It’s not like you need one more reason to check out the fun and fascinating Energy Fair in Custer June 16-18, but here’s one: JB Straubel, a founding team member of Tesla, has been tapped as the fair’s main speaker.
As the company’s chief technical officer, Straubel leads the technical and engineering design of their vehicles. Tesla is popularizing the electric car, and its car production increased from 14,037 in the fourth quarter of 2015 to more than 25,000 in the third quarter of 2016 as Tesla continues to be the second-highest ranked seller of electric-motor cars in the world.
Straubel also evaluates new technology and directs research and development for the energy company. “Tesla is a global leader in this market and is inspiring the U.S. clean tech industry,” says Nick Hylla, executive director of Midwest Renewable Energy Association, which organizes the Energy Fair. “Having grown up in Wisconsin, JB can be an inspiration to a new generation of innovators and engineers in our region.”
The multi-day, annual Energy Fair held in Custer, just east of Stevens Point, runs June 16-18 this year. The fair features more than 200 exhibitors, plus numerous workshops focusing on renewable energy and sustainable living, and draws people from all over the world. Straubel will speak at 6 pm Saturday, June 17 on the event’s main stage.
“Having JB Straubel speak at The Energy Fair is so exciting because Tesla has seen an unprecedented amount of interest from people across the country,” says Allison Lindquist, MREA events coordinator. “People uniting to support a clean energy solution — that is what the energy fair is all about.”
