Jit Bhattacharya

Activist, Athlete, Engineer, Environmentalist, Social entrepreneur, Technologist, World traveler

Education: Masters in Mechanical Engineering 2002 - Stanford University MBA 2008 - UC Berkeley Haas School of Business Current Positions: Mission Motor Company - Chief Operating Officer June 2008 to Present Mission Motor Company is building the fastest production electric motorcycle in the world. The company aims to build the sustainable future of transportation with a vehicle that offers the benefits of zero emissions while providing uncompromised performance to riders. LiveClimate.org - Founder and Managing Director June 2007 to Present Live Climate is a non-profit which allows consumers to offset their carbon footprint by purchasing carbon credits directly from projects in the developing world. Live Climate offers consumers a new way to fight climate change, one in which the impact of their offset purchase aids in the economic development of a low income community.

I am passionate about creative solutions to the world's most pressing problems. I believe unequivocally that human ingenuity can build a better, more sustainable, and more equal world for all.

An idea worth spreading: Equality through green. Three facts: 1) Almost 1/3 of the world's population lacks access to modern energy services such as electricity, natural gas, or gasoline. 2) The difference in prosperity between the "have's" and the "have not's" is growing. 3) Our reliance on fossil-fuel energy (ie modern energy services) is destroying our planet. How do we solve these three problems when the very solutions seem to compete with one another. Simple: Bring the marginalized people of the world into the creation of our sustainable future. We are on the verge of a new era in Green Empowerment.

Batteries and Energy Storage, Electric vehicles

About 6 months ago, I joined the executive team of a new electric vehicle company called Mission Motors. We chose the name Mission partially because the company was founded in the Mission district of San Francisco. It also represented our own personal Mission as leaders of the company. We wanted to break the transportation paradigm by building an electric vehicle that could compete with gasoline. At TED 2009, we are proud to launch Mission Motors, a company building the fastest production electric motorcycle in the world.