Ford hired Tesla Engineering Chief, Alan Clarke, to work on its advanced EV development. Clarke is a former Apple and Tesla tech executive whom Ford hired in September. Automotive News reports that Ford confirmed the hiring of a Tesla executive.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Clarke worked in a number of roles at Tesla for more than 12 years. Most recently, he served as director of new programs engineering. He worked on numerous Tesla products, including the Model Y, the Roadster, and Model 3, among other projects. He joins the company as Ford aims to boost its annual EV production capacity to 600,000 units by the end of next year, and as it prepares to launch the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck this spring. The automaker has committed to investing $30 billion in electrification through 2025.
Last year Ford hired Doug Field, former vice president of special projects at Apple. Before working at Apple, Field, 56, was senior vice president of engineering at Tesla, where he led the development of the Model 3, according to his company biography provided by Ford. Field became chief advanced technology and embedded systems officer at Ford. This hiring was known to be a major coup for the automaker.
Ford’s EV plans
Ford is going ahead with its plans strongly as it hires the top talent in the industry. The CEO Jim Farley has stated that the automaker is going to increase its production numbers. However, the semiconductor chip shortage and other production challenges continue.
While hiring Doug Field, Farley stated, “Doug is one of the world’s most respected engineering and product design leaders and has been a driving force behind breakthrough products across auto, tech, and mobility. His talent and commitment to innovation that improves customers.” After which Ford stated its plans to deliver awesome products and have an ever-improving user experience.
This year Ford also announced its electrification plans for the Lincoln brand. In coming years the automakers plan to sell only Lincoln all-electric models as their fleet is being transformed. No details about the models or additional features were revealed. Furthermore, the automaker announced plans to launch EVs in the Indian market, where they failed to gain profits in the past and had to halt sales. However, this time as there are already production plants located in the country, they are working on launching products in the country. Ford is focused on its global sales as well, especially considering how the top EV player Tesla has been going global by expanding into many countries all over the world.