EV startup Byton has named Andrew Ball as its new vice president of program management. Ball will head up product development with a focus on creating global vehicles for different markets, on a single platform, beginning with the Byton M-Byte SUV.
Ball has over 20 years of experience in automotive program management, with most of those years spent at Ford across research and engineering operations in Europe and China. While at Ford, Ball led engineering programs for several key platforms and models delivered across Asia, including the Taurus, Focus, Fiesta, Escort and more. Ball also was key in building global multicultural teams as Ford increased its presence in the flourishing Chinese market.
Byton CEO Dr Daniel Kirchert said, “Andrew joins Byton at exactly the right time to ensure that the company can deliver the premium, smart electric vehicle that has been promised since the global unveil of the M-Byte SUV at CES 2018.”
On May 30, the first M-Byte body-in-white (BIW) rolled off the brand-new Byton factory weld line. The company is also in the process of testing almost 100 M-Byte prototypes with a focus on passive safety, powertrain, braking, NVH, aerodynamics, HVAC functionality and durability.
Forthcoming evaluation work will include active safety analysis, ADAS testing, high temperature durability work, and UI/UX and connectivity testing.