Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced that Kenny Handkammer is joining the company to help “revolutionize servicing mainstream cars.” Handkammer was a chief mechanic at Formula 1 Red Bull team.
In a message sent via Twitter, Musk said,
Welcome @Chiefboltkennyh to @TeslaMotors. He will apply Formula 1 techniques to revolutionize servicing mainstream cars.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 6, 2015
During his 25 years in Formula 1 racing, Handkammer bagged championships together with Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. He was the chief mechanic of the Red Bull Formula 1 Team when it achieved a world record of 1.9 seconds in pit stop in 2013.
Handkammer left the Red Bull Formula 1 Team in October after announcing that it found someone that could restructure the team better. The team struggled after its Vettel left and joined the Ferrari team during the off-season. In addition, Red Bull experienced problems with Renault, its engine provider. As a result, Red Bull landed in the sixth place during the constructors’ championship.
The actual role of Handkammer at Tesla Motors is still uncertain. Observers in the auto industry suggest that if Musk’s next car demo includes tire swaps at lightning speeds, we already know that Handkammer is behind it.
Tesla Q1 vehicle deliveries
Last week, Tesla Motors announced that it delivered 10,030 vehicles during the first quarter of 2015, a 55% increase from its deliveries during the same period a year ago.
“Going forward, Tesla will publish the number of new car deliveries within three days of quarter end. We have decided to take this approach because inaccurate sources of information are sometimes used by others to project the number of vehicle deliveries,” according to the electric car manufacturer in a statement.”
Tesla Motors added that there may be small changes in its delivery count, which is normally below 1%. The electric car manufacturer explained that it only counts a delivery if all the paperwork is correct, and the customer already received the car.
West Virginian restricts Tesla’s direct sales strategy
Meanwhile, West Virginia Governor Ear Ray Tomblin approved a bill restricting the direct sales strategy of Tesla Motors. The law stipulated that franchised auto dealers are the only place where consumers could purchase new vehicles.
Tesla Motors emphasized that the law only protects that monopoly of auto dealers, which is contrary to claims that it supports businesses and free market principles.
Jim Chen, associate general counsel at Tesla Motors emphasized that the company will resume its fight in West Virginia during the 2016 legislative session. Chen said, “West Virginians deserve the right to choose how and from whom they purchase their vehicles. We will return next year to fight for consumer choice and free market access.”
