Every so often, our editorial staff selects one aftermarket industry professional to get to know a little better. Participants are asked to respond to a series of questions that can be answered in about the same amount of time you might spend chatting at the office coffee pot or waiting for an elevator. In this installment of “5 Minutes With,” we get to know a little more about Jim Castelaz, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Motiv Power Systems. Castelaz is a leading electric vehicle entrepreneur, trained as an electrical engineer with expertise in power and embedded systems. Jim champions Motiv’s vision to free fleets from fossil fuels – a vision that summarizes his professional and personal passion. He has led Motiv from an idea in his living room to becoming the U.S. market leader in common-platform electric truck and bus chassis. Jim’s experience includes capital formation, government grants, developing IP portfolios and building a world-class team aligned around a shared purpose. Jim holds an MSEE from Stanford University and BS in Engineering and Economics from Harvey Mudd College. 

Tell us about your role and what you like best about it. 

I’m Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Motiv Power Systems, where we make all-electric medium-duty trucks and buses. What I like best about my roles is that I get to wear both hats and align our cutting-edge technology together with our overarching mission of freeing fleets from fossil fuels. I’m passionate about bringing ideas from both sides of the pendulum into one cohesive solution and working with the team toward one shared goal – whether it’s in strategic planning, tech road-mapping or problem solving for customers. 

What career would you pursue if you didn’t do what you do now?

Funnily enough, I’ve been in love with electrification since I was in the first grade. We had an assignment creating posters all about what we wanted to be when we grew up – and my dream was to build electric cars. From a young age, I was fascinated by the prospect of building and tinkering with things. Through and through, my passion follows electromechanical systems. If I wasn’t building EV trucks, I’d probably be engineering something else that brings together mechanical and electrical domains.

What advice would you give your 20-year-old self just starting out?  

I’d tell 20-year-old Jim to spend more time and energy building relationships with people who I worked with and admired. Some of my most fruitful accomplishments were born out of the mentorship and learning I have experienced since college from these people, and I think I would have benefited from investing more time and energy into those relationships and more relationships like them. It takes a lot of teamwork, humility and optimism to both start and maintain a company – so I’d tell myself back then and aspiring entrepreneurs today to lead with community and humility at the core of everything you do.

Do you have a favorite podcast or YouTube channel? Please share!

Thanks to my love for fixing things, I watch a lot of how-to videos on YouTube. Whenever something needs to be done around the house, my first move is to figure out how to do it myself instead of making a phone call. You’ll often find me taking something old and finding a new purpose for it – this actually happens to be the perfect marriage of my engineering and sustainability interests.

Skill Check: Think fast – does your car have a cabin air filter and do you know where it is located?            

I’m sure it’s no surprise that I drive an electric vehicle, but my Tesla does in fact have an air filter in the left kick panel of the passenger seat. Quick side note: my first EV was an early generation Nissan Leaf. 

Name a favorite trip you’ve made or one place on your “bucket list” you’d like to see? 

I recently took my three oldest kids on a backpacking trip in Kauai, and we hiked a trail on the Nāpali Coast. That’s easily my favorite trip, but in terms of what’s on the bucket list, maybe some climbing in Antarctica. I’m inspired by the story of Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, an Irish explorer who led a handful of expeditions to the Antarctic, including the most famous one attempting to cross Antarctica. Although his team shipwrecked and ultimately didn’t accomplish their goal, they worked together to persevere through some pretty wild hardships. It’s a tale of leadership I’ve always looked up to and carry its lessons with me at Motiv.  

What one word would your coworkers use to describe you?

Passionate.