By Alexandra Dean
Bloomberg BusinessWeek
Ben Gulak thinks there's a ready market for a
high-performance extreme sports vehicle that goes up to 30 miles an hour and
boasts a three-foot turning radius. Designing his dream-the DTV Shredder-has
been a long and arduous process, but the seasoned automotive engineer refused
to hurry it into production. Why rush when you're all of 23 years old?
A science prodigy who says he never much liked science
class, Gulak began his career when he was 17 in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. With the goal of
winning Intel's (INTC) International
Science and Engineering Fair, he decided to make a vehicle for his senior
project that would combine the technology of the electric Segway upright
two-wheeler with the sleekness of a motorcycle. The result was the Uno, an
electric vehicle that could transform from unicycle into motorcycle mid-ride
with the flip of a switch. Gulak hoped to market the Uno to consumers in Asia as an eco-friendly transportation option.
The project caught the eye of Intel's then-chairman, Craig
Barrett, and Gulak won the award for the most marketable project. Media noticed
as well-the Uno soon wound up on the cover of Popular Science magazine. Gulak then went on Canadian reality show
The Dragons' Den, where he persuaded angel investors to pledge $1.25 million
for the Uno's development. In the end, though, regulatory hurdles killed the
Uno. "Segway spent almost a quarter billion dollars getting their vehicle
certified for sidewalk use," he says. "I would never be able to raise the
capital to certify [the Uno] for use anywhere."
To see the rest of the story and view photos, go here: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-08-23/ben-gulaks-dtv-shredder-all-terrain-vehicle
