Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt announced on Wednesday that the head of its Northvolt Ett gigafactory, Mark Duchesne, will step down immediately, as the company continues its efforts to address ongoing production issues.
Angeline Bilodeau, vice president of Northvolt’s North American operations, will assume the role on an interim basis.
The reorganization comes as Northvolt struggles to accelerate battery production at its Swedish facility, which was built to support the European automotive industry’s transition to electric vehicles.
Production at the plant has lagged behind targets, with output in mid-September at less than 1 gigawatt-hour (GWh) annually, far below its intended 16 GWh capacity.
Duchesne, who joined Northvolt in mid-2023 after previous roles at Tesla, Byton, and Nikola Motor Co., had described the last few months as the “worst quarter” of his career. In September, Northvolt announced job cuts, sparking concerns about the future of Europe’s bid to build a domestic electric vehicle battery champion.
Northvolt is currently seeking additional funding from investors and lenders to overcome its financial difficulties.
