Connect with us

Published

on

Electric mobility company Waev has just named Alfredo Arroyo as the chief operations officer and a senior vice president of the company.

The name Waev may be new to you, but there’s a good chance you’ve seen at least one of the company’s three electric vehicle lines.

Waev’s GEM vehicles are neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) that fit into the low-speed vehicle (LSV) category, making them street legal in the US. They’ve proven popular as both consumer and commercial vehicles and are commonly seen driving around planned communities, college campuses, airports, and other large venues.

Waev also produces the Taylor-Dunn line of commercial vehicles, including cargo vehicles and people movers. The company’s Tiger division produces tractors designed for moving airplanes and heavy machinery.

The company’s hiring of Arroyo points to an investment in operations as Waev passes its one-year anniversary after being spun out of Polaris.

waev taylor-dunn vehicles

Waev cites “strong market demand” as well as “significant growth opportunities” as creating the need, bringing in the next level of operations leadership. Arroyo is set to lead Waev’s global supply chain and manufacturing operations. His onboarding marks the first c-level hire for Waev since the company split from Polaris.

The hiring comes at a time when Waev is spooling up operations, as CEO Keith Simon explained:

The opportunity for Alfredo to quickly accelerate operational momentum comes at a critical time in our business. A robust global supply chain and efficient manufacturing operations are paramount as enablers for future success, and Alfredo is the perfect person for the job. We’re stoked to have him join the Waev team.

Waev brings in former Google lead Arroyo

Arroyo spent a decade at Google in various senior roles within contract manufacturing, enterprise solutions, supply chain management, and logistics execution. He was one of Google’s lead architects for the company’s vast ecosystem of people/processes/tools in service of global data center deployments. According to Waev, Arroyo also helped design, engineer, and operations manage Google’s first-ever fully automated site while being recognized internally with the prestigious Feats of Engineering award. Alfredo also managed Google Cloud’s data center and logistics operations in the UK, Germany, and Switzerland while overseeing major expansions into the European cloud markets.

waev gem NEV LSV

At Waev, he’ll hit the ground running with his hands full, as the company already produces, sells, and supports three unique electric vehicle lines.

It’s a challenge that Arroyo seems excited about, and he detailed his goals for Waev’s expanding operations:

This is an exciting opportunity to step in as Waev’s first COO and begin working with the team to quickly advance operational capabilities in support of our growing customers and markets – especially as electrification adoption reaches critical mass within the U.S. and around the world. Keith and I worked together earlier in my career and we’ve always managed to stay in touch. Things naturally connected after Keith reached out and presented the opportunity. I am impressed with what these guys have done at Waev – both the business they have built and equally the team culture they have created.

Electrek’s Take

I’m more familiar with GEM than Taylor-Dunn and Tiger, but all three brands are playing an important role in providing real options for electric vehicles in consumer and commercial roles.

They’re damn expensive, but they’re also some of the few options available on the market for companies that are ready to embrace the advantages of electrification.

I’m surprised to see that Waev waited this long to install a COO after slipping out from under the massive umbrella of Polaris, but bringing in new leadership shows that the company is ready to make some moves. It will be exciting to follow along and see what this means for Waev.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Troubling times for Tesla, Nissan, and Dodge – plus some fun yellow stuff!

Published

on

By

Troubling times for Tesla, Nissan, and Dodge – plus some fun yellow stuff!

Tesla’s Q2 results are in, and they are way, way down from Q2 of 2024. At the same time, Nissan seems to be in serious trouble and the first-ever all-electric Dodge muscle car is getting recalled because its dumb engine noises are the wrong kind of dumb engine noises. All this and more on today’s deeply troubled episode of Quick Charge!

We’ve also got an awesome article from Micah Toll about a hitherto unexplored genre of electric lawn equipment, a $440 million mining equipment deal, and a list of incompetent, corrupt, and stupid politicians who voted away their constituents’ futures to line their pockets.

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

OpenAI says Robinhood’s tokens aren’t equity in the company

Published

on

By

OpenAI says Robinhood's tokens aren't equity in the company

Jaque Silva | Nurphoto | Getty Images

OpenAI is distancing itself from Robinhood‘s latest crypto push after the trading platform began offering tokenized shares of OpenAI and SpaceX to users in Europe.

“These ‘OpenAI tokens’ are not OpenAI equity,” OpenAI wrote on X. “We did not partner with Robinhood, were not involved in this, and do not endorse it.”

The company said that “any transfer of OpenAI equity requires our approval — we did not approve any transfer,” and warned users to “please be careful.”

Robinhood announced the launch Monday from Cannes, France, as part of a broader product showcase focused on tokenized equities, staking, and a new blockchain infrastructure play. The company’s stock surged above $100 to hit a new all-time high following the news.

“These tokens give retail investors indirect exposure to private markets, opening up access, and are enabled by Robinhood’s ownership stake in a special purpose vehicle,” a Robinhood spokesperson said in response to the OpenAI post.

Read more CNBC tech news

Robinhood offered 5 euros worth of OpenAI and SpaceX tokens to eligible EU users who signed up to trade stock tokens by July 7. The assets are issued under the EU’s looser investor restrictions via Robinhood’s crypto platform.

“This is about expanding access,” said Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s SVP and GM of crypto. “The goal with tokenization is to let anyone participate in this economy.”

The episode highlights the dynamic between crypto platforms seeking to democratize access to financial products and the companies whose names and equity are being represented on-chain

U.S. users cannot access these tokens due to regulatory restrictions.

Robinhood hits record high as OpenAI, SpaceX go on-chain

Continue Reading

Environment

BYD launches new discounts, offering +50% off smart driving tech

Published

on

By

BYD launches new discounts, offering +50% off smart driving tech

Despite the warnings, BYD continues introducing new discounts. On Wednesday, BYD’s luxury off-road brand began offering over 50% Huawei’s smart driving tech.

BYD introduces new discounts on smart driving tech

After BYD cut prices again in May, the China Automobile Manufacturers Association (CAMA) warned that the ultra-low prices are “triggering a new round of price war panic.”

Although they didn’t single out BYD, it was pretty obvious. BYD slashed prices across 22 of its vehicles by up to 34%, triggering several automakers to follow suit in China.

BYD’s cheapest EV, the Seagull, typically starts at about $10,000 (66,800 yuan). After the price cuts, the Seagull is listed at under $8,000 (55,800 yuan).

Advertisement – scroll for more content

It doesn’t look like China’s EV leader plans to slow down anytime soon. Fang Cheng Bao, BYD’s luxury off-road brand, introduced new discounts on Huawei’s smart driving tech on Wednesday.

The limited-time offer cuts the price of Huawei’s Qiankun Intelligent Driving High-end Function Package to just 12,000 yuan ($1,700).

BYD-new-discounts
BYD Fang Cheng Bao 5 SUV testing (Source: Fang Cheng Bao)

Buyers who order the smart driving tech in July will save over 50% compared to its typical price of 32,000 yuan ($4,500).

Earlier this year, Fang Chang Bao launched the Tai 3, its most affordable vehicle, starting at 139,800 yuan ($19,300). The Tai 3 is about the size of the Tesla Model Y, but costs about half as much.

BYD-Tai-3-electric-SUV
BYD Fang Cheng Bao Tai 3 electric SUV (Source: Fang Cheng Bao)

The Tai 3 will spearhead a new sub-brand of electric SUVs following the more premium Bao 8 and Bao 5 hybrid SUVs.

BYD’s luxury off-road brand sold 18,903 vehicles last month, up 50% from May and 605% compared to last year. Fang Cheng Bao has now sold over 10,000 vehicles for three consecutive months.

The Chinese EV giant sold 382,585 vehicles in total in June, an increase of 12% from last year. In the first half of the year, BYD’s cumulative sales reached over 2.1 million, a YOY increase of 33%.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending