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Ex-Tesla Executive Named COO at Proterra

Electric transit busmaker Proterra Inc. has hired Josh Ensign, a former vice president of manufacturing at Tesla Motors Inc., to be its chief operating officer.
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Electric transit busmaker Proterra Inc. has hired Josh Ensign, a former vice president of manufacturing at Tesla Motors Inc., to be its chief operating officer.

Ensign tells Bloomberg News his task is to lead Proterra’s plans to triple production at its factory in Greenville, S.C., and open a second plant outside Los Angeles next year. The Burlingame, Calif.-based company has sold about 300 electric buses to dozens of transit authorities since it began business 12 years ago.

Ensign headed manufacturing at Tesla between mid-2014 and last May. There he oversaw the installation of Tesla’s Model S and Model X assembly lines and the establishment of the company’s new seatmaking facility.

Proterra CEO Ryan Popple, a former finance director at Tesla, says Ensign’s focus will be on launching the company’s new Catalyst E2 model series. The buses, which are designed for long routes, can travel some 350 miles per charge, according to the company.

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