10 Things You Didn’t Know about Peter Rawlinson
Peter Rawlinson is the current CEO of Lucid Motors. It is interesting to note that said company is in the process of developing its first electric car, which is something that Rawlinson should be very familiar with. After all, he was the Chief Engineer for the Tesla Model S. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Peter Rawlinson.
1. Born in South Wales
Rawlinson was born in south Wales. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this would be the southern part of Wales rather than either the middle part or the northern part. The latter two regions are rather rural as well as rather mountainous. Thanks to this, most of the people in Wales live in south Wales, though the exact proportion can see a fair amount of variation depending on exactly how one defines the region.
2. Went to Imperial College London
Later, Rawlinson went to school at Imperial College London, the founding of which was supported by Prince Albert. Generally speaking, said individual is remembered as the husband of Queen Victoria, whose death sent her into deep mourning for such a long time that republicanism gained ground in Great Britain for a while. However, it is important to note that Prince Albert was a notable supporter of public causes such as abolition and education.
3. Studied Engineering
Chances are good that interested individuals can guess Rawlinson’s subject of study. After all, he was an engineer, so it stands to reason that he studied engineering.
4. Long Career in Vehicle Engineering
Naturally, Rawlinson had a long career as a vehicle engineer before he took up the positions that the public know him best for. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that he had plenty of leadership experience before he made his way to Tesla. For example, Rawlinson was the Principal Engineer at Jaguar Cars. Similarly, Rawlinson was the Chief Engineer at Lotus Cars. On top of that, he was even the Head of Vehicle Engineering for Corus Automotive. Simply put, Rawlinson was a well-established figure with a lot of experience in the UK automotive industry by the time he headed over to the United States.
5. Chief Engineer For the Tesla Model S
As mentioned earlier, Rawlinson was the Chief Engineer for the Tesla Model S. For those who are unfamiliar, Tesla’s stated goal was electric cars for the masses. However, it recognized that this wouldn’t happen right away, which is why it would start out with an electric sports car for the early adopters before moving on to electric versions of more mainstream vehicles. As such, Tesla’s first product was the Tesla Roadster. After which, its initial success was followed up by the launch of the Tesla Model S, which was able to further cement its position in its chosen market. This can be seen in how it was the first electric car to ever lead the monthly sales in a country. Something that happened in September of 2013 in Norway.
6. Was Skeptical of Electrical Cars
Rawlinson has stated that he was skeptical of electrical cars (https://www.motortrend.com/news/peter-rawlinson-lucid-motors-interview/) when Tesla contacted him. However, he was open-minded enough to look into the math as well as the tech, which convinced him that an electrical car was indeed viable. As such, Rawlinson recruited a bunch of other experienced individuals before joining the project.
7. Feels a Sense of Deja Vu
It is interesting to note that Rawlinson has mentioned feeling a sense of demand vu in recent times. Essentially, he remembers having to deal with a lot of skepticism when it came to the Tesla Model S, so much so that he was outright asked whether he was in cahoots with the Department of Energy at one point in time. Now, he is dealing with a lot of skepticism about Lucid Motors, which is particularly striking because Tesla has become the established player with an established fan base. To an extent, Rawlinson understands the skepticism because there have been a lot of start-ups in the field that have offered big promises but not much else. Something that has left an inevitable stain that up-and-coming companies have to struggle through.
8. Believes in the Need to Master Rules Before Breaking Rules
Speaking of which, Rawlinson is one of the believers in the need to master the rules before breaking the rules, which is something that has been voiced by a wide range of people in a wide range of positions. This makes a lot of sense. Essentially, the breaking of rules is supposed to be positive in such contexts. However, it is very easy to break rules but much more complicated to break rules in a way that will lead to a positive outcome. As such, the people who receive recognition for breaking the rules tend to be already well-versed with the field that existed before their rule-breaking. This is particularly true in modern times because of the sheer amount of specialization needed for someone to push to the forefront of the field where rule-breaking will matter the most.
9. Very Involved in Recruitment
As a high-ranking executive, Rawlinson is very involved in recruitment. Apparently, he used to be involved in the recruiting process for every single position at Lucid Motors. Something that remained true until the company had become too big for that to remain practical. Regardless, the extent of his involvement in recruitment makes sense. Human talent is always important for companies, which is why recruitment tends to be one of their most fundamental processes. However, it is even more important for a tech-focused newcomer that is seeking to challenge established competition through its technological edge.
10. Elon Musk Seems to Hold a Bit of a Grudge
Elon Musk seems to hold a bit of a grudge against Rawlinson even though the man left Tesla in 2012. This is somewhat understandable, seeing as how a lot of people are less than enthused about competition. However, it remains to be seen what will happen with the Lucid Air as well as other Lucid Motors products. There are indications that the Lucid Air could be a formidable contender, but if nothing else, increased competition often means good things for consumers.
