American Manganese Inc. (CVE:AMY) announced that it has appointed a former Tesla director for central Europe, Jochen Rudat to its advisory board.
The group noted that Rudat has an illustrious background and reputation in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. He has spent 10 years working under Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, where he helped launch Models S, 3, X and Roadster in Europe. having been hired by Musk to build a sales and marketing force in Europe that grew to nearly 300 employees during his tenure.
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"We are delighted to welcome such an experienced member of the EV industry to the American Manganese team," said Larry Reaugh, president and CEO of American Manganese in a statement. "Jochen's expert industry insight will be an invaluable resource as we explore business development and strategic partnerships for RecycLiCo in Europe."
Before Tesla, Rudat worked for several prominent car manufacturers such as BMW, Kia and Porsche. Most recently, he served as chief sales officer at Italian luxury carmaker Automobili Pininfarina to launch its electric hypercar, Battista. Moreover, Rudat is the founder of Electric Ventures, a consultancy service focused on investments in sustainable transport.
The company said it has granted Rudat one million incentive stock options with an exercise term of five years and an exercise price of $1.99/share.
American Manganese is a critical metals company focused on recycling of lithium-ion batteries (RecycLiCo) and the production of electrolytic manganese metal from low-grade U.S. resources. The recycling process provides high extraction of cathode metals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and aluminum at high purity, with minimal processing steps.
The company aims to commercialize its breakthrough RecycLiCo patented process and become an industry leader in recycling cathode materials from lithium-ion battery manufacturing waste.
Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com