Last month, one of Breathe California’s staunchest supporters passed away at the age of 82 after a long illness. Most of us just knew him as “Bob”.
A leading industry expert, Robert P. Garzee worked as the founder, board chair, and Chief Executive Officer of Synergy EV, Inc. for more than 16 years. He played a pivotal role in advancing electric vehicle technology for motorsports, school transportation, and commercial fleets. From 1993 to 2007, he spearheaded the EV Spectrums exhibition, a landmark event that showcased innovations from Silicon Valley’s leading technology developers. As founder and Chief Executive Officer of Green Fleets Group, he led initiatives in financing, development, workforce training, and marketing to promote environmentally conscious transportation solutions.
Bob championed environmental sustainability long before it became mainstream, focusing on the “green impact” of his work rather than chasing commercial success. Leading by example, he and his team upheld rigorous ethical standards, conducting in-depth research while transforming cars, trucks, buses, golf carts, and more from gas-powered engines to clean electric systems. With groundbreaking achievements in electric vehicle technology dating back to 2001—years ahead of industry giants like Tesla—Bob took special pride in his charitable efforts, including converting diesel school buses into eco-friendly electric vehicles to protect children and the planet while helping save money for schools and preventing unnecessary expenditures on new buses.
Breathe California presented its Clean Air Award for Transportation to Bob in 2007 for “leadership in the development of the Electronic Transportation Development Center in the Silicon Valley, to encourage design and production of alternative fuel vehicles”; and in 2011 for “advancing the use of alternative fueled vehicles through education, advocacy, financing assistance and showcasing of vehicles in multiple forums.”
Robert Garzee was responsible for Breathe California’s designation as the Host Agency for the Silicon Valley Clean Cities Coalition in 2008, advocating to our organization, the City of San Jose, and the U.S. Department of Energy to make this happen.
In 2012, Bob was finally able to find an inventor/engineer in Florida who could design the bus repower away from diesel, and we assembled a team of seven SVCCC stakeholders who were successful in accomplishing our dream to put into service the world’s first full-size, 84 passenger school bus in 2014, garnering world-wide attention and a spot on Motor Trend. It was partially solar-powered and used telemetry monitoring, and we were even looking into using it for bidirectional energy.
Bob spearheaded countless events for SVCCC, from trainings to participation in parades and car shows, to our first vehicle demonstrations, and got all sites, personnel, promotion, and even food donated. He made numerous trips to Sacramento to advocate to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Energy Commission (CEC). He attended national Clean Cities meetings at his own expense. He served as Chair of the SVCCC Advisory Board until his health failed recently.
Bob was a talkative EV enthusiast who shared with hundreds of people at our Breath of Life Walk and Ride-and-Drive events, one of Breathe California’s most loyal of volunteers, and the most generous of our supporters. His energy drove us into new territory, and he supported us all the way.
Breathe California mourns Bob Garzee’s passing and will continue to draw inspiration from the decades that he spent working to preserve the environment and the health of communities in the United States and abroad.
