ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp. (Nasdaq:SOLO) has a new leader behind the wheel as it preps the launch of an electric vehicle manufacturing facility south of the border later this month.
The Burnaby-based EV firm has hired Susan Docherty as its third CEO in 15 months – and its fifth since 2019.
The former General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) executive replaces outgoing CEO Kevin Pavlov. Docherty has also been named interim chief operating officer following the departure of former COO Joe Mitchell.
ElectraMeccanica said in Monday’s announcement both Pavlov and Mitchell have left the company to pursue other opportunities.
This shakeup in the executive ranks comes seven days ahead of the commissioning of the company’s first large-scale manufacturing plant in North America.
ElectraMeccanica’s distinctive three-wheeled, single-passenger Solo vehicles are set to roll off the line in Mesa, Ariz., where about 200 workers will initially carry out light assembly at the 235,000-square-foot plant. The EV maker already has one manufacturing plant in China.
ElectraMeccanica moved its headquarters from Vancouver to Burnaby earlier this year, and the company said Monday the Arizona facility will become its new “corporate HQ.”
“Burnaby remains the ‘global’ HQ given continued long-term plans for sales outside the U.S.,” John Franklin, a representative working on behalf of ElectraMeccanica, said in an email to BIV.
“There are no current plans to wind it down. The shift of the corporate HQ to Mesa simply reflects immediate U.S. manufacturing and sales priorities, and has no near-term implications for Burnaby, which remains open.”
The company said back in March the 14,000-square-foot office “global” head office in Burnaby was needed to house its local engineering, accounting, finance, human resources, logistics and operations teams under a single roof for the first time.
Meanwhile, fellow B.C.-based EV firm Damon Motors Inc. broke ground in Surrey last October on a new head office and manufacturing plant for its e-motorbikes.
The 110,000-square-foot facility will be owned by Bosa Properties, which has entered into a 10-year lease agreement with Damon, and built to the EV company’s specifications.
As many as 40,000 electric motorcycles will be produced annually at the new Surrey HQ, where about 800 people are eventually expected to work.
