Peter Rawlinson (engineer) explained

Peter Rawlinson
Known For:Tesla Model S, Lucid Motors
Alma Mater:Imperial College London
Occupation:CEO and CTO of 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 Bonvilston, South Wales and attended Cowbridge Grammar School in the Vale of Glamorgan.[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]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lucid Motors Appoints Peter Rawlinson as CEO. 2019-04-23. Lucid Motors. en. 2020-05-01.
  2. Web site: Lucid Motors Appoints Peter Rawlinson as CEO. 2023-04-24. PRNewsWire. en. 2020-05-01.
  3. Web site: Lucid CEO retires; CTO Peter Rawlinson, former Tesla engineer, to take over. 23 April 2019 . Phil . Dzikiy. Electrik.
  4. Web site: Meet the Briton leading a Tesla rival who wants to save the planet. 3 April 2021 . Jasper . Jolly. The Guardian.
  5. Web site: Jolly . Jasper . 2021-04-03 . Meet the Briton leading a Tesla rival who wants to save the planet . 2022-05-03 . The Guardian . en.
  6. Web site: Alumnus Peter Rawlinson of Lucid Motors visited Imperial Imperial News Imperial College London . 2022-05-03 . Imperial News . 8 November 2021 . en.
  7. Web site: Peter Rawlinson. https://web.archive.org/web/20170128234044/http://relationshipscience.com/peter-rawlinson-p4364923 . 28 January 2017. 28 January 2017. live.
  8. Peter Rawlinson on Computer Automotive Engineering Masters in Business . 2024-06-21 . Bloomberg Podcasts . 2024-06-25 . YouTube.
  9. Peter Rawlinson on Computer Automotive Engineering Masters in Business . 2024-06-21 . Bloomberg Podcasts . 2024-06-25 . YouTube.
  10. Web site: Tesla Motors Announces Senior Engineering and Manufacturing Executives. 30 September 2009 . Tesla Motors and Globe Newswire.
  11. Web site: Tesla Motors Announces Senior Engineering and Manufacturing Executives. 20 April 2010.
  12. Peter Rawlinson on Computer Automotive Engineering Masters in Business . 2024-06-21 . Bloomberg Podcasts . 2024-06-25 . YouTube.
  13. Web site: Executive Profile: Peter Rawlinson. Bloomberg. 30 January 2017.
  14. Web site: Tesla Chief Engineer Peter Rawlinson geeks out with us about Model S design . https://web.archive.org/web/20160310184957/http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/12/tesla-chief-engineer-peter-rawlinson-geeks-out-with-us-about-mod/ . Tim . Stevens . 12 January 2011. 10 March 2016. AOL . Engadget . 28 January 2017. live.
  15. Web site: Five Questions: Peter Rawlinson, Tesla Motors Chief Engineer . https://web.archive.org/web/20160820065542/http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1053555_five-questions-peter-rawlinson-tesla-motors-chief-engineer . John . Voelcker . 14 January 2011. 20 August 2016. Green Car Reports. 28 January 2017. live.
  16. Web site: Five Questions: Peter Rawlinson, Tesla Motors Chief Engineer (page 2). https://web.archive.org/web/20141024220957/http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1053555_five-questions-peter-rawlinson-tesla-motors-chief-engineer/page-2 . John . Voelcker . 14 January 2011. 24 October 2014. Green Car Reports. 28 January 2017. live.
  17. ,, 2011
  18. Peter Rawlinson on Computer Automotive Engineering Masters in Business . 2024-06-21 . Bloomberg Podcasts . 2024-06-25 . YouTube.
  19. Web site: Lucid CEO says Tesla is 'losing its way'. 28 May 2024. Yahoo Finance. 28 May 2024.
  20. Web site: Two Tesla Execs Leave Before 2012 Model S Launch, Stock Falls. 16 January 2012 . Nikki . Gordon-Bloomfield. Green Car Reports.
  21. Peter Rawlinson on Computer Automotive Engineering Masters in Business . 2024-06-21 . Bloomberg Podcasts . 2024-06-25 . YouTube.
  22. Web site: Can Lucid succeed where others have failed?. December 2016. Automotive News. 30 January 2017.
  23. Web site: 2019-04-23. Lucid Motors Appoints Peter Rawlinson as CEO. 2020-06-06. Lucid Motors. en.
  24. Web site: Tesla's Former Chief Engineer Has A New Luxury Electric Car . Katie . Fehrenbacher . Fortune.com . 15 November 2016. 28 January 2017.
  25. Web site: How Lucid Motors Will Take on EV's Juggernauts: Tesla and China . 14 May 2024. MotorTrend. 14 May 2024.
  26. News: He Helped Build Tesla. Now He's Gunning for It.. New York Times. 18 November 2021 . 18 November 2021 . Chokshi . Niraj . Ewing . Jack .

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