Low angle view of Tesla Motors dealership facade with logo and sign in Pleasanton, California, July 23, 2018. (Photo by Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images)
Smith / Gado Collection
An influential Tesla engineering director, Joe Mardall, has resigned from his position at the automaker to become Zipline’s chief engineer, according to his own LinkedIn profile.
Zipline is a manufacturer of drones and an air delivery service focused on the distribution of blood and other medical supplies.
Among his successes over a decade at Tesla, Mardall led the development of a Model Y heat pump system, which was praised by CEO Elon Musk on Twitter, and led Tesla’s efforts to design a fan for people suffering from Covid that could occur using car parts. (Never produced the fans).
Prior to getting involved in Tesla’s latest crossover SUV, the Model Y, Mardall also developed thermal and HVAC technologies that became the defining features of the company’s previous Model X and Model 3 vehicles. Its name is found on several Tesla patents.
According to Forge, a secondary market, Zipline is currently raising a round of Series E funding with shares around $ 32.63, indicating a valuation in the north of $ 2 billion.
Mardall wrote in a public post on LinkedIn:
“After 10 wonderful years at Tesla, I am thrilled to begin the next chapter as Zipline’s chief engineer, working with a team of talented and committed engineers to provide all humans on Earth with instant access to medical supplies. vital. The next five years will change everything and I can’t wait! We are hiring all engineering roles and I would love to hear from you. Come fly with me! “
Mardall did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.
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