CHARLESTON, S.C. – Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) announced today the winners of its 2015 Energy Security Prize at an event at Founders Hall in Charleston, S.C., awarding a total of $175,000 to companies whose innovations are poised to advance American energy security by helping to end the United States’ dependence on oil. Momentum Dynamics, this year’s grand prize winner, received $125,000, while runners up FreeWire Technologies and Peloton Technology received $35,000 and $15,000 respectively.
Grand prize winner Momentum Dynamics seeks to take DC fast charging for electric vehicles to the next level, pioneering a wireless charging system designed for the workplace and public locations like shopping centers and restaurants. Their unique 25-kilowatt wireless charging pad delivers power via magnetic induction ten times faster than home-based plug-in chargers, overcoming barriers to EV adoption by allowing EVs to charge frequently, quickly, and automatically.
First runner up FreeWire Technologies’ Mobi electric vehicle (EV) charger helps eliminate the “charge rage” facing areas with high EV adoption and insufficient charging capacity.
Second runner up Peloton Technology’s wireless communications system and cloud-based management links sensors and braking between pairs of trucks to provide dramatic aerodynamic fuel savings and increased safety.
Videos showcasing these companies and their technologies can be viewed atwww.secureenergy.org
“Ending oil’s near-exclusive monopoly on the U.S. transportation sector requires ideas and products that are not only innovative, but marketable and cost-effective,” said SAFE President and CEO Robbie Diamond. “I want to congratulate Momentum Dynamics and all of today’s winners, who have shown that small businesses across the country are working to find the solutions we need to reduce the United States’ dependence on oil. I am excited to see where these companies will be in a few short years, having already worked so hard to get their products production-ready.”
“I also want to thank the Zucker Family and The InterTech Group for their integral role in making the Prize a tremendous success,” Diamond added. “This year’s Prize is given in memory of InterTech Founder Jerry Zucker, whose passion for developing and bringing new technologies to market serves as an inspiration to SAFE and all of our finalists.”
“SAFE is one of the most prestigious organizations in the United States that is promoting innovation in transportation in a fundamental way, capable of bringing us all together by crossing political boundaries,” said Momentum Dynamics CEO and grand prize winner Andy Daga. “To have our technology be recognized by SAFE is an unbelievable honor, and we look forward to working with them more as wireless charging becomes reality worldwide for electric vehicles.”
CNBC broadcast live interviews with the finalists and announced the winner on-air on Power Lunch. The event featured business and thought leaders from South Carolina and across the country, including senior executives from GE, Siemens, Proterra, Versa – A Company by Battelle, and Michelin. Attendees heard remarks from Anita Zucker, Chair and CEO of The InterTech Group, General T. Michael Moseley (Ret.), 18th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, and Larry Kellerman, Managing Partner of Twenty-First Century Utilities, who spoke to the national and economic security benefits of lessening America’s near-exclusive reliance on oil to power transportation.
This year’s Energy Security Prize is Powered by The InterTech Group, based in Charleston, and is awarded in memory of the company’s Founder, President and CEO, Jerry Zucker. Mr. Zucker was driven by a life-long passion to create technologies that could revolutionize the world and improve the health of our country. As a prominent businessman, Mr. Zucker worked tirelessly not only to discover these technologies but to bring them to market quickly and efficiently. Mr. Zucker was passionate about the significant advancements technology could make in reducing America’s dependence on oil, thus strengthening our country’s economic and national security.
About Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE)
Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) is a nonpartisan organization that aims to reduce America’s dependence on oil and improve U.S. energy security to bolster national security and strengthen the economy. SAFE advocates for expanded domestic production of U.S. oil and gas resources, continued improvements in fuel efficiency, and in the long-term, breaking oil’s stranglehold on the transportation sector through alternatives like natural gas for heavy-duty trucks and plug-in electric vehicles. In 2006, SAFE joined with General P.X. Kelley (Ret.), 28th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, and Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President, and CEO of FedEx Corporation, to form the Energy Security Leadership Council (ESLC), a group of business and former military leaders committed to reducing the United States’ dependence on oil.
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