AeroVironment AV

AV was founded in 1971 by celebrated physicist and engineer Dr. Paul MacCready, who Time magazine called one of the "greatest minds of the 20th century". For the next two decades, with the vision of "doing more with much less", the AV team pioneered a succession of groundbreaking vehicles including the Solar Challenger, the Sunraycer, and the General Motors Impact. These and 30 other "world's first"; vehicles cemented AV's position as a premiere development facility for breakthrough vehicle systems.

During the 1990s, the company expanded its focus from contract-based research and development to include the development of production products. In the next ten years, AV developed a portfolio of highly efficient, innovative products with commercial and government applications, including the Charger bicycle, SODAR, the Universal Solar Pump Controller, and an extensive line of market-leading Power Processing Systems.

AV targeted two of these pioneering products - a small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) named "Pointer," and a high-current electric vehicle charger called "PosiCharge" - for broad, commercial launch based on the products' unique, market-changing capabilities and significant market potential. In 2001, after a period of rigorous research, market validation, and business planning, AV launched its small UAS and PosiCharge product lines. Lead customers included the U.S. Department of Defense (small UAS), and Ford Motor Co. and American Airlines (PosiCharge).