Three-wheeled electric vehicle company Arcimoto shakes up team with former Tesla talent

Oregon-based electric vehicle company Arcimoto has announced some big movements on the company’s leadership team, including appointing one of the company’s board of directors members, Christopher Dawson, as new CEO.

Dawson will retain his board position, while previous interim CEO Jesse Fittipaldi will become Arcimoto’s new president.

Arcimoto’s former chief product officer, Dwayne Lum, has been appointed to COO. Board director Terry Becker will now lead the Tilting Motor Works Division and TRiO product division.

Arcimoto is known as an innovative electric vehicle company that designs and manufactures compact and thrilling three-wheeled electric vehicles.

Its flagship product, the Fun Utility Vehicle (FUV), offers a unique and sustainable transportation solution for urban commuting, fleet operations, and last-mile delivery services.

The appointment of EV industry veteran Dawson as CEO taps into over 10 years of experience in the development of both on- and off-road EVs.

Most recently Dawson served as the CEO of Nikola Tesla Co. (not that Nikola or that Tesla), though he also spent five years at Tesla during the company’s early years.

Arcimoto’s founder and chairman spoke highly of Dawson:

Chris is the right leader for Arcimoto. 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.

Arcimoto recently overcame a period of financial uncertainty, which briefly forced the company to shut down production of its eye-catching 75 mph three-wheeled electric vehicles.

But the company quickly secured the necessary funding to reopen its factory, and the stumbling block didn’t seem to faze Dawson:

I stand ready to lead Arcimoto at a time when I believe it is primed for liftoff. 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.

I’ve had the chance to test out multiple Arcimoto vehicles over the years and always found them to be a thrilling experience.

With the company recently announcing several hardware upgrades to the vehicles after restarting production, I’ll be excited to see how the FUV continues to develop over time.