[NEWS] EV startup Lucid Motors snaps up Tesla’s former production executive – Loganspace

Lucid Motors,the electric car startup backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, has employed Peter Hochholdinger to circulation up manufacturing operations dazzling every week after data leaked the automotive executive hadleft a identical put up at Tesla.

Hochholdinger was an executive atAudifor added than two a long time sooner than joining Tesla as its high manufacturing executive in 2016. He oversawTesla’scar factory in Fremont, Calif., its castings plight in Lathrop, Calif., as smartly as its Tilburg facility in The Netherlands. Hochholdinger was senior director of manufacturing for Audi A4, A5 and Q5 when he left for Tesla.

The automotive former will lead Lucid’s global manufacturing operations, beginning with its deliberate factory in Casa Grande, Ariz. He’ll also oversee manufacturing engineering, according to Lucid.

Hochholdinger’s departure from Tesla and his arrival at Lucid comes at a well-known time for both firms. Tesla has struggled within the previous two years to clutch bottlenecks within the manufacturing of the Mannequin 3. Whereas it has smoothed out unheard of of those disorders, it’s about to embark on its next car, the Mannequin Y.

Meanwhile, Lucid, which targets to be a competitor to Tesla, is on the verge of producing its first electric car, the Lucid Air.

Lucid will need the extra or less institutional knowledge Hochholdinger won over his occupation because it moves in the direction of its first manufacturing car, the Lucid Air, as smartly as future models.

Lucid Motors was based 10 years within the past with a excellent title and mission. The corporate, known as Atieva on the time, was thinking about developing electric car battery technology. It then shifted to producing electric vehicles and changed its title in 2016.

Since its pivot, the company has unveiled the Air, launched plans to originate a $700 million factory in Arizona and signed a take care of Samsung SDI to originate it with lithium-ion batteries and moved intogigantic contemporary digs. Lucid entered a aloof duration because it sought funding to originate its factory, at closing touchdown a $1 billion funding from Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund.

Lucid said on the time that the $1 billion in funding might maybe be outdated to total engineering construction and attempting out of the Lucid Air, create its factory in Arizona, originate the global rollout of its retail approach beginning in North The United States and enter manufacturing.