Sitting quietly in its laboratory in central Phoenix sits the Formula Lightning. Through the glass doors you can see a modified Prius plugged into a fast charger on a rainy day; a rare sight by any measure.

This lab is the original home office of Energy Flux LLC at its formation, yet the inception of the company actually began with the humble Solar & Electric 500 races in 1991. 

Elliott R. Hobbs, the founder, was only 11 years old at the time, but had been admitted as a college freshman. When the solar races began, the visionary of the race, Ernie Holden encouraged the boy to join a team. He volunteered with a team of former NASA engineers led by Mike Cheiky. Under their guidance, Elliott began a life of testing renewable energy technology at the very edge of the frontier.

Seeing that auto racing had fallen behind the tech race, Hobbs has vowed to revive the vision of his first mentors in the Hybrid 500. 

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Elliott R. Hobbs has been more than a test engineer. He trained for the U.S. gymnastics team, and became a cirque aerialist. He eventually returned to renewable energy, beginning with testing of plug in hybrids in Los Angeles. Through research and development of hybrid fuel systems, he acquired several patents with his teams. Ranging from hydrogen refueling systems to industrial-scale bioreactors, Hybrid 500 is among the most advanced firms in the field of practical demonstration platforms. 

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