Taking a company into the next generation of manufacturing requires a great degree of industry experience in both engineering and commercialization, especially when that company is trying to make an impact in the electric drive train market.
Wrightspeed is a manufacturer of range-extended electric vehicle (REV) powertrains for heavy-duty applications and is expanding rapidly to meet growing demand for its award-winning Route REV powertrain systems.
In an effort to expand the company, Wrightspeed has hired four industry veterans to fill roles in its business operations, production and engineering teams and will likely see more hires in the coming years.
The new additions come after the company has recently relocated to an 110,000 sq. ft. manufacturing space in the emerging Alameda Point technology center, following a grant from the California Energy Commission.
The new manufacturing space is held in a transformed U.S. Navy hangar, in the same California town that Google recently began investing in and not too far from consumer-counterpart Tesla’s base of operations, down the Interstate 880 in Fremont.
Wrightspeed’s latest heavyweight additions to their executive team include Tim Dummer, chief business officer, Greg Anderson, VP of manufacturing, Erin Sawyer, supply chain director and Vlad Kalika, director of engineering.
"We've entered a pivotal phase in the company as we scale production to meet global customer demand," said Ian Wright, CEO of Wrightspeed and surprise, surprise, a co-founder of Tesla.
"As we deliver our powertrains to new customers throughout the commercial transportation sector, Tim, Greg, Erin and Vlad bolster our commercialization capabilities and will be instrumental in expanding our industry and global footprint."
Wrightspeed’s expansion is a result of the company’s perception of REV powertrain market that will see strong growth with the push of some creative thinking, according to new chief business officer, Tim Dummer.
"Solving the inefficiencies in heavy and medium duty transportation is a multi-billion-dollar market opportunity, but few existing solutions are both economically compelling and technically viable," said Dummer.
"Wrightspeed has emerged as one of the most promising companies in the space - delivering a product that can outperform incumbent powertrains and attracting global interest from the top players in refuse, delivery and mass transit markets. I'm pleased to join the team as it delivers best-in-class technologies to customers and partners around the world."
Wrightspeed has recently received accolades from the World Economic Forum (WEF), being named a Technology Pioneer. Find out more about the company at their website.