John Harding and Erik Kauppi, engineers and EV pioneers, founded Current Motor with the vision of combining the performance level of more expensive EV competitors with a lower purchase price and virtually maintenance free ownership experience.

John Harding, Co-Founder and Chief Product Engineer, has held engineering positions at Ford and Thompson Reuters and began selling electric motor scooters in SE Michigan in 2007. He worked closely with the company and was the first to offer their scooters powered by first generation lithium batteries. Erik has said regarding the world’s reliance on petroleum, “We have better things to do with it – like build things – than burn it.”

Key founding team member, Terry Richards, Director EV Technology, has 30 years EV experience including three EV programs with Chrysler Corp. He has built several different EVs for specialized purposes, from VW Rabbits to tractors. Terry is also an avid scooter racer.

Recognizing they had developed valuable IP and a highly differentiated market position, at the end of 2010 EV Manufacturing LLC, the predecessor company, was merged into Current Motor Company, Inc., a newly formed Delaware corporation. Lauren Flanagan, software expert and superangel, and Bob Lutz, auto legend, were among Current Motor’s first investors. Since January, 2011, Lauren Flanagan has led Current Motor as Executive Chairman, and Bob Lutz has chaired the Current Motor Advisory Council. In February, 2011, Marie Klopf, supply chain expert and ex-GM exec, joined the Current Motor team as Acting COO. Marie is scaling the Company’s operations and managing its outsourced assembly operations. In May 2011, Mae Skidmore former owner of Skidmore Inc, joined the Company as Director of Marketing and began a rebranding effort to position Current Motor as the best value leader in its EV class.

BELLE Capital, LP led Current Motor’s Series A Preferred financing. Other investors include the State of Michigan’s PreSeed Fund.