Volkswagen Group of America has named Giovanni Palazzo the new CEO of Electrify America LLC.
Virginia-based Electrify America, a Volkswagen subsidiary created to help fulfill funding requirements under the automaker’s “Dieselgate” settlement, recently announced it would be installing charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) at more than 100 retail, convenience and refueling locations across the U.S.
Palazzo, who has been in the Volkswagen Group since 2011, has held various positions concentrating on electric mobility and infrastructure. He most recently served as head of group strategy at the e-mobility business of Volkswagen Group AG.
Current CEO Mark McNabb, who built Electrify America from the ground up, has decided to leave the organization, says VW. He joined VW in 2013 as chief operating officer of Volkswagen of America.
“Electrify America has taken off with its mission to enable Americans to discover the benefits of electric driving and provide the nationwide charging infrastructure to do so,” says Hinrich J. Woebcken, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. “We are pleased to welcome Giovanni Palazzo, an expert in e-mobility in both vehicles and infrastructure, to lead the organization into its next phase of implementation.”
Palazzo will assume the CEO role later this year. Jan Vycital, chief financial officer of Electrify America and Volkswagen Group of America, will act as the interim CEO along with his current duties.
“I want to thank Mark for his leadership in creating a totally new organization within Volkswagen Group of America,” adds Woebcken. “Mark led a tremendous effort to help make things right for our customers and dealers during the TDI crisis. Under his guidance, Electrify America is off to a great start putting chargers into the ground and educating consumers about the benefits of e-mobility.”