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Peter Rawlinson (engineer)

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Peter Rawlinson
Rawlinson in 2019
Alma materImperial College London
Occupation(s)CEO and CTO of Lucid Motors
Known forTesla Model S, Lucid Motors

Peter Rawlinson is a British businessman and engineer based in California. He is the chief executive officer,[1] chief technology officer, and board member[2] of Lucid Motors and is known for his work as Chief Vehicle Engineer of the Tesla Model S and the Lucid Air.[3]

Early life and education

Rawlinson was born in 1957 and grew up in South Wales and attended schooling in Cowbridge, a market town near Cardiff.[4] He considered going to art school before deciding to become an engineer.[5] Rawlinson attended Imperial College London, graduating from the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1979.[6]

Career

Rawlinson has held several positions in the UK automotive industry, including Principal Engineer at Jaguar Cars, Chief Engineer at Lotus Cars and Head of Vehicle Engineering at Corus Automotive.[7] Rawlinson was one of the first people in the UK to use computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE); in the 1980s, his team created Jaguar's first intranet to transfer engineering files from computer to computer.[8]

Rawlinson joined Tesla in February[9] 2009[10] as Vice President and Chief Vehicle Engineering of Tesla Model S.[11] One week after joining, he told his boss, Elon Musk, that the early Model S prototype was a "false dawn" and that Rawlinson's 6-person team would have to restart the engineering work on Tesla's flagship vehicle from a "clean sheet."[12]

Rawlinson was responsible for the technical execution and delivery of the Model S,[13] improving structure and production by taking advantage of the fewer restrictions facilitated by electric vehicle drivetrain. [14][15][16][17] At Tesla, Rawlinson built a team of 150 engineers and drew upon his knowledge of computational prototyping, digital wind tunnels and other CAD and CAE work from his advanced engineering work in the UK.[18] Rawlinson said that, from 2009-2012, "Tesla was truly at the cutting edge, developing the most advanced technology with clarity, a vision and purpose, and an absolute singularity of mindset.”[19] He resigned his position at Tesla in January 2012[20] to move back home to the UK and care for his aging mother.[21]

Rawlinson helped launch Lucid Motors in 2016 as the Chief Technology Officer[22] and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2019.[23] He oversees the development of the Lucid Air and Lucid Gravity.[24] His goal is to make Lucid a "major volume player," including the planned late 2024 launch of an electric SUV and a planned 2026 launch of a mid-sized sedan.[25] His name is on dozens of patents for battery technology or other innovations, and Rawlinson oversaw Lucid’s development of the battery used by all the teams in the Formula E electric-vehicle racing circuit.[26]

References

  1. ^ "Lucid Motors Appoints Peter Rawlinson as CEO". Lucid Motors. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Lucid Motors Appoints Peter Rawlinson as CEO". PRNewsWire. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  3. ^ Dzikiy, Phil (23 April 2019). "Lucid CEO retires; CTO Peter Rawlinson, former Tesla engineer, to take over". Electrik.
  4. ^ Jolly, Jasper (3 April 2021). "Meet the Briton leading a Tesla rival who wants to save the planet". The Guardian.
  5. ^ Jolly, Jasper (3 April 2021). "Meet the Briton leading a Tesla rival who wants to save the planet". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Alumnus Peter Rawlinson of Lucid Motors visited Imperial | Imperial News | Imperial College London". Imperial News. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Peter Rawlinson". Archived from the original on 28 January 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  8. ^ Bloomberg Podcasts (21 June 2024). Peter Rawlinson on Computer Automotive Engineering | Masters in Business. Retrieved 25 June 2024 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Bloomberg Podcasts (21 June 2024). Peter Rawlinson on Computer Automotive Engineering | Masters in Business. Retrieved 25 June 2024 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "Tesla Motors Announces Senior Engineering and Manufacturing Executives". Tesla Motors and Globe Newswire. 30 September 2009.
  11. ^ "Tesla Motors Announces Senior Engineering and Manufacturing Executives". 20 April 2010.
  12. ^ Bloomberg Podcasts (21 June 2024). Peter Rawlinson on Computer Automotive Engineering | Masters in Business. Retrieved 25 June 2024 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ "Executive Profile: Peter Rawlinson". Bloomberg. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  14. ^ Stevens, Tim (12 January 2011). "Tesla Chief Engineer Peter Rawlinson geeks out with us about Model S design". Engadget. AOL. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  15. ^ Voelcker, John (14 January 2011). "Five Questions: Peter Rawlinson, Tesla Motors Chief Engineer". Green Car Reports. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  16. ^ Voelcker, John (14 January 2011). "Five Questions: Peter Rawlinson, Tesla Motors Chief Engineer (page 2)". Green Car Reports. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  17. ^ Vehicle structure on YouTube, Suspension on YouTube, Drive train on YouTube 2011
  18. ^ Bloomberg Podcasts (21 June 2024). Peter Rawlinson on Computer Automotive Engineering | Masters in Business. Retrieved 25 June 2024 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ "Lucid CEO says Tesla is 'losing its way'". Yahoo Finance. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  20. ^ Gordon-Bloomfield, Nikki (16 January 2012). "Two Tesla Execs Leave Before 2012 Model S Launch, Stock Falls". Green Car Reports.
  21. ^ Bloomberg Podcasts (21 June 2024). Peter Rawlinson on Computer Automotive Engineering | Masters in Business. Retrieved 25 June 2024 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ "Can Lucid succeed where others have failed?". Automotive News. December 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  23. ^ "Lucid Motors Appoints Peter Rawlinson as CEO". Lucid Motors. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  24. ^ Fehrenbacher, Katie (15 November 2016). "Tesla's Former Chief Engineer Has A New Luxury Electric Car". Fortune.com. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  25. ^ "How Lucid Motors Will Take on EV's Juggernauts: Tesla and China". MotorTrend. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  26. ^ Chokshi, Niraj; Ewing, Jack (18 November 2021). "He Helped Build Tesla. Now He's Gunning for It". New York Times. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
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