Retrofitting a Billion Cars to Hybrid EVs to Impact Climate Change with Tom Gurski, Founder and CEO of Blue Dot Motorworks

Dylan Garrett

VP | Head of Climate Tech Business

Additional Contributors:

Tom Gurski

Published February 2, 2023

In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Dylan is joined by Tom Gurski, Founder and CEO of Blue Dot Motorworks, a startup in the sustainability space that has developed technology to convert everyday light vehicles like cars and SUVs to hybrid EVs, thereby yielding a positive impact on climate change and sustainability.

Tom Gurski is a mechanical engineer with an impressive record of innovation addressing significant global issues affecting people, life, and the planet. He leverages knowledge as a raw ingredient for innovation. Tom was previously the Mechanical Program Lead at Synapse Product Development.

To discover more about the retrofit kit to convert your vehicle to a hybrid EV, check the key takeaways of this episode or the transcript below.

Key highlights

06:15 – 07:41 – The seed of an idea – Tom traces his idea to his passion for racing and climate change in equal measure. Racing got him thinking of carbon emissions from vehicles that constitute over ten percent of total emissions. It would take over 200 years to replace all vehicles today with EVs. That brought him to the window of opportunity of retrofitting existing vehicles to reduce their carbon footprint.

12:08 – 13:50 – The five challenges in the EV space – The first barrier to complete migration to EV is cost, while the second is getting battery and vehicle production up 700%. Then, there’s the issue of additional charges and the cost of taking existing cars off the roads to make space. Last but not least is the issue of embodied carbon, the carbon footprint created by making the vehicle.

31:36 – 34:16 – The device and how it works – The device is a self-contained electronic module that connects to your driveshaft. The module is located on the back of your vehicle, on the bed of a pickup truck, or on a trailer hitch receiver for all cars. A full charge gives you a thirty to forty miles range for everyday driving. A switch on the dash lets you shift between electric and combustion power. The average cost range from smaller to larger vehicles would be six to ten thousand dollars. Check out the pictures of installs by scrolling down.

47:30 – 48:15 – Advice for someone wanting to help the climate cause – Tom shares how you can contribute to the climate cause even if you don’t have climate tech skills. Organizations involved in climate change have all the needs of a normal company. They need accountants, custodians, and normal tech staff. Find one that aligns with your passion and join them to begin making a difference.