Luke Workman
Luke Workman is Chief Scientist at Electric Goddess and has been a key innovator in the battery industry for over 20 years, with design and validation work spanning Microsoft, Zero Motorcycles, Alphabet, Joby Aviation, Airbus, Farasis, and more. His Zero Motorcycles pack produced one of the most rugged and energy-dense pouch cell batteries on the market, one that has stood the test of time.
A hotrodder at heart, Luke speaks both gas engines and battery systems. He is a true bridge between the two, and a zealot for safely pushing the limits of energy.
Story
Power density, discovered early
Before batteries were a career, they were RC cars and RC helicopters, and young Luke could see the massive potential for power density in battery-powered systems. An internship focused on fluid mechanics at a lab that designs engines for Le Mans, Winston Cup, and NHRA took him deep into internal combustion, until he realized that even a lifetime devoted to squeezing efficiency out of gas engines would be capped by thermodynamic first principles.
He became fully invested in the future of batteries and took his first professional battery job in 2006 as a critical engineer for data centers. Luke has a lifelong passion for hotrodding and racing, which started in gas engines and is now exclusively electric.
The eagle eye
Luke identifies design and hazard risks with eagle-like precision. He moves from macro to micro across disciplines of physics and somehow ties it all together, and he has learned over the years to pause and check that everyone is still swimming with him.
He enjoys contemplating the nature of reality and what it means, practically, for battery system design with a gentle nudge from Erika.
At Electric Goddess
Luke curated a test lab to accommodate consulting and provide tough-to-get data for clients' questions. He leads test planning that pushes batteries in radical conditions, thoroughly assessing performance and safety margins tailored to the application. Across land, sea, air, and space, he has helped clients design, develop, and validate rugged, reliable battery products.
Beyond batteries, Luke and Erika can solve challenges across the physics spectrum. For example, they once diagnosed and resolved EMI-related control problems for a rocket company, which helped enable a successful launch to LEO.
Luke has had the honor of more than 22 years of mentorship from David Ercegovic, retired NASA engineer and the designer and validation engineer for the Voyager probe RTG. Electric Goddess is thankful to have many wonderful, genius mentors who support our mission and growth.
