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Lived experience, Think Autism Melbourne 2026
Chelle Norris built an electric campervan company on assumptions others had accepted
In short
At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, the founder of Found Power said neurodivergence was the reason the company existed, because it let the founder connect industries that others treated as separate.
Read it instead, 4 minutesThe transcript
The story
Chelle Norris told the autistic entrepreneurs showcase at Think Autism Melbourne on 30 May 2026 that their neurodivergence is the reason their company exists. The company, Found Power, builds electric campervans and rents them out for road trips. Norris described its origin as a refusal to accept a set of assumptions that, in Norris’s words, a lot of people had accepted.
The pitch began with a personal enthusiasm and a market claim. Road tripping and campervanning were what Norris loved more than anything in the world, and Norris was not alone. More than 100 million people take road trips, producing billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide, and less than 1 per cent of those trips happen in an electric vehicle. Anyone wanting to explore Australia in a campervan right now, Norris said, would find that every option is diesel.
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Sources the story draws on
- Australia completes first standards compliant V2G energy discharge (opens in a new tab), Australasian Fleet Management Association (AfMA), Anby Alcomendas
- Australia's first full battery electric camper vans are now available for hire (opens in a new tab), The Driven (Bryce Gaton)
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