Follow a PEG on the Appalachian Trail

Created on Tuesday, 27 March 2012 11:39

Regular readers of our blog will remember Chris Odom - Chris has been waiting for the new version of the nPower® PEG for a long time, and we finally got him a beta test prototype, just in time for his thru hike of the Appalachian Trail this summer.

You can follow Chris's thru hike at his excellent trail blog.  In addition to incredibly detailed trail notes, Chris is writing about his experience using the nPower® PEG on his through hike.  

Fortunately, I have an nPower Peg by Tremont Electric, which generates electrical power as I walk.  In my hammock each night I use the Peg to charge my phone.  In fact, I am using it as I was writing this.  (See last image below.)  After 45 minutes of writing (with the screen darkened to 28%), the Droid's battery improved to 90%, and the Peg's LED indicator light was still green. 

Thanks Chris!  Keep it up!  The more Chris walks, the more electricity he'll be generating.  Good thing it's a long hike!  Here's Chris's PEG in his tent.

Tremont Electric sponsors Climate Leadership Gala in DC March 27

Created on Tuesday, 20 March 2012 18:40

Tremont Electric, makers of the nPower® PEG, the world’s first passive kinetic energy charger for personal hand-held electronics, will sponsor the VIP reception and cocktail hour at the 3rd Annual Climate Leadership Gala at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, Tuesday, March 27, 2012.  Placed in your backpack, briefcase, or purse, the nPower® PEG harvests your kinetic energy as you walk and stores it for use when you need it - off the grid.

The Gala brings together leaders of industry, government and the NGO community to celebrate achievements, discuss how to remove impediments, and forge a path to a post-carbon future. The Gala is the centerpiece of the Creating Climate Wealth Summit.

“We believe kinetic energy generation should be at the center of a carbon-free future,” said Aaron LeMieux, Tremont Electric founder & CEO, and inventor of nPower® technology.  “Kinetic energy is all around us, and we are committed to giving consumers the ability to harvest it for their own electricity, at the consumer level and long term, on a commercial scale.”

The Gala will award The 2012 Women and the Green Economy (WAGE™) Leadership Award to Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action.  “As a woman helping to lead a clean energy startup, it’s a great honor to sponsor the Gala this year,” said Jill LeMieux, VP of Marketing at Tremont Electric. 

New York Times columnist Tom Friedman will keynote, with a guest performance by 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Jackson Browne.  

Talking Points Memo covers the nPower® PEG

Created on Thursday, 15 March 2012 18:13

Nice interview today in Talking Points Memo with our founder & CEO Aaron LeMieux.  

PEG 2.0 weights just under a pound and is compatible with all mini-USB devices, including Android and Apple mobile devices (Apple through an adapter cable). It costs $170 and will go on sale in the next few weeks on Tremont’s website, according to LeMieux.

“Everything we learned in the first version is going to be incorporated into the new one,” Aaron continued. “This is meant to be a mass-produced device.”

Stay tuned folks!

Tremont Electric presenting at NASDAQ Next Great Consumer Brands Showcase

Created on Friday, 09 March 2012 16:37

Wednesday, March 14, Founder and CEO Aaron LeMieux will present at the Next Great Consumer Brands Showcase at the NASDAQ in Times Square, sponsored by Consensus Advisors, a boutique investment banking and financial advisory firm based in Boston, New York and London. Consensus focuses exclusively on the retail and consumer products industries. Here's a PDF of the official press release.

SXSW Startup Bus gets nPower® PEG prototypes

Created on Tuesday, 06 March 2012 17:02

Can't keep a good startup down.  

Cleveland-based Tremont Electric donates three of their nPowerPeg backup battery charger for hand-held electronics that uses the energy you generate while walking, running, or biking. They are donating 3 chargers for our use on the #CincyStartupBus to Austin.

Here we come!

Making a customer happy with a beta test unit

Created on Tuesday, 06 March 2012 14:32

Here at Tremont Electric, we feel like Chris Odom is family.  Chris bought one of the original nPower® PEGs, and it had issues.  Booo!  So Chris has been waiting on the new PEG.  And waiting.  And waiting.  Just like us!  Now that we have a newly designed PEG, Chris is the very first hiker to get a beta test unit, and he's taking it onto the Appalachian Trail.  Chris hits the trail this weekend, and wrote us up on his blog.  

I'm so happy having this last piece of the puzzle fit in place.  Just in time, too.  I actually purchasaed the PEG last fall, but the internal batteries were defective and I returned it to the company.  After receiving the defective unit, Tremont Electric contacted me to ask if I wanted to wait a few months for a unit with more capacity.  I jumped at the opportunity, for my original peg was well-built and solid.  Unofrtunately, delays from their manufaturer kept pushing back the deployment of the new devices.  I was getting nervous that I'd be without a power option, so I made a nuisance of myself to the nice folks at Tremont Electric by calling every other week as my departure date drew ear.  Needless to say, I was thrilled to hear from them today.  I think it goes to show how dedicated this company is to hikers and other human-powered activities.

I can't wait to beta-test the device on the Trail.  The nerd in me is so happy!

You just made our day, Chris.  The unit's on the way.