# Drew Baglino

> Drew Baglino spent 18 years at Tesla building the guts of the electric age - the Model S powertrain, the Powerwall and Megapack, the 4680 battery cell and a clean-sheet 50 GWh factory in Texas. In 2024 he walked away as Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Energy and aimed his next act at the one piece of grid hardware almost nobody had touched in a century: the transformer. His startup, Heron Power, builds software-controlled solid-state transformers and in February 2026 raised a $140 million Series B co-led by Andreessen Horowitz and Breakthrough Energy Ventures to build a 40 GW U.S. factory. He also quietly founded a residential heat-pump company, Sadi Thermal Machines.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Heron Power
- **Organizations:** Heron Power, Sadi Thermal Machines, Tesla, Resources for the Future
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Electrical Engineering (with honors in environmental science and public policy), Stanford University
- **Known for:** Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Energy Engineering at Tesla (2019-2024), Powertrain Architect for the 2012 Tesla Model S and designer of its dual-motor system, Founder of Tesla's energy engineering organization; launched and ramped Powerwall, Powerpack and Megapack

## Career timeline

- **early 2000s** — Conducted hydrogen fuel research in New Zealand while studying at Stanford
- **pre-2006** — Worked at Resources for the Future, an energy and environment think tank in Washington, DC, on transportation policy analysis
- **2006** — Joined Tesla as an electrical engineer in San Carlos, California, working on test equipment and motor controller firmware for the Roadster
- **2012** — Served as Powertrain Architect for the Tesla Model S; designed its dual-motor system and powertrain control algorithms
- **2014** — Became director of engineering for Tesla Energy and formed the company's energy engineering organization (Powerwall, Powerpack, Megapack)
- **2018** — Named a Tesla corporate officer; took on motor, battery and power electronics engineering organizations
- **2019** — Promoted to Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Energy Engineering
- **2019-2024** — Led development of the 4680 battery cell and dry-electrode process, plus a clean-sheet 50 GWh battery factory and materials refineries in Texas
- **2024** — Resigned from Tesla on April 15 after 18 years; founded Heron Power
- **2025** — Heron Power raised a ~$38M Series A led by Capricorn; Baglino also founded Sadi Thermal Machines (heat pumps) in June
- **2026** — Heron Power raised a $140M Series B co-led by Andreessen Horowitz and Breakthrough Energy Ventures to build a 40 GW U.S. factory

## Achievements

- Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Energy Engineering at Tesla (2019-2024)
- Powertrain Architect for the 2012 Tesla Model S and designer of its dual-motor system
- Founder of Tesla's energy engineering organization; launched and ramped Powerwall, Powerpack and Megapack
- Led development of Tesla's 4680 battery cell and dry-electrode manufacturing process
- Oversaw a clean-sheet 50 GWh battery factory and materials refineries in Texas
- Founded Heron Power and raised $178M total funding (Series A + $140M Series B)
- Booked over 40-50 GW of solid-state transformer orders with more than a dozen prospective customers
- Founded a second company, Sadi Thermal Machines, focused on residential heat pumps

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Reported to have founded Sadi Thermal Machines, a residential heat-pump startup sharing Heron Power's Scotts Valley HQ.
- **2026-02** — Heron Power raised a $140M Series B co-led by a16z and Breakthrough Energy Ventures to build a 40 GW U.S. solid-state transformer factory, targeting pilot production in early 2027.

## Links

- Website: https://heronpower.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/baglino
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/baglino

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/drew-baglino
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-12