Switching Gears with Arvydas Milius
This week we are sitting down with Arvy, our Project Manager. Over a cup of coffee, he explains what has been the biggest shift in the automotive industry and why building prototype vehicles is the most exciting part of this journey.
Describe your day as a Project Manager at Charge Cars?
I often come to work earlier than everyone else so I can get ready for the day. The very first thing I do is make a cup (or two or three…) of tasty coffee to brighten my morning. I check my calendar for the day so I can plan my day efficiently. I catch up with my emails and then the fun begins. At Charge, every day is different. One day I’m meeting a supplier confirming development timelines for our products, the next I find myself dealing with risks and working on contingency plans to keep business objectives unaffected. The pandemic affected the automotive sector in various ways, both positive and negative. There were material shortages and component delays which created a very challenging environment. All of these factors had to be managed in the most effective way for a successful outcome.
We are currently building pre-series vehicles for testing, validating and marketing purposes. Prototype builds are the most exciting. With this process, you can physically see what we, as a team, developed on ‘paper’ becoming a reality, each new car we build is better than the one before, more refined and closer to perfection. I’m very proud of what we have achieved so far and it makes me love what I do even more. When we hit the start of production for customer cars, there will be no other vehicle like the ’67 by Charge.
Top tip for someone entering your field of work?
Be passionate! Be positive! Don’t treat working as just your job.
This industry is very challenging, it requires managers to be adaptable and be incredibly forward thinking in order to get the best results out of their teams and make the best use of the available resources.
What trend, if any, is shaping your area of work right now?
I would say electrification and emission free driving but that’s obvious and it is the right step forward; though I would be lying if I said there is no place for an old V8 in my heart. The next big things are autonomous systems, connected services, how we use cars today and what they will be in 15 years’ time. It is a future that brings a completely different concept to what we have today. Exciting to say the least.
Working here, what are you most looking forward to?
My morning cup of coffee of course… I’m joking. Aside from that, patiently waiting to build our first customer vehicle, the moment when the very first car rolls off the production line is priceless.
What book would you recommend?
Its’ been a long time since I read a book, but if I had to recommend one, that would be 12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson. You may not agree with everything he says but its well worth the read.
