Pamela Fletcher, left, will now answer directly to GM CEO Mary Barra.
General Motors is expanding its commitment to its electric vehicle program by moving three top executives into new positions that should elevate the company’s electrification program.
Pamela Fletcher, GM’s vice president of global electric vehicle programs, is getting a new, higher ranking position on Oct. 1: Vice President of Innovation, according to the Detroit News. Fletcher, who once shepherded the development and production of the Chevrolet Bolt, will answer directly GM CEO Mary Barra.
Fletcher’s been steadily moving up the ladder, moving into her current position last fall. She joins a growing list of women in high-responsibility, high-profile jobs at General Motors.
Doug Parks, vice president of autonomous and electric vehicle programs, will take over Fletcher’s former job while retaining his current title as well.
Doug Parks will take on Fletcher's duties while retaining his own title.
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“Pam’s new role leverages her engineering and entrepreneurial background to focus on identifying, integrating and accelerating new growth opportunities that will directly benefit our customers,” Parks said in a statement.
The company created another new post as well, Vice President of Electric Vehicle Infrastructure. It will be filled by the current vice president of global strategy, Michael Ableson. His former global strategy team will report to Fletcher next month.
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Mike Ableson will head up GM's efforts to bolster EV charging infrastructure.
In his new role, Ableson will head up the company’s endeavors to develop partnerships or find incentives and investments that could lead to a more robust EV charging infrastructure. The ultimate goal is to “remove a critical barrier to acceptance of electrification,” Parks said.
Despite the improved range of batteries, the EV infrastructure is still underdeveloped and Abelson’s efforts to improve the existing charging infrastructure and making charging stations more widely accessible is critical to grow EV ownership numbers.
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The restructuring reflects GM’s plans to have 20 EVs on the road by 2023. Ensuring new vehicle buyers have all of the support needed to use an EV in nearly the identical manner they use a gas-powered vehicle is crucial to that success.