Ford has poached engineering director Alan Clarke from Tesla. The 35-year-old engineer now works with Ford's Advanced EV Development department in California.
(Photo : PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley admitted in an interview earlier this year that the Detroit automaker is following Tesla's lead when it comes to the electric vehicle business. He has made a significant move to close the gap between the two carmakers, with Ford poaching engineering director Alan Clarke from Tesla to improve its EV business, as per Carscoops.
Clarke, who worked at Tesla for 12 years, apparently joined Ford back in January. Clarke made the move public after updating his LinkedIn page earlier this week, with the former Tesla engineer now working with Ford in California.
Clarke issued a statement on the professional network, saying, "I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position in Advanced EV Development at Ford Motor Company." More than 700 people responded to his message, including Farley, who posted, "Welcome, Alan! Great to have you on the team."
Ford lands key hire in Clarke
INSIDEEVs reported that Clarke is a huge acquisition for Ford as he brings a wealth of experience in the auto industry. He made a name for himself at Tesla, playing a key role in making the company the world's largest EV manufacturer.
Clarke worked as a senior design engineer for Tesla on the Model S between September 2009 and January 2012 before serving as senior manager of new programs engineering between January 2012 and October 2017. He was then promoted by Tesla to director of new programs engineering in October 2017, retaining that role until January of this year.
Before joining Tesla in 2009, Clarke worked at Honda Performance Development, serving as its chassis development engineer for the ARX 02A P1 and ARX 01b P2 prototypes that participated in the American Le Mans Series.
Clarke played a crucial role in developing Tesla's Model S car, overseeing the design of its suspension, battery enclosure, exterior door handle mechanisms, and steering. The 35-year-old engineer also contributed to the development of the drivetrain of the Tesla Model X.
When he assumed the position of senior manager of new programs engineering, Clarke led Tesla's important programs such as vehicle architecture for Model Y and Model 3, engineering work on the Cybertruck prototype, and chief engineering for the Tesla Roadster prototype.
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Clarke joins former Tesla colleague Field in Ford
This is not the first time Ford has poached someone from Tesla to bolster its EV business. Last September, Ford recruited Doug Field, who previously worked as the senior vice president of Engineering at Tesla. He also once headed Apple's car project.
Field, who played an important role in launching the Tesla Model 3, is currently leading Ford's Embedded Software and Hardware organization, in charge of Architecture & Platform, Driver Assistance Technology, Digital Engineering Tools, Features, Integration & Validation, Vehicle Controls, and Enterprise Connectivity.
A Ford spokesperson told Automotive News that Clarke would directly report to Field, who is the company's chief advanced technology and embedded systems officer.
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