In 1996, aspiring entrepreneur and excited third-grader, Sammy Urtzal, marveled at the documentary playing on the boxy 20-inch TV in her teacher’s classroom. “Global Warming: greenhouse gases are released via the burning of fossil fuels by factories, airplanes, and cars”. She stared at the illuminated screen in awe, her tiny eight-year-old mind comprehending none of the information but recognizing something was wrong with the way society functioned. Walking home from school that day, Urtzal was blasted by the smoky black exhaust of a gasoline-powered car in his neighborhood. Dirty-clothed, coughing, and determined, young Sammy wanted to share her newfound vision for a cleaner, more sustainable way of driving from that point onwards. Nearly 25 years later, her electric automobile company would go on to become one of America’s leaders in environmentally conscious cars.
