Ali KazemKhani
Executive summary:
- The key highlights of my life would include being able to offer people alternative fuel vehicles and devoting myself to evolving electric mobility solutions that reduce greenhouse emissions, by founding ENVO Drive Systems Inc.
- Also, I am proud of having 3 startups out of tens of failed ideas that resulted in live businesses. Showing that my resilience and hard work on product design, supply-chain planning, and business planning in the past 22 years is valuable to the world.
What is your field of expertise?
I am an entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience in automotive and mechanical engineering with a focus on micro electric mobility. With a deep understanding of the environmental impact of fossil fuels, I am committed to offsetting the impact of fossil fuels on our planet by helping people move differently with sustainably engineered, future-proof and green micro electric mobility solutions in all terrains.
Describe your journey to where you are today.
I started my journey in micro electric mobility when I was young. Just like other kids, I liked riding my bike downhill but hated the uphill ride that followed. I tried to reuse a micro electric motor from my dad’s broken tape player to make my bicycle wheels rotate and assist me to ride uphill when I was 8 years old. Even though I was not successful at that time; I did not give up and continued to take on challenges. In the final year of my bachelor’s degree, I started a business developing one of the first electric bike concepts, which were very niche at the time. One year later, I patented the first Universal Electric Bike Conversion Kit using an SLA battery and direct electric hub motor.
Before I moved to Canada, I already developed a few components, such as hub motors for bikes, battery packs, and motor controllers; hence starting an e-bike conversion kit sales and installation business made it easy.
As a passionate clean mobility engineer, I failed in finding my dream job on 2 continents; however, I created the company to take part in the electric evolution, I founded ENVO Drive Systems where I could work together with talents in the industry to develop micro electric mobility products for people to use anywhere, anytime.
What does your company do, for whom, and how does it fit into the bigger picture of solving global issues with clean tech?
ENVO Drive Systems is passionate about replacing traditional fossil fuel transportation with sustainably engineered and future-proof micro electric mobility solutions. ENVO focuses on making a difference in all communities by offering innovative, well-engineered, easy to maintain, modern and reasonably priced micro electric mobility solutions. ENVO does not overlook any aspect of micro electric mobility, we create sustainable and environmentally responsible micro electric mobility products for road, snow and water. ENVO strives for becoming the preferred micro electric mobility solution and creating a greener future. ENVO is involved in the complete spectrum of brand activities including R&D, market research, marketing, production, supply-chain, distribution, sales and customer services, in the process to evolve micro electric mobility.
As of today, over 12,000 riders in the ENVO community have collectively saved over 85 million KGs of CO2 every year by opting for clean energy instead of using fossil fuels. The adoption of alternative fuel vehicles continues to increase in popularity which is one of the primary drivers of cleaner air and reduced greenhouse emissions.
What do you think is the most important thing we can be doing in terms of clean tech solutions?
Developing attractive concepts and solutions with governance are always the golden rules for introducing innovative ideas and products to the public. I believe that understanding communities’ lifestyles and evolving clean tech solutions into recipes that can fit into people’s day-to-day living affordably, and having enough incentives and encouragement are of paramount importance in helping clean tech solutions become
mainstream solutions. Besides, clean tech technologists need to have active thought leadership and contribute more to regulations. Governments must listen to the clean tech technologists in policy making and regulatory enforcement as they can offer valuable and practical insights which benefit societies, people and the planet.
What do you wish you could tell the younger you – what would’ve been incredibly helpful to you ten years ago?
Not ten years ago, but perhaps 20 years ago. I would tell myself to be braver and more determined to leave for a place that offers a larger stage for my micro eclectic mobility ideas to shine. I spent more than enough time convincing myself that I was not in the right geography to achieve my zero carbon footprint mobility goals before uprooting my life and moving to Canada. Time plays a key role for a clean tech business as seeding public awareness and technological developments are long-term processes. The more focused and
targeted time that you invest, the more you achieve in goals. There is no shortcut or magic.
LinkedIn: Ali KazemKhani