ElectraMeccanica Vehicles taps industry pioneer Peter Savagian as board member

ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp (NASDAQ:SOLO) said Monday that the Vancouver-based car maker has appointed electric car pioneer Peter Savagian as an independent director. 

Savagian has industry-wide street cred, as he was the former chief engineer of General Motors’ famous EV1 electric car. GM’s first electric car was popular among environmentalists and Hollywood celebrities like Tom Hanks and Mel Gibson. 

Later, as general director of electrified propulsion at General Motors, Savagian built and led multiple teams to engineer and execute the full range of electrified vehicle propulsion systems. His accomplishments at GM include 13 electrified autos, which include the first modern electric vehicle, the EV1, the first plug-in hybrid, the Chevy Volt, and the industry’s first long-range value EV, the Chevy Bolt.

READ: ElectraMeccanica aiming to create a fun driving experience that is efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly

“Peter’s tenure at General Motors, one of the world’s largest producers of vehicles, in addition to his deep expertise in electric vehicle development and production, makes him an invaluable addition to our board of directors,” said ElectraMeccanica CEO Paul Rivera in a statement.

“We look forward to his guidance in bringing our trend-setting SOLO EV to market.”

The SOLO is a three-wheeled single-passenger car that boasts a top range of 100 miles and speeds of 82 miles per hour on a 17.3-kilowatt hour battery pack.

The vehicle was included in a recent Forbes list of the “coolest new cars” for 2020, amongst names like Aston Martin, Cadillac and Tesla.

Savagian is presently senior vice president of engineering at Ampaire, an electric aircraft start-up where he directs innovation, design, development and certification of electric propulsion systems and their integration into short-haul, fixed-wing electric aircrafts.

The industry veteran holds 44 patents and has authored 17 technical publications in the field of electrification. Savagian holds a BS degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin, an MS degree in operations research engineering from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Duke University.

“I am absolutely elated to join the ElectraMeccanica board of directors. I have dedicated my career to improve the environment via the electrification of transportation, and this forward-looking company is well aligned with this mandate,” said Savagian.  

The industry veteran said it was fulfilling for him to be able to use his experience to help guide the ElectraMeccanica team.

“ElectraMeccanica is on the brink of launching a new segment-defining product, the SOLO, and much more will follow,” said Savagian. “I am convinced that ElectraMeccanica has the opportunity to create new value by connecting with various kinds of customers with its uniquely affordable, practical, fun and fully electric vehicles.”

The firm is developing the all-electric SOLO, a single passenger vehicle, as well as the Tofino, a high-performance two-seater electric roadster sports car.

Contact Uttara Choudhury at [email protected]

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive 

Story by ProactiveInvestors