Ideanomics, a global company focused on driving the adoption of commercial electric vehicles and associated energy consumption, announced that its subsidiary, Solectrac, has appointed 20-year John Deere executive Hariharan Viswanathan to Senior Vice President of Product & Supplier Development, to significantly scale and expedite availability of the Company’s innovative zero-emission tractors.
Viswanathan, a veteran of the agricultural industry specializing in product and technology development and vehicle electrification, will oversee operations as well as product and aftermarket sales of the Solectrac line of zero-emission electric tractors. He will work closely with CEO Mani Iyer and Founder Steve Heckeroth while managing operations, manufacturing, and product engineering teams. Viswanathan’s expertise includes the successful development and launch of off-road vehicles, research and development (R&D) efficiency, building international teams, and managing R&D centers.
“We are excited to add Hari to the Solectrac team as we work towards our significant revenue goal in the next two years,” said Iyer, “With proven leadership skills in the development and execution of technology roadmaps, long-range plans, and product design strategies, he is the right person at the right time to propel our business forward.”
Under Viswanathan’s guidance, Solectrac will aim to sharply increase production and introduce new models and features, while ensuring efficiency, quality, and excellent dealer and customer support. This will require additional competencies and greater rigor in product engineering and operations. Hariharan has extensive experience in the industry and will lead the initiatives needed to move to the next stage while retaining the innovative spirit and nimbleness of the Solectrac team.
Prior to Solectrac, Viswanathan led the global engineering and supplier development functions for tractors and loaders at Deere & Co. (John Deere), a prominent American farm machinery and industrial equipment manufacturer. He directed a global team of 200 R&D staff and implemented efficiency initiatives resulting in a steady annual reduction in R&D costs. His achievements also included nurturing a culture of innovation that led to Deere’s first compact electric tractor and launching other innovative products to double the compact tractor and loader business in just eight years.