On this episode of The Jason Cavness Experience, Jason sits down with Tom Gurski, founder and CEO of Blue Dot Motorworks, an MIT-trained mechanical engineer who spent his career at the front end of product development. From Stirling engine generators at DEKA Research (Dean Kamen's company) to his own consultancy, Carbide Enterprises, to global sanitation projects in some of the world's poorest communities.
Tom is now building a bolt-on electric propulsion system that converts any light-duty gas vehicle into a plug-in hybrid cutting fuel use by up to 80% without giving up the gas engine, in about a one-day installation. Jason and Tom get into how the technology actually works, why it's "vehicle agnostic," the business model and pricing, and why Tom believes retrofitting the existing 1.5 billion gas cars on the road is a "need to have," not a "nice to have," solution for hitting climate targets.
The conversation also covers:
Why Seattle is a tough environment for hardware startups compared to the Bay Area Tom's
Wefunder campaign and lessons on raising a "family and friends" round the right way
The upcoming Founder Summit (July 15, Seattle Climate Innovation Hub) and PNW Climate Week
Nuclear energy, wind turbines, and the "birds vs. wind turbines" myth
A carbon tax and dividend policy idea Tom would implement as "climate czar"
Washington's EV mileage tax and the ferry-contract controversy
The emotional rollercoaster of founder life, burnout, and staying mission-aligned
Tom's advice for aspiring engineers in the age of AI
Tom'sLinks:
Blue Dot Motorworks: https://bluedotmotorworks.com/
Invest via Wefunder: https://wefunder.com/bluedotmotorworks
Tom Gurski on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-gurski/
Jason Cavness links:
https://linktr.ee/jasoncavness
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