Arcimoto Appoints Chris Dawson as Chief Executive Officer
EUGENE, Ore., April 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Arcimoto, Inc.® (NASDAQ: FUV), makers of rightsized, ultra-efficient electric vehicles for moving people and stuff, today announced that Christopher W. Dawson has been appointed to the role of Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Mr. Dawson joined the Company’s Board in August of 2022 and will continue to serve as a director. Jesse Fittipaldi, who had served as Interim Chief Executive Officer, has been named President, reporting directly to Mr. Dawson. Dwayne Lum who has served as Chief Product Officer will be assuming the role of COO and Terry Becker who serves as a Board Director will head up the Tilting Motor Works Division and TRiO product family. Doug Campoli who had served as CFO left the company April 14th.
Mr. Dawson has extensive experience in the electric vehicle (EV) space, having been working on the development of EVs for on-road, off-road and the battlefield for the last 10 years. He is a former U.S. Navy submarine nuclear chemist and helicopter flight instructor. He holds an MBA from University of Denver, a BS in Nuclear Technologies from Excelsior College and a certification in Helicopter Flight Instruction from Aims Community College.
“Chris is the right leader for Arcimoto,” said Arcimoto Founder and Chairman Mark Frohnmayer. “He brings a wealth of electric vehicle manufacturing and business expertise to the company, from the pivotal roles he played during the scale up of the Model 3 to his proven track record of delivering on commercial and government vehicle contracts. I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing his no-nonsense, roll up the sleeves style, and appreciated his intentional approach since his appointment to the board of directors last summer. His extensive experience and laser focus on efficiency is essential in accelerating Arcimoto’s next phase of growth.”
“I stand ready to lead Arcimoto at a time when I believe it is primed for liftoff,” said Chris Dawson, Chief Executive Officer, Arcimoto. “It is abundantly clear that the future demands right sized electric mobility and Arcimoto has the leading platform in this space. My immediate focus will be on accelerating strategic partnerships, capital formation for scale, and the continued refinement and growth of our sales efforts. My time on the board allows me to hit the ground running and I look forward to working alongside Jesse, Dwayne, and the rest of Arcimoto’s leadership team to unlock this venture’s true potential.”
Mr. Dawson most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of Nikola Tesla Co., an engineering services company with projects that include electrification, hybridization, EV charging, hydrogen powertrain development, hydrogen powered VTOL, hydrogen power systems, fuel cell and hydrogen electrolyzer development. He served as the Chief Technology Officer for two other companies, HNO international and Tesla Aerial Robotics, as well as Chief Engineer on various U.S. Department of Defense projects. Mr. Dawson was an initial investor in Atlis Motor Vehicles in 2019, and subsequently led Research and Development, Engineering, and Product Development as Vice President of Manufacturing Engineering in 2020-21 for the XT Truck, XP Platforms, and AMV Battery Cell. Mr. Dawson started at Tesla in 2012 as a contractor and came on full time in 2014. During the subsequent five years he held positions of increasingly progressive responsibility, culminating as Senior Manufacturing Engineer and Maintenance Manager. In these roles, Mr. Dawson led manufacturing and sustaining engineering teams for Tesla on battery production, the Model S/X line and Model 3 general assembly.
By Press Release – April 20, 2023
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