Ex Tesla energy boss takes surfing break, re-emerges as head of new firm to fast track grid transition

Drew Baglino, the highly regarded and long-time head of energy and technology at Tesla, says he is re-emerging after an extended surfing and gardening break with a new power electronics company aiming to fast-track the green energy transition.

Baglino joined Tesla in 2006, and has led the engineering on some of the key products that have redefined transport and grid management, and accelerated the green energy transition.

He initially began working on the battery and management system for the Roadster, and then the premium Model S. He then switched over to energy, and was primarily responsible for the development of the Tesla Powerwall household battery and the Powerpack grid scale battery.

He then led the powertrain and energy division, basically responsible for the company’s battery storage business, EV battery development and charging infrastructure.

He left the company, after 18 years, in April, 2024 – along with other key executives – after CEO Elon Musk dramatically downsized the Supercharger business.

Baglino has now re-emerged as head of Heron Power, which describes itself as “building cutting-edge power electronics” for the 21st-century grid. “We aim to de-bottleneck the growth of electricity generation and consumption with scalable, innovative, and less costly hardware solutions, accelerating the electrification of everything.”

It’s an interesting and potentially significant move given that “cutting edge electronics” will undoubtedly be the glue that helps unlock the potential of wind, solar and storage to power a decarbonised grid. It’s expected that the focus will be on developing solid-state transformers that can manage voltage swings arising from wind and solar power.

Baglino’s LinkedIn profile suggests that he has been quietly working on Heron Power since around September last year, but is now breaking cover and seeking expert staff. Given the ructions at Tesla over the recent performance of CEO Elon Musk, it could be a well timed invitation.

“After a year focused on my family, enjoying extended travel and many hours spent gardening and surfing, I’m excited to share that I’ve started a new company, Heron Power,” Baglino writes in a new LinkedIn post.

“The electricity sector is struggling to keep pace with AI’s insatiable energy demand on top of the growing electrification of transport, industry, and buildings.

“Meanwhile, developed economies are deploying renewable resources at near terawatt pace in the face of strong headwinds from undersized, decades-old electric infrastructure long-due for renewal.

“As we transition towards a more sustainable, largely electrified energy economy, the need for more deployable, efficient, and resilient electrical infrastructure has never been more critical.”

Baglino’s departure from Tesla last year stunned analysts at the time, because he was seen as the driving force behind the Tesla 2, the $US25,000 car that was supposed to redefine the EV maker’s product line. That car has more of less disappeared, to be replaced by Musk’s not so cheap “robo-cab.”

“Baglino is an absolute gut punch loss in our view as he was instrumental in the Powertrain and Energy initiatives at Tesla and was viewed by many as key to the Model 2 initiative over the next few years,” the Teslarati blog quoted Wedbush’s Dan Ives as saying at the time.

Last week, the US-based publication Axis reported that Heron is looking to raise up to $US50 million in a funding round, potentially led by Capricorn Investment Group, a New York York and Palo-Alto based sustainable investment group with around $US12 billion under management.