JB Straubel - Biography

Biography

In 2008, Straubel was named to the MIT Technology Review TR35 as one of the top 35 innovators in the world under the age of 35. He spoke at MIT's Emtech conference on a panel on green transportation in Boston, MA in September 2008.

Straubel was honored to keynote the Stanford Alumni EDAY in July 2008. In July 2008, Straubel spoke on a transportation panel "Progression Toward EVs" at Plug In 2008. In early 2008, Stanford Magazine featured Straubel's role in growing the Stanford presence at Tesla Motors.

In September 2007, JB spoke on an energy panel titled "Clean, Secure, and Efficient Energy" at Stanford University along with former Secretary of State, George Shultz, where he emphasized the importance of education about climate change, and decreasing the CO₂ intensity of our current energy production methods.

Popular Science magazine featured Straubel in a full-length article in April 2007.

His photograph was shown in The Economist in July 2006, taking Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for a drive at the Tesla Roadster unveiling in Santa Monica, California.

In March 2012, Straubel spoke at the DESIGN West conference, produced by UBM Electronics, at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, CA.

Prior to Tesla Motors, Straubel was the CTO and co-founder of Volacom along with Harold Rosen. Volacom worked closely with Burt Rutan at Scaled Composites to design a specialized high-altitude aircraft platform using a novel hydrogen-powered electric power plant. At Volacom, Straubel co-invented and patented the new long-endurance hybrid propulsion concept that was later licensed to Boeing.

Before Volacom, Straubel worked with Harold Rosen and Benjamin M. Rosen at Rosen Motors as a propulsion engineer developing a new hybrid vehicle drivetrain based on a micro turbine and a high-speed flywheel. Rosen Motors ultimately closed but both main technologies carried on with commercial success, the turbine at Capstone Turbine (CPST) and the flywheel at Pentadyne Power Corp. Straubel was part of the early team at Pentadyne where he designed and built a 1st generation 150 kW power inverter, motor-generator controls, and magnetic bearing systems.

In the area of technical expertise, Straubel has consulted with VC firms Taproot Ventures and Kleiner Perkins in addition to several other private equity investors to conduct technical diligence reviews for many start-ups in the energy and clean technologies category. Straubel also consults with Amory Lovins at the Rocky Mountain Institute.

Although he did not originally intend to work in the automobile industry, Straubel has had a long personal passion for electric vehicles, including building an Electric Porsche 944 that held a world EV racing record, a Custom Electric Bicycle, and a pioneering new Hybrid Trailer System that he designed while in college.

Straubel received a B.S. in Energy Systems Engineering and an M.S. in Energy Engineering, emphasis on energy conversion, both from Stanford University.

Outside of Tesla Motors, Straubel is also an accomplished pilot and holds private pilot, instrument and multi-engine ratings.