Tesla's head of heavy duty trucking has left the company-TechCrunch
Image Credits: Tesla
Jerome Guillen, a critical executive at Tesla who was working on the development and eventual production of the Tesla Semi, has left the company, the automaker said Monday in a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Guillen’s departure comes just three months after he was moved from the president of automotive position, which included oversight of the Tesla Semi, to a role with less responsibility as head of heavy duty trucking. Guillen had led Tesla’s entire automotive business from September 2018 until March 2021.
Guillen had a decade-long career at Tesla and held numerous roles at the company. He started at Tesla in 2010 and reported directly to CEO Elon Musk as the program director of the Model S and soon was given more responsibility, including as VP of vehicle engineering. He was later appointed president of automotive before becoming president of heavy duty trucking in March 2021. Guillen is a former Daimler executive who was responsible for the development of the company’s new generation of Class 8 trucks.
The Tesla Semi, a battery electric semi-truck, is still in development. The company first revealed the Tesla Semi in November 2017. It had been slated to go into production by 2019, but it has continued to be pushed back. It’s unclear if Guillen’s departure will further delay the Semi.
In January, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said during the company’s 2020 Q4 earnings call that all engineering work on the semi had been completed and that it expected to begin deliveries in 2021. The availability of battery cells was the only issue limiting the vehicle’s production, Musk said at the time. Three months later, Tesla didn’t provide much of a progress report except to say the semi was in development.
Earlier this month, the company announced that the first Tesla Semi Megacharger would be installed at Frito-Lay’s Modesto, California delivery center. The Megacharger charging stations will be capable of serving up to 100 Tesla Semi trucks.
It was reported earlier this year that Tesla is building a new production line for its Semi model near its Nevada Gigafactory location, with the aim of producing five semi-trucks per week.
Tesla’s Long-Time Trucking, Automotive President Jerome Guillen Quits-FORBES
Jerome Guillen, a long-serving, top-tier Tesla executive with an extensive automotive background and who has been overseeing development of its battery-powered Semi truck, has left the company.
Guillen, who joined Tesla in 2010, left his role as president of Tesla Heavy Trucking as on June 3, the Palo Alto, California-based company said in an SEC filing on Monday afternoon. “We thank him for his many contributions and wish him well in his future career,” the company said in the filing, without providing details about what he will do next.
His departure comes just months after he took on the role of truck chief on March 11. “As Tesla prepares to enter the critical heavy trucks market for the first time, Mr. Guillen will now leverage his extensive background in this industry to focus on and lead all aspects of the Tesla Semi program, including the related charging and servicing networks,” Tesla said in a March 12 SEC filing.
Guillen didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jerome Guillen at the North American International Auto Show 2015 in Detroit.
GETTY IMAGES
In more than a decade with Elon Musk’s electric vehicle powerhouse, Guillen held multiple high-profile roles for the company and was among the company’s most senior executives. His roles included overseeing Tesla’s automotive operations, global sales and service, engineering and he was program director for the breakthrough Model S sedan during the car’s development and initial production phase through 2013.
His most recent task, readying the Tesla Semi truck for commercial sale, has run into challenges. Since first debuting a prototype of the big-rig in November 2017, the Semi has fallen far behind schedule, missing Musk’s initial target of selling it by the end of 2019. It’s unclear whether production and sales will begin this year or if it has been pushed back to 2022. That’s because the model appears to depend use of a larger, next-generation lithium-ion cell that remains in development.
Before joining Tesla, Guillen was director of business innovation for Daimler AG, which made a critical decision to buy battery packs and motors from Tesla in early 2009, a move that helped it avoid bankruptcy. Daimler also invested in Tesla prior to its June 2010 public listing. Guillen also worked on product development for truckmaker Freightliner, and he earned a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.
Tesla shares, which rose 1% to $605.13 on Monday, were little changed in after-hours Nasdaq trading following the company’s SEC filing.
Image Credits: Tesla
Jerome Guillen, a critical executive at Tesla who was working on the development and eventual production of the Tesla Semi, has left the company, the automaker said Monday in a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Guillen’s departure comes just three months after he was moved from the president of automotive position, which included oversight of the Tesla Semi, to a role with less responsibility as head of heavy duty trucking. Guillen had led Tesla’s entire automotive business from September 2018 until March 2021.
Guillen had a decade-long career at Tesla and held numerous roles at the company. He started at Tesla in 2010 and reported directly to CEO Elon Musk as the program director of the Model S and soon was given more responsibility, including as VP of vehicle engineering. He was later appointed president of automotive before becoming president of heavy duty trucking in March 2021. Guillen is a former Daimler executive who was responsible for the development of the company’s new generation of Class 8 trucks.
The Tesla Semi, a battery electric semi-truck, is still in development. The company first revealed the Tesla Semi in November 2017. It had been slated to go into production by 2019, but it has continued to be pushed back. It’s unclear if Guillen’s departure will further delay the Semi.
In January, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said during the company’s 2020 Q4 earnings call that all engineering work on the semi had been completed and that it expected to begin deliveries in 2021. The availability of battery cells was the only issue limiting the vehicle’s production, Musk said at the time. Three months later, Tesla didn’t provide much of a progress report except to say the semi was in development.
Earlier this month, the company announced that the first Tesla Semi Megacharger would be installed at Frito-Lay’s Modesto, California delivery center. The Megacharger charging stations will be capable of serving up to 100 Tesla Semi trucks.
It was reported earlier this year that Tesla is building a new production line for its Semi model near its Nevada Gigafactory location, with the aim of producing five semi-trucks per week.
Tesla’s Long-Time Trucking, Automotive President Jerome Guillen Quits-FORBES
Tesla’s Long-Time Trucking, Automotive President Jerome Guillen Quits
Jerome Guillen, a long-serving, top-tier Tesla executive with an extensive automotive background and who has been overseeing development of its battery-powered Semi truck, has left the company.
Guillen, who joined Tesla in 2010, left his role as president of Tesla Heavy Trucking as on June 3, the Palo Alto, California-based company said in an SEC filing on Monday afternoon. “We thank him for his many contributions and wish him well in his future career,” the company said in the filing, without providing details about what he will do next.
His departure comes just months after he took on the role of truck chief on March 11. “As Tesla prepares to enter the critical heavy trucks market for the first time, Mr. Guillen will now leverage his extensive background in this industry to focus on and lead all aspects of the Tesla Semi program, including the related charging and servicing networks,” Tesla said in a March 12 SEC filing.
Guillen didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jerome Guillen at the North American International Auto Show 2015 in Detroit.
GETTY IMAGES
In more than a decade with Elon Musk’s electric vehicle powerhouse, Guillen held multiple high-profile roles for the company and was among the company’s most senior executives. His roles included overseeing Tesla’s automotive operations, global sales and service, engineering and he was program director for the breakthrough Model S sedan during the car’s development and initial production phase through 2013.
His most recent task, readying the Tesla Semi truck for commercial sale, has run into challenges. Since first debuting a prototype of the big-rig in November 2017, the Semi has fallen far behind schedule, missing Musk’s initial target of selling it by the end of 2019. It’s unclear whether production and sales will begin this year or if it has been pushed back to 2022. That’s because the model appears to depend use of a larger, next-generation lithium-ion cell that remains in development.
Before joining Tesla, Guillen was director of business innovation for Daimler AG, which made a critical decision to buy battery packs and motors from Tesla in early 2009, a move that helped it avoid bankruptcy. Daimler also invested in Tesla prior to its June 2010 public listing. Guillen also worked on product development for truckmaker Freightliner, and he earned a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.
Tesla shares, which rose 1% to $605.13 on Monday, were little changed in after-hours Nasdaq trading following the company’s SEC filing.
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