The world’s top 10 CEOs in the EV industry and their Biography

10. Thomas Ingenlath

Polestar Company revenue: US$2.5bn *
Net worth: approx. US$980k*

• Thomas Ingenlath, a German car designer, currently holds the position of CEO at Polestar and previously served as the Senior Vice President Design at Volvo Cars.
• Ingenlath completed his MA in Vehicle Design at the Royal College of Art in London after obtaining his degree at Fachhochschule für Gestaltung in Pforzheim, Germany.
• He began his career at the Volkswagen Group, where he worked for Audi and served as the chief exterior designer for Volkswagen.
• In 2000, T. Ingenlath was appointed as the Chief Designer at Skoda.
• In 2006, he was promoted to the role of Director of Design at the Volkswagen Design Center in Potsdam.
• In 2012, Ingenlath joined Volvo and took on the position of head of design.
• In 2017, he assumed the role of CEO at the Polestar subsidiary.

9. Makoto Uchida

Nissan Company revenue: US$75.98bn*
Net worth: approx. US$11.5m*

• Uchida Makoto, born on July 20, 1966, is a prominent Japanese businessman.
• He currently holds the position of CEO at the Nissan Motor Corporation.
• Uchida completed his education at Doshisha University in 1991, majoring in Theology.
• After graduating, he commenced his professional journey at Nissho Iwai (now known as Sojitz), a Tokyo-based general trading company, in April 1991.
• Uchida initially joined Nissan in October 2003 and was promoted to the role of manager in October 2006.
• In September 2012, he briefly left Nissan to work at Renault Samsung Motors for a period of less than two years.
• However, Uchida returned to Nissan in April 2014, this time as a Program Director.
• His executive career at Nissan officially began in November 2016 when he was appointed as Corporate VP of the Alliance Purchasing department.
• Uchida’s responsibilities expanded in April 2018 when he assumed the roles of President of Dongfeng Nissan and Senior VP.
• In April 2019, he was additionally appointed as Chairman of the Management Committee for China. Finally, in October 2019, Uchida was unanimously selected by the board of directors to serve as the new CEO of Nissan, officially commencing his role on December 1, 2019.

8. Peter Rawlinson

Lucid Motors Company revenue: US$608.2m*
Net worth: approx. US$1m*

• Peter Rawlinson, a British engineer, is currently based in California.
• He holds the positions of chief executive officer and chief technology officer at Lucid Motors.
• Rawlinson is renowned for his work as the Chief Engineer of the Tesla Model S and the Lucid Air.
• During his early life, he grew up in South Wales and attended schooling in Cowbridge, near Cardiff.
• Initially, Rawlinson considered pursuing art school but ultimately decided to become an engineer.
• He completed his education at Imperial College London, graduating from the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1979.
• Rawlinson has had a notable career in the UK automotive industry, holding positions such as Principal Engineer at Jaguar Cars, Chief Engineer at Lotus Cars, and Head of Vehicle Engineering at Corus Automotive.
• In 2010, he joined Tesla and served as Vice President and Chief Vehicle Engineering for the Tesla Model S.
• Rawlinson played a crucial role in the technical execution and delivery of the Model S, leveraging the advantages of electric vehicle drivetrain technology.
• He joined Lucid Motors in 2013 as the Chief Technology Officer and later became the Chief Executive Officer in 2019, overseeing the development of the Lucid Air alongside Derek Jenkins.

7. Oliver Blume

Volkswagen Company revenue: US$293.83bn*
Net worth: approx. US$5m*

• Oliver Blume, born on 6 June 1968, is a German manager and the CEO of Volkswagen Group.
• Blume is also the CEO of Porsche, holding both positions simultaneously.
• He was born in Braunschweig and completed his high school education there.
• Blume pursued mechanical engineering at the Braunschweig University of Technology after graduating from high school.
• In 1994, he successfully completed an international trainee program at Audi.
• At the age of 28, Blume worked as a planner for body shop and paint at Audi.
• He later took on the responsibility for the body of the Audi A3 and was appointed as the Executive Assistant for production at Audi.
• Blume obtained his PhD in vehicle technology.
• He spent five years in production planning at SEAT and another five years at the Volkswagen brand.
• In 2013, Blume joined the Porsche Executive Board, where he oversaw production and logistics. He became the CEO of Porsche on 1 October 2015, replacing Matthias Müller who became the CEO of VW Group.

6. Jim Farley

Ford Motor Company Company revenue: US$158bn*
Net worth: approx. US$19m*

• James Duncan Farley Jr. is an American businessman and the current CEO of Ford.
• He was born on June 10, 1962.
• Farley is also a board member of Harley-Davidson.
• His interest in the automotive industry was sparked by his grandfather, who worked at Henry Ford’s River Rouge Plant in 1918.
• Before joining Ford in November 2007, he held the position of group vice president and general manager of Lexus, overseeing sales, marketing, and customer satisfaction for Toyota’s luxury brand.
• From May 2019 to February 2020, Farley served as president of New Business, Technology, and Strategy.
• He then became the Executive Vice President and president of Global Markets from June 2017 to May 2019.
• From 2015 to 2017, he held the roles of CEO and chairman of Ford Europe.
• On August 4, 2020, it was announced that Farley would take over as the CEO of Ford, succeeding Jim Hackett.
• In July 2021, he was nominated by Harley-Davidson’s CEO to join the company’s board of directors, aiming to rejuvenate the brand and prepare for an electric future.

5. Mary Barra

General Motors Company revenue: US$156.7bn*
Net worth: approx. US$90m*

• Mary Teresa Barra, born on December 24, 1961, is an American businesswoman.
• She has been the chair and CEO of General Motors since January 15, 2014.
• Barra is the first female CEO of a ‘Big Three’ automaker.
• Prior to becoming CEO, she held the position of executive vice president of global product development, purchasing, and supply chain.
• Barra graduated from the General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.
• She started working for General Motors in 1980 as a co-op student at the age of 18.
• In February 2008, Barra became vice president of Global Manufacturing Engineering.
• In July 2009, she was promoted to vice president of Global Human Resources, and in February 2011, she became executive vice president of Global Product Development.
• Barra’s responsibilities included design and reducing the number of automobile platforms in GM.
• In 2017, she was the highest paid executive among the Detroit Three, earning a total remuneration of $21.96 million.
• In June 2022, Barra stated that the company’s main focus is to prioritize the acceleration of their EV plans by 2035.

4. RJ Scaringe

Rivian Company revenue: US$1.66bn*
Net worth: approx. US$3.4bn*

• Robert “RJ” Scaringe is an American entrepreneur and engineer.
• He is the founder and CEO of Rivian, an electric vehicle manufacturer.
• Scaringe’s net worth is estimated to be around US$1.7 billion as of December 2021.
• He was born on January 19, 1983, and grew up in Melbourne, Florida.
• Scaringe’s father, also named Robert Scaringe, is an engineer and founder of Mainstream Engineering Corporation.
• He developed a passion for cars and used to restore them in his neighbor’s garage.
• However, after learning about the negative environmental impact of cars, he decided to focus on creating a more sustainable transportation system.
• Scaringe attended Melbourne Central Catholic High School and later pursued a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
• He furthered his education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he obtained a master’s degree and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from MIT’s Sloan Automotive Lab.
• Scaringe married Meagan McGone in 2014, and they have three children together.
• In 2009, Scaringe founded Mainstream Motors, which later became Rivian Automotive in 2011.
• Rivian went public on November 10, 2021, and Scaringe holds the position of chairman of the board with 9.5% voting power.
• He also has complete veto power over board decisions due to his ownership of the company’s class B shares.
• Scaringe currently owns about 1.4% of Rivian.

3 William Li

Nio Company revenue: US$7.143bn *
Net worth: approx. US$1.3bn*

• NIO (NYSE: NIO) was founded by Mr. William Li, who serves as the founder, chairman, and CEO of the company.
• The aim of NIO, which was established in November 2014, is to create the world’s first User Enterprise and redefine the entire car ownership experience.
• NIO became listed on the New York Stock Exchange on September 12, 2018.
• Prior to NIO, Mr. Li had already established himself as a serial entrepreneur.
• While studying at Peking University, he founded Beijing Antarctic Technology Development Co., Ltd, one of China’s earliest internet companies.
• In 1997, Mr. Li co-founded Kewen Books, which later evolved into Dangdang.
• He has also co-founded and invested in more than 40 companies in the internet and automotive industries.
• Mr. Li’s achievements have been recognized by various organizations and publications.
• In 2017, he was named “GQ Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year.”
• Additionally, he was acknowledged by the China Automobile Dealers Association in 2008 as one of the top 10 most influential individuals in China’s automobile industry over the past three decades.

2. Xiang Li

Li Auto Company revenue: US$6.57bn*
Net worth: approx. US$7.3bn*

• Li Auto, founded by Li Xiang, was established in 2015.
• The company made its debut on the Nasdaq in 2020.
• Meituan and Source Code Capital are among the investors of Li Auto.
• Li Auto listed on the NASDAQ stock market in July 2020 with the stock code “LI”.
• The first round of financing for Li Auto amounted to USD 1.1 billion.
• Despite good sales and popularity in the Chinese market, Li Auto faced difficulties in raising enough money from investors in its first year on the stock exchange.
• In 2022, Li Auto refreshed its portfolio, introducing a new styling language and expanding its model range.
• The flagship Li L9 was the first of the three new designs introduced by Li Auto in March.
• In September of the same year, Li Auto presented the shortened variant Li L8 and the smaller version Li L7.
• Li Auto faced controversy in 2020 when reports of problems with the Li Auto One SUV circulated in the media.
• In July 2021, a video went viral on Chinese social media Weibo. It showcased the surprising discovery made by one of the owners of Li One, a Chinese car brand. The owner stumbled upon mercury balls, a banned substance for car production in China, hidden in the armchair. Even more traces of this material were found once the chair was removed.

1. Elon Musk

TeslaCompany revenue: US$81.46bn*
Net worth: approx. US$230.5bn*

• Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa.
• He has ancestral roots in Britain and Pennsylvania Dutch.
• Musk attended the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics and a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the Wharton School.
• While Musk claims to have earned his degrees in 1995, UPenn states that they were awarded in 1997.
• To help pay for tuition, Musk organized large, ticketed house parties and even developed a business plan for an electronic book-scanning service similar to Google Books.
• Tesla, Inc., originally known as Tesla Motors, was founded in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning.
• Eberhard and Tarpenning financed the company until the Series A round of funding, during which Musk became involved.
• Musk invested $6.5 million in Tesla during the Series A round, becoming the majority shareholder and chairman of the board.
• Although Musk oversaw the design of the Roadster, he was not heavily involved in day-to-day business operations initially.
• In 2008, Musk assumed the role of CEO and product architect of Tesla, following conflicts and the financial crisis.
• Tesla stock has experienced significant growth since its IPO in 2010.
• In the summer of 2020, Tesla became the most valuable carmaker.
• By October 2021, Tesla’s market capitalization reached $1 trillion, making it the sixth company in U.S. history to achieve this milestone.
• In November 2021, Elon Musk proposed selling 10% of his Tesla stock on Twitter, which gained support from over 3.5 million Twitter accounts. He ultimately sold $6.9 billion of Tesla stock within a week and a total of $16.4 billion by the end of the year.
• Tesla has introduced several groundbreaking products, including the Roadster sports car, Model S sedan, Model X SUV, Model 3 mass-market electric vehicle, Tesla Semi, Cybertruck, and Model Y compact SUV.
• The Model S has received accolades such as Consumer Reports’ Best Overall Car and Motor Trend’s Ultimate Car of the Year, while the Model X achieved 5-star safety ratings in all categories and sub-categories in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s tests.

* The net worth shown on this platform is determined by considering various social factors. This information is provided solely for informational purposes.