DailyTech - BMW Nabs Lead Volt Engineer for EV Bid

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Auto BMW Nabs Lead Volt Engineer for EV Bid
Jason Mick (Blog) - April 14, 2011 1:28 PM

21 comment(s) - last by chick0n.. on Apr 15 at 8:41 PM

Frank Weber was the lead engineer for GM's Volt EV. (Source: GM)

He has been most recently working to launch Opel's Volt-clone, Ampera. Opel is a German GM subsidiary. (Source: GM)

Mr. Weber has now been scooped up by BMW, who is looking to make EVs of their own. (Source: Autoblog)

BMW's first battery electric vehicle under its marquee, the BMW i3 (which is believed to be pictured here in a spy shot) will launch in 2013.will (Source: Left Lane News/KGP Photography)

Volt mastermind will be critical in German luxury automaker 2013 EV launch

The 2012 Chevy Volt is a hit, but General Motors Comp. (GM) just lost one of the key figures behind its success.

Though still being produced and sold at low volume, the Volt currently is America's best-selling electric vehicle, beating the 2012 Nissan (NSANF) LEAF EV in early sales.

One of the key figures behind the vehicle success was lead engineer Frank Weber. GM rewarded Mr. Weber with an assignment as head of product planning for GM's European Opel (Germany) and Vauxhall (England) units (you may recall GM considered selling these units post bankruptcy, but didn't).

At Opel Mr. Weber has been helping plan the release of the Ampera, a sedan whose internals are identical to Volt. Both the Ampera and the Volt itself are scheduled for a European release in October.

But Mr. Weber may no longer be presiding over the release. According to AutomotiveNews, German luxury automaker Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) has acquired the rising young engineering star to lead its 2013 electrification bid. BMW is in negotiations with Opel regarding Mr. Weber's start date.

Mr. Weber will report directly to Klaus Draeger, BMW's head of research and development. His teams will be responsible for the EfficientDynamics fuel-saving program, full-vehicle concepts and architectures, as well as driver safety and driver assistance systems.

BMW's first battery electric vehicle (BEV), the 2014 BMW i3, and its first luxury plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), the 2014 BMW i8, will both land in within years. (BMW recently released an EV under its mass-market Mini marquee.)

In the luxury market BMW will face stiff competition from the American automaker Tesla Motor Company (TM), whose all-electric Roadster BEV is currently selling well. Tesla will next year release its 2013 Model S sedan, an entry-level luxury EV, priced starting at $50,000 USD.

BMW will also square off against fellow German luxury automaker Audi AG, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. Audi recently approved of preparing its A3 e-Tron concept for a 2013 release. And German auto-giant Daimler AG's luxury subsidiary Mercedes-Benz is also considering an EV launch of its own.

Mr. Weber had first gone to work for GM in 1991, after studying Darmstadt University. His arrival came just five years prior to General Motors' first ill-fated EV-push with the EV1. Mr. Weber worked at the company's engineering center in Ruesselsheim holding several positions, including director of advanced concept engineering.

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non-compete

By shadowamazon on 4/14/2011 1:40:00 PM , Rating: 3

Nobody signs non-compete clause anymore?

RE: non-compete

By Wy White Wolf on 4/14/2011 2:25:25 PM , Rating: 2

German law is different than US law

quote:
In Germany, NCCs are allowed for a term up to two years. The employer must provide financial compensation for the duration of the NCC amounting to at least half the gross salary.[11] Unreasonable clauses, for example excluding similar jobs in whole Germany, can be invalidated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-compete_clause#Eu...

I'd bet there is no way a German Court would uphold any NCC that GM had him sign.

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RE: non-compete

By FITCamaro on 4/14/2011 2:27:42 PM , Rating: 2

1) Companies rarely enforce them.

2) If he goes to work for a German firm, there's probably little GM can do. Non-competes probably don't go across nationalities.

Besides its still illegal for him to divulge any proprietary data to BMW that would give them an unfair advantage in competing against GM. He can't tell them about any unannounced upcoming models, powertrains, etc.

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RE: non-compete

By Alexvrb on 4/15/2011 12:42:13 AM , Rating: 3

Nobody would be able to prove jack, regarding proprietary information. When they hired this guy, it wasn't just for his talent and experience. It was for his knowledge too. You can't delete the Volt files from his memory banks. That information will come in handy when designing a vehicle for BMW.

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RE: non-compete

By FITCamaro on 4/15/2011 7:44:48 AM , Rating: 2

Believe whatever you want. BMW would be stupid to risk the potential lawsuits in getting corporate secrets from him. Sure he'll use his knowledge to better BMW. But that doesn't mean he can legally give them company proprietary information.

According to you, an Intel engineer could go to AMD and then three years later AMD comes out with a CPU that mirrors what Intel was working on for the future with no consequences.

It doesn't work that way.

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RE: non-compete

By callmeroy on 4/15/2011 10:42:33 AM , Rating: 2

Well duh. Its kind of the whole point of a NCC (or any contract really).

WTH do you think disclaimers on applications for jobs or when applying for a loan basically warn you "provide false information ...blah blah...[will mean you share a cell with bubba...]".....

Naturally anyone can say anything....the point is can they live with the consequences?

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RE: non-compete

By theBike45 on 4/14/2011 3:21:06 PM , Rating: 2

In my state, non-compete clauses are considered a restraint of free trade and anti-competitive and illegal. I can't imagine them being legal anywhere, but I'm no lawyer.
Mercedes has invested in/contracted with Tesla to build
powertrains for their vehicles. Considering how advanced Tesla is over the Volt, I'd say BMW went fishing for the wrong guy. Perhaps he was the only one standing around....
So far, BMW has indicated no interest in plug-in hybrids like the Volt. Their Mini is pure electric. Therefore, as a basis for an electric, the Volt design (which is identical to the Ampera) is of no value.

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RE: non-compete

By Skywalker123 on 4/14/2011 3:48:06 PM , Rating: 2

No compete clauses are usually legal if they are "reasonable"

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RE: non-compete

By Alexvrb on 4/15/2011 12:44:59 AM , Rating: 2

Actually the Volt is quite a bit more complex than a pure EV. To say that Tesla has vehicles that are more advanced than the Volt would be deceptive. Their vehicles excel at electric-only operation - the only mode of operation they HAVE. The Volt (and other PHEVs to some extent) are quite a bit more advanced, as a whole package.

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RE: non-compete

By fteoath64 on 4/15/2011 6:15:14 AM , Rating: 2

"Perhaps he was the only one standing around". You are probably right on this one. There are very few people who are experienced in electric vehicles, so a fairly senior one is hard to come by considering most "old hat" piston-hats have no interest in electric anyways.

There are tons of classic automotive people on the market but BMW has had enough of them in their stables. To stock experienced EV personnel is the key towards their development now that they have announced seriousness in commercial hybrid/BEVs.

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RE: non-compete

By JediJeb on 4/15/2011 3:38:05 PM , Rating: 2

I know where I work the only legal requirement for a non-compete is that if I go to another company I can not initiate contact with one of our current customers for either one or two years(not sure which). But if one of those customers happens to come to the new company I am with then that is ok. My former company would have to be able to prove I initiated the contact to be able to sue.

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Ampera so much better looking than the Volt

By Iridium130m on 4/14/2011 4:43:44 PM , Rating: 3

I don't get it GM, why do you have to go slap the ultra conservative rental looking corporate front end on the volt when you have such a slick looking front end on the Ampera? With the technology in the Volt, it deserves the same front end here in the states.

RE: Ampera so much better looking than the Volt

By FITCamaro on 4/14/2011 5:40:28 PM , Rating: 2

Yeah I'd much rather have the Ampera than the Volt. Just without all that electric part. 2.0L turbo FTW.

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Volt mastermind?

By CarbonJoe on 4/14/2011 3:47:13 PM , Rating: 2

Will the Volt mastermind be able to hire any of his Volt henchmen? Mastermind always seems to have a negative connotation.

RE: Volt mastermind?

By JediJeb on 4/15/2011 3:39:58 PM , Rating: 2

He will, but only for....One Billllion Dollarss.

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"rising young engineering star"

By skiboysteve on 4/14/2011 2:29:05 PM , Rating: 3

If he graduated in 1991... hes probably about 45. Young? No.

Volt Is a Hit? I've Never Seen One In Person...

By Arsynic on 4/14/11, Rating: -1

RE: Volt Is a Hit? I've Never Seen One In Person...

By sam33r on 4/14/2011 3:07:45 PM , Rating: 5

Wow you are an idiot. Stop posting please - your comments alone create a huge negative impact on the value of collective human online intelligence.

Stick to making comments on ESPN.com, stay out of DailyTech.

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