Mission Motors Hires Derek Kaufman as Chief Operating Officer

SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mission Motors, a developer of cutting-edge electric vehicle technology, today announced that Derek Kaufman has joined the company as Chief Operating Officer.

Mr. Kaufman has worked in the transportation industry for 35 years, with positions including VP of Marketing and Product Planning for Freightliner Corporation and several roles within Penske Corporation including President of Diesel Technology Company, Senior VP of Sales, Marketing and Customer Support for Hino Trucks, and VP of Fixed Operations for smart USA.

Mr. Kaufman is also an entrepreneur. In 1997 he formed C3 Network Inc. to help clients launch leading edge technology products to the heavy transportation industry.  He writes and speaks on technology trends with a special emphasis most recently on telematics applications.

"We are excited to welcome Derek to the Mission Motors leadership team," said Mission Motors CEO, Jit Bhattacharya. "As a company we are focused on the commercialization of our drive system technology for use in production vehicles.  Derek's experience will enable us to build a state-of-the-art operation that delivers high-quality products that best meet our customer's needs in production."

"Mission Motors combines the best of Silicon Valley innovation and transportation industry know-how," said Mr. Kaufman. "The company is well positioned to be a significant player in electric drive systems.  We have a unique opportunity to develop new strategies for commercialization and production of electric vehicle technologies.  I am excited to be joining the Mission team as we make the move towards production."

About Mission Motors

Mission Motors is a Tier-1 supplier of optimized electric powertrain components that incorporate the company's proprietary technology. The company offers energy storage, drive systems, and software intelligence for automotive, powersports and heavy equipment applications.

Mission Motors is a full partner to vehicle manufacturers, meeting their development, production supply and aftermarket needs. Mission helps its customers bring higher performance electric and hybrid vehicles to market faster and at lower development cost.

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Mission's team combines expertise from the automotive, powersports, robotics, battery and software industries. Learn more at http://www.ridemission.com

SOURCE Mission Motors