475: James Worden, The “Bill Gates of EV” & Solectria Corporation (Part 1)

Part 1.  The Beginning.  In 1996, after years of “can’t be done” grumbling from the major automakers, Solectria announced the development of the sporty Sunrise electric car under the leadership of CEO James Worden, calculating that the price could be as low as $20,000 if they got 20,000 orders.  Ahead of his time in every way, James inspired an EV revolution, laying the foundation for innovation in not one but two industries, and we get to his contribution to the solar industry in Part 2 of the conversation.  For years, I’ve admired James and Solectria from afar, installing their solar inverters on some of my favorite projects over a decade ago.  Today, you’ll get to hear a two-part conversation from our in-person interview in Boston earlier this year.  We get a rare glimpse into Worden’s early life, the proving ground of his engineering mettle at MIT, his entrepreneurial story and what ultimately became his life’s obsession, Solectria Corporation.  There’s so much we unpack today, so settle in for a deep dive with the one and only James Worden. If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus(yes, not lost on us that we are sponsored by an inverter company and telling the story of another inverter company - but that’s why we love Sungrow, they’re very secure in their position and love seeing others win too!)