Drew Baglino, a former senior vice president at Tesla, has quietly launched a new venture dubbed Sadi Thermal Machines. This marks the second startup established by the industry veteran since his departure from the electric vehicle manufacturer in early 2024. Business filings indicate that the firm was incorporated in June 2025 and is currently operating out of the same Scotts Valley, California, headquarters as Heron Power, Baglino’s other clean-energy project focused on solid-state transformers.

The name of the new company honors Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot, the French physicist whose foundational research into thermodynamics paved the way for modern heat pump and internal combustion engine technology. While details surrounding the startup’s specific product roadmap remain limited, professional network data suggests the company has already attracted a team comprised of former Tesla employees, signaling a continued focus on high-efficiency energy hardware.

Baglino brings extensive expertise to this new endeavor, having spent nearly two decades at Tesla overseeing the development of battery systems, electric motors, and power electronics. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in designing the company’s sophisticated thermal management systems, including the ‘octovalve’ technology used in the Model Y to regulate battery and cabin temperatures. His experience in miniaturizing heat pump technology for the constrained environment of a vehicle provides a strong technical foundation for the development of residential or commercial HVAC solutions.

The launch of Sadi Thermal Machines aligns with previous public discussions involving Baglino and Tesla leadership regarding the potential for applying automotive thermal technology to the home. While Tesla previously expressed interest in entering the residential HVAC market, it has yet to release a consumer-facing product in that sector. By establishing his own firm, Baglino appears to be moving forward with the mission of accelerating sustainable energy adoption through advanced thermal engineering.