Elon Musk’s involvement in Donald Trump’s government is “good news” for the future of electric cars, said the president, CEO and co-founder of Northvolt in North America.
• Also read: Northvolt’s factory project increasingly fragile, recognizes its co-founder
Paolo Cerruti came to explain the turmoil surrounding the financial situation of the Swedish company in an interview on the show The Joustlate Thursday afternoon, and took the opportunity to comment on the appointment of the Tesla executive, with whom he previously worked, as head of the new ministry of “government efficiency.”
“I think it’s good news that he’s finally there because I think he’s going to defend (the electric shift). The mission is really at the heart of what he wants to do with Tesla. Tesla was born to accelerate the transition to a carbon-free automobile and he truly believes in it,” said Mr. Cerruti.
The presence of Elon Musk alongside Donald Trump, who is not particularly in favor of electric cars, will then “rebalance and mitigate the pushes of the oil lobby” in decisions in Washington, said the guest .
Photo AFP / GETTY IMAGES
But Mr. Cerruti was “surprised at the level of political commitment that (Elon Musk) has taken” in Mr. Trump’s campaign since Mr. Musk would not have presented himself as a Republican in the past.
“It’s his choice and I respect it,” nevertheless underlined the CEO of Northvolt.
He still has nuanced memories of his four-year stint working for Tesla.
“I learned a lot. I would never have been able to be a co-founder of Northvolt if I had not spent four years at Tesla, he said. It was extremely educational. It takes you days and nights. It’s draining, it’s absolutely draining.”
Mr. Cerruti also confides that he maintains a link, without too much regularity, with the richest man in the world.
“We text each other by mistake from time to time,” he joked.
Northvolt announced that it had sought protection from its creditors during the day of Thursday. Although Mr. Cerruti was reassuring in an interview about the development of the battery factory in McMasterville, Quebec, several analysts and observers are still worried about the viability of the project.
Watch Paolo Cerruti’s full interview in the video above.
