Motiv Power Systems Appoints Prasad Ramakrishnan as Chief Operating Officer

Automotive industry veteran to focus on operational excellence

 [Foster City, Calif. – January 19, 2021] — Motiv Power Systems announced today that Prasad Ramakrishnan assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective January 1, 2021. Ramakrishnan succeeds Marc Herman, who retired at the end of 2020 after a ten-year tenure with the company. Ramakrishnan joined Motiv in July 2020 as a Board Advisor to assist Motiv’s leadership team in developing a robust manufacturing and supply chain strategy. In his new role, he will focus on operational excellence and ensuring engineering, manufacturing, and quality processes provide customer-focused, robust, reliable, and profitable products at high-volume.

“As we head into the new year, we are making a shift in our senior leadership team to accommodate the new challenges we face as we transform our business for significant growth,” said Matt O’Leary, Motiv’s Chairman and CEO. “I am pleased to welcome Prasad to Motiv’s leadership team, who will have an immediate impact on our company’s performance.”

Ramakrishnan is a global turnaround specialist with expertise in renewable energy, mobility, and power industries, to name a few. He held global or regional operational leadership roles at Ford, Triumph International, Alstom, and General Electric while living and working in four continents during his career. With a passion for inclusive leadership and team development, while combining social and economic impact, he taught and developed executive education programs at the Swiss Federal Tech University (ETH) in Zurich and Babson College in Boston. Ramakrishnan holds bachelor’s degrees in Physics & Electrical Engineering, master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering & Personnel Administration, and is a Saïd Business School alumnus of the Oxford Advanced Management and Leadership Programme.

“I am excited to join Motiv and work alongside Matt and the entire team to continue to execute on its strategic plan, accelerate growth, and deliver exceptional products to our fleet customers,” said Ramakrishnan. “There has never been a better time to go electric, and Motiv is well-positioned to lead the charge.”

Despite numerous challenges of 2020, Motiv commercialized the AdaptEV software and power electronics in the EPIC chassis, forging key partnerships for battery supply and third-party manufacturing, improving reliability, and establishing a best-in-class customer support team. 2020 also marked the significant growth of customer deployments, including Alsco Uniforms, Bimbo Bakeries, Vail Valley Foundation’s Magic Bus, Town of Estes Park, Community Recourse Project, and many others who enjoy a 98 percent uptime.

About Motiv Power Systems

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Motiv Power Systems is a sustainable technology company delivering proven electric truck and bus chassis and related charging infrastructure. Its commitment to freeing fleets from fossil fuels provides fleets a seamless pathway to electrification. Motiv's Ford eQVM-approved and CARB-certified EV technology operates at over 98 percent uptime today and uses high-performance BMW batteries for many configurations, including step vans, box trucks, work trucks, shuttle buses, school buses, trolleys, and more. Motiv has delivered 120 vehicles that have traveled more than one million miles across North America. The company’s solutions not only offer fleets up to 85 percent operation and maintenance cost savings, but also provide operators with a healthier and more comfortable driving experience without polluting the communities they serve. For more information and career opportunities, please visit motivtrucks.com.

 

Media Contact for Motiv:

Joanna Hamblin
Sr. Marketing Manager
Motiv Power Systems
joanna.hamblin@motivps.com
(650) 204-9099

Technica Communications
Sarah Malpeli
(408) 806-9626 ext. 6840
sarah@technicacommunications.com