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July 10, 2025
Electrification Pathways: How Adam Stroud Innovates for Sustainability
Learn how Adam Stroud drives innovative electrification solutions for high-powered batteries and why he appreciates having a job that helps him drive a more sustainable world.
At Trane Technologies, we foster an innovation-friendly environment, enabling employees to boldly challenge what’s possible for a sustainable world. Meet Adam Stroud, a Senior Battery Systems Engineer whose passion for high-voltage batteries is driving new electrification pathways to sustainably deliver essential goods like food and medicine around the world.
The opportunity to do innovative work on high voltage battery systems in a sustainability-focused job drew Adam to Trane Technologies. He works in the Center for Excellence in Electrification for our brand, Thermo King®. Thermo King is a global leader in sustainable transport temperature control for various applications like trailers, truck bodies, buses and more.
“High voltage battery systems are the future of our grid, and I wanted to be involved in that,” said Adam who designs battery packs and systems to help drive electrification of Thermo King’s transport refrigeration units. “I look at battery technology in the rapidly changing industry and fit it into applications to help the business develop road maps to be ready to use it,” he said.
Adam’s innovative spirit is evident in his daily work. He currently serves as the technical lead on a temperature-controlled battery testing facility, housed in a 48-foot trailer. “We have a large chamber that we can make very hot or very cold to simulate conditions on the road,” he said.
Adam Stroud, Senior Battery Systems Engineer, and coworker, Zainub Larji, Accelerated Development Program member, Electrical Engineering, outside of the finished battery testing trailer.
The team is also putting the test chamber’s battery power to work in the headquarters building. “We have a battery cycler that takes power from the battery and puts it directly back on our facility grid to power the lights in the building,” he said. “It’s a small way to increase sustainability.”
Bringing innovations to life: Adam’s patent success
“In my two years at Thermo King, I’ve been able to file five patents related to novel battery system implementation for transport refrigeration,” said Adam. He appreciates the company’s inclusive patent process. “You don’t have to know somebody or be in the right place at the right time in order for a patent idea to go somewhere,” said Adam.
“I think it is a very simple thing that we do here but very powerful, because it opens doors for anyone to submit their ideas,” he said. Principal Electrification Engineer, Matt Srnec, is a mentor of Adam’s and has encouraged him and others early in their careers to file for their own patents at the company. Learn more about Matt Srnec’s career that now spans over 12 years working for our Thermo King brand at Trane Technologies.
You don’t have to know somebody or be in the right place at the right time for a patent idea to go somewhere. I think it’s a very simple thing that we do here but very powerful, because it opens doors for anyone to submit their ideas.
Adam Stroud
Senior Battery Systems Engineer, Thermo King
Why sustainability drives Adam’s passion
Making a difference is important to Adam who earned an engineering degree at Marquette University. During his sophomore year at school, he fell in love with work that makes a difference after meeting a professor who was researching how humanoid robotics can help people, such as children with autism. “He used robotics to make a difference, and I thought that was really cool,” said Adam.
Adam previously held two other roles, including one at a large company near Thermo King headquarters. “When I moved to Trane Technologies, the opportunity to make a sustainable impact was one of the key factors,” he said. “I left a job where I had a lot of tenure, a very good reputation and a promising future, because I wanted to make an impact by working on higher powered battery systems which have a bigger impact on our environment,” he said.
“I like using my engineering skills to work on a product that is deployed across the world to transport the frozen and fresh food that people need delivered,” he said. “Making the way we do that environmentally friendly is a way that I feel like I can have a big impact on the environment,” said Adam, who is an avid outdoorsman with a young family. “It’s kind of an emotional thing for me.”
Mentoring the next generation
Adam also sustains the engineering talent pipeline by mentoring the company’s interns and volunteering with the University of Minnesota Solar Car team. “The discipline of battery engineering is typically not available in college curriculums, so advising these curious and motivated solar car students is a great way to get them interested in electrification and battery engineering as a career,” said Adam.
Finding joy in everyday innovation
Adam enjoys going to work every day. “Being able to go in and innovate day-to-day is fun,” he said. “I try to come up with ideas that use proven technologies and methods in novel ways to address the unique challenges facing Thermo King customers,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s all about the customer and their needs,” said Adam. “I feel like every day, I’m working on things that are going to create a better future for our planet and for society in general.”
Adam Stroud’s journey at Trane Technologies is a testament to how innovation and electrification can bring joy in the pursuit of a sustainable future.
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