil, I'm sorry for your loss.

Russell Vare Nuvve Corp.; Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G)

George was generous with his time for me and deeply appreciate the guidance he provided. He will be missed.

John Hayes University College Cork, Ireland (UCC)

George Bellino was a great character who more than contributed to the GM EV1. He did a great job keeping the engineers focused and the projects running... with a smile. He will indeed be missed. May he rest in peace.

Jeremy Whaling Electric Vehicle and Grid Expert

So sorry to hear of George's passing. I worked with him on the OVGIP project and he was very dedicated to the cause.

Said-Fassih Karimzad Bertrandt

His visions in the eMobility landscape has been a huge inspiration...not only to me. I collaborated with him in the OVGIP-Project when I worked at Mercedes-Benz R&D N.A....We will miss him...

Like Said-Fassih Karimzad’s comment

Clay Okabayashi Commercial Fleet Vehicles

Very sorry to hear of George’s passing. I worked with George while working in the GM ATV group with fleet sales responsibilities in California. George was always willing to help navigate thru General Motors. A very positive, warm and kind individual that could always provide light. Prayers to his family.

Brian Welchko General Motors

George was a great colleague to work with!

George will be missed. He was always a help for us on the Public Policy side of the GM business. A man with class ,knowledge and willingness to assist.

Chris Vournakis Marketing, Sales & Operations Professional

I had the wonderful opportunity to work with George as GM was bringing the first gen Chevrolet Volt to market, almost 10 years ago. He was always a pleasure to work with: professional, patient, knowledgeable and collaborative. RIP George.

Prem Menon Alexa Automotive at Amazon

Oh no. Very sad indeed. Loved working with George and his constant and steady presence. Great guy, mentor, colleague who always managed to bring order to chaos. Will be missed. May he Rest In Peace. Prayers for his near and dear ones.

Edward Yankoski Sr, Staff Designer

Even though I didn’t work with George directly It was because of George and many others like him at GMATC that made me think that Hughes really bought GM. RIP Sir.

Byron McCormick General Motors Retired

Just remembering working with George brings a smile to my face. RIP dear friend.