CarNewsCafe caught up with Paul Ritchie, who has joined with Green Tech Automotive as Vice President of Engineering. His enthusiasm gives us much to look forward to.
Green Tech Automotive is getting ready for the future by vamping up its factory in Mississippi. According to the company, $6.6 million have been spent preparing the plant, and last week, the crew started the cement.
Paul Ritchie Takes Scope of GTA
Although Paul had only been in the Horn Lake, Mississippi plant for a few days, he was already downstairs with sleeves rolled up looking at the factory in Tunica, Miss.. The agenda is simple: how to build the upcoming GTA electric car (EV) and meet everyone in the process. For those of you who might remember, Paul was also the former VP of Engineering at CODA. You can read the original press release here. He says this time he is looking forward to work on a car made in the USA, where tweaks can be handled quickly on the spot.
Bringing Paul on-board was an important step for Green Tech Automotive (GTA) and at a crucial time when it is readying the prototype for production. Paul comes in to oversee the engineering finishes, validating the process and vehicle before it begins its production release. Even though well into the GTA’s release schedule, Paul’s job is somewhat similar to what he tried to do at CODA.
What is different from the CODA process? Since the design and engineering is local, it makes the final production tweaks easier and this is where Paul’s extensive experience at Porsche and CODA comes in. The difference lies in that the vehicle is completely made in the USA. This time, he gets to work directly with a local team, thus facilitating the overall process. So far, stage one of the built phase has already been underway and Paul is now ready to take over completely from here.
The drivetrain is developed locally, built by GTA’s own engineering team and the company does its best to outsource nothing. Paul admits to liking Mississippi and calls it: “It is a great place to come and work, especially in the winter.”
Although Paul had only been there for a few days, he was already getting an idea what he needs to do. Paul will be a great addition to Green Tech Automotive. Their MyCar is rolling off to production line, while they prepare the next one, a sedan called the GTA. Having already built an initial batch of vehicles MyCar EVs, GTA now plans to establish another assembly facility for the sedan and expects to create 350 additional jobs in the United States by the end of 2014.
