When Jonathan Powers was racing UTVs professionally, he wanted what every racer wants: a factory sponsorship.
He was fast. He was loyal. And he was literally a mechanical engineer who could provide technical feedback on the vehicles. It seemed like a no-brainer.
He pitched Polaris. He begged them. He told them he would be their biggest advocate.
They said no.
And looking back, Jonathan says that rejection was the moment they "created a villain."
Because he didn’t just get mad. He got to work… eventually turning to build Super Powers Mobility (SPM). Check it out on the latest Thought Liters below.
Quick thanks! For everyone that joined me in Pittsburgh for the live Thought Liters: On Tap event with Ryan Shazier, I’m so glad you joined us. ICMYI, here’s a quick post on it. Full recap and video to come.
The Key to the Future: the Powertrain
At the heart of the electric revolution, and the SPM story is the powertrain: the integrated system of battery, inverter, and motor that replaces the combustion engine's hundreds of moving parts with silent, instant torque.
Post-racing career, Jon worked for Honda, where he helped design ATVs and UTVs. Then, as an engineer at Tesla, he bridged the gap between design and manufacturing for the Cybertruck — and got to test the vehicle off road.
Turns out, it rips (don’t let anyone tell you different). Jon realized that electric powertrains offer superior control for rock crawling and hill climbing, providing immediate power without the lag of a transmission.
Plug time: you can preorder the conversion kit here. You can get a turnkey vehicle from SPM here.
Quick on Dirt, Quicker to Market
So, when Jon went all in on his entrepreneurial dream of founding SPM, guess where he started? Yep, the powertrain.
See, getting a regular ol’ vehicle to market takes years. SPM is racing to market in less than one (certifiably nuts for any hardware company). Jon is accomplishing this feat by strategically decoupling the technology from the chassis. Instead of building a ground-up vehicle immediately, SPM focused on developing a proprietary electric powertrain and selling it as a conversion kit for existing combustion UTVs.
If it sounds familiar…this is how Tesla got to market quicker than others, too. The original Roadster was a converted Lotus.
This approach is allowing the team to bypass years of chassis development, moving faster than the industry giants to get product into customers' hands. By operating in "stealth mode" for nearly eight months, the team designed and built a functional proof-of-concept vehicle in record time, proving that a lean startup can outmaneuver bureaucratic OEMs who are still years away from electric dominance.
Why You Should Watch
This is probably my favorite Thought Liters I’ve done to date. Here are a few reasons why:
Jon’s energy, “villain origin story” and all: Jon’s the kind of founder I vibe best with — charisma, grit, resilience, and a bad ass product. Granted, I hold a special place in my heart for racers, but Jon’s a through and through storyteller that will keep you engaged for hours (even though this video is shorter than that!).
Jon’s moment of realization: I didn’t know much about Cybertruck other than it looks kinda goofy on the road. So to get Jon’s perspective from inside, and learn about its capabilities off road were a truly interesting angle I don’t think many will have heard.
The Test Drive: My personal favorite part: in the last several minutes of the episode, we actually climb into the SPM prototype and rip it over a few hundred acres of Western Pennsylvania dirt (plus a hill climb). I think you’ll really love that.
The story, and the future of off road, is electric.
This concludes our “Six Pack” series, in partnership with Innovation Works. Major thanks to Jane Joseph, Ven Raju, and the IW team for making intros to a few of their prized investments from this year for this special type of storytelling.
If you enjoyed this episode: like or comment on YouTube. That drives visibility more than anything. Consider subscribing as well.
If you use Spotify, I got you. If you use Apple, I got you.
And: if you know someone whose story should be told here: please reach out.
Cheers!
Adam
