Motiv Power Systems Welcomes Ford Industry Veteran, Matt O'Leary, as New CEO

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Feb. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Motiv Power Systems (Motiv), the leading provider of all-electric medium-duty fleet chassis, announced today that its Chairman of the Board and Board member for more than two years, Matt O'Leary, has been appointed as CEO. Jim Castelaz, has assumed the role of CTO and will maintain a seat on Motiv's board. O'Leary will continue to serve as interim Board Chairman and plans to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area in the coming weeks.

"This transition is really a natural byproduct of the tremendous market success that Motiv has experienced, and the future growth plans we are putting in place," said O'Leary. "The number of recent key partner and supplier agreements Motiv has secured over the past year, including sales to USPS and a strategic partnership with Winnebago, as well as a BMW lithium-ion battery supply agreement, demonstrate that the company has matured and now offers an opportunity to better leverage Jim's incredible technical talent in expanding our technology offerings with innovations to further cement our competitive advantage. My transition from Chairman to CEO provides the company with a seamless transition and allows me to apply my operational experience and deep commercial customer knowledge more directly to the team."

"It was always my hope that we would reach a point in Motiv's evolution where I could focus on the aspect of Motiv that excites me the most – and that's the development and deployment of our key technology and our growing ability to Free Fleets from Fossil Fuels. I'm incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished and am excited about this opportunity to pass the reins to Matt," said Castelaz. "It has been a pleasure working with him over these last two years, and I am confident of the tremendous value his leadership brings to Motiv."

Before joining the Motiv board, O'Leary served in various capacities in his 38 years at Ford Motor Company, including, most recently holding the title of Vehicle Line Director - North America Trucks, SUVs, and Commercial Vehicles. During his extensive career at Ford Motor Company, O'Leary co-led the launch of the aluminum-intensive 2015 F150 at two assembly plants. As Director of Corporate Strategy, he led development of a corporate strategy to significantly grow Ford's presence in the Asia Pacific. As Director of Product Development for South America, O'Leary led the historical transformation of Ford South America from 100 percent legacy to 100 percent global products in three years, including local design and development of two global vehicles - EcoSport and Ka. O'Leary also led from inception to launch the successful all-new 2009 F150 which won many awards including Motor Trend and North American Truck-of-the-Year awards, as well as Truck of Texas.

In January, Motiv had announced a battery supply agreement with BMW AG for its new line of lithium-ion batteries and earlier this month, a new deployment with CALSTART and the United States Postal Service.

About Motiv Power Systems
Founded in 2009, and headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Motiv Power Systems, a leading provider of software and technology to electrify medium duty commercial vehicles, is committed to freeing fleets from their dependence on fossil fuels. Motiv's EPIC (Electric Powered Intelligent Chassis) are CARB certified, GSA approved, and available for many configurations including step vans, box trucks, work trucks, shuttle buses, school buses, trolleys, and other specialty vehicles. An EPIC offers uncompromised performance and functionality without the pollution, noise, heat, and vibration of gasoline or diesel power. Motiv is the only Ford eQVM-approved provider of all-electric chassis for commercial trucks and buses and benefits from engineering insights and support from Ford to ensure safety and reliability. With more than 500,000 miles logged among several of the largest fleet operators in the United States, the EPIC family eliminates 100% of vehicle emissions, dramatically reduces operating and maintenance costs, and creates a healthier environment for riders and communities, while also reducing driver fatigue.

Media Contact:
Technica Communications
Lisa Ann Pinkerton
[email protected]

SOURCE Motiv Power Systems

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http://www.motivps.com