Tim DraperFounder and Managing Partne, Draper Associate · I back the ideas that look crazy first

Imagine shaving off 50-60% of a vehicle's weight: that's exactly what Planet Electric is doing! 🌏

18 Oct 2025 · 1 min

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0:30

In this brief video segment, the speaker emphasizes that aerospace engineers obsess over weight, arguing that if a technology can reduce a vehicle’s mass by 50‑60%, it should be applied to all automobiles. Such a reduction would slash battery requirements by roughly half, leading to a dramatic decrease in the upfront carbon footprint—estimated at 2‑3 gigatons of CO₂ per year—thereby making a substantial contribution toward climate goals. The speaker conveys enthusiasm for this potential impact.

The one thing aerospace engineers don't like is weight. If I can shave off 50 to 60% of the weight, why shouldn't I? If that technology is applied to all automobiles out there, you are looking at a potential 50% reduction in battery across, which means upfront carbon footprint really drops down to almost 2 to 3 gigatons of carbon dioxide per year. And that's huge in our climate goals. So yeah, keeps us passionate.