Charge Cars: Introducing Matas Simonavičius, Chief Technical Officer
Matas Simonavičius, our Chief Technical Officer (CTO), joined the company back in 2017, when Charge Cars was just at the beginning of its journey. Within the company, Matas is responsible for vehicle engineering and technology, leading both the electrical and mechanical teams. Before joining Charge Cars, Matas was overseeing the testing and development at Roborace.
“At Roborace we had a small, dedicated team that tested and built the vehicles. We built the first five vehicles that became the AI racing series.
I joined Charge Cars as I was already familiar with our technology partner Arrival’s components and have built electric vehicle platforms from scratch; it was too great an opportunity to pass on. We are building brand new, electric classic cars that were originally designed in the ’60s, which no one else is doing at this level. It is a unique project where we merge the beautiful design of an icon with completely new technology.”
Matas is responsible for ensuring that the vehicle technology and engineering is going in the right direction. In his own words:
“The Charge Cars Engineering team designed the electric vehicle platform with all its functions, ensuring that all requirements and all safety regulations are met. We have to make sure that the technology available to us now is future proofed. We have a small team so we don’t have any chances to do things twice, we have to be right the first time.”
Each vehicle is built from scratch, from the electrical wiring to stitching on the steering wheel. Every car is unique and an untrained eye may miss some details; Matas speaks on how customers perceive cars:
“Not every customer sees all the details; the behind-the-scenes, simulations, testing, design, every single nut & bolt. It is hard to recognise all the work that goes into a car, unless you are from the automotive industry. It is natural for people to react to the things they can see and touch, but a large part of our work is hidden beneath that. Engineering is the aspect that gets dismissed the most. For example: the battery box is the backbone of the car which requires incredible engineering skills to guarantee that the batteries are safe during the lifetime of the vehicle and it’s completely safe for the customer. The details that have to be considered are incredibly time consuming and require a lot of man hours. Furthermore, the body of the car was designed in the ’60s, but we are adapting it to the 2020s with European Standards and regulations, which have changed dramatically since then. We have to respect the history of the car while implementing new solutions, such as composite materials and alternative metals compared to what was used in the ’60s. We posses innovative ways to solve complex challenges while maintaining the spirit of the vehicle. ”
There are many challenges along the way to building 499 brand new Electric Mustangs. In speaking how the departments deal with complexities that arise, Matas mentions:
“The biggest challenge is to reverse-engineer the original car into an electric car, without compromising the original shape which makes it the icon that it is. In our case, the shape was created in the ’60s and we are working with something that is a set variable. This is uncommon with most cars today as they are designed from scratch. The boundaries have been set, they cannot be changed or moved. This means we have to find smart and innovative ways to improve without compromise.
In this environment it’s crucial to have teams working together in synergy as communication for small teams is key. We have to provide our colleagues opportunities for creativity and freedom to find the best solutions possible, without defining the scope for them. It allows everyone to create and innovate. We all work separately but we meet cross-functionally on a regular basis where the Electrical, Mechanical and Project Management teams work hand in hand. Each team’s undertaking will affect another team’s work, so it’s important to keep conversation and motivation going. Every person is motivated to challenge themselves and the work they do to create an incredible end product. We also have to be as agile as possible; new information is available every day and we have to adapt and make decisions based on the newest information at our disposal. Such flexibility will allow us to create a better car for our customers.“
“Personally, my favourite part of the job is working on complex challenges and finding solutions. Sometimes the solutions are very simple, which doesn’t happen too often unfortunately. I also love seeing everyone in their teams happy and enjoying what they’re doing. Everyone here is immensely talented, so believing and trusting our colleagues is the most important part of what we are doing.”
“What I’m looking forward to the most is the first customer driving their Electric Mustang. I want to hear their feedback and collect their thoughts. Everyone at Charge Cars have been working on this for so long that sometimes you can feel desensitised and I’d love to know what an unaffiliated person will have to say about the car.”
