Tesla’s VP of Manufacturing Quits

Gilbert Passin, who had been Tesla Inc.’s vice president of manufacturing for several years, has left the company, Business Insider reports.

Passin, who joined Tesla in 2010 from Toyota Motor Corp., is credited with helping in the company’s early electric-car projects with Daimler and Toyota, setting up the company’s factory in Fremont, Calif., and launching production of the Model S sport sedan.

Passin set up the company’s global Supercharger high-power charging network and managed it through 2013, according to his LinkedIn page. He also led advanced manufacturing planning for Tesla’s upcoming assembly plant in China.

Passin joins a long list of upper level Tesla executives who have quit in the past 12 months. Other departures include the company’s chief accounting officer, the vice presidents of engineering and finance, and the heads of human resources, communications, supply chain management, battery engineering, global sales and North American sales.