Carbon Revolution brings former GM executive Bob Lutz to board

Australian carbon-fiber wheel supplier Carbon Revolution named former General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz and other veteran U.S. auto executives to its board, pending the completion of its upcoming merger with a special purpose acquisition company.

Lutz will be joined on the company’s board by Burt Jordan, former vice president of global purchasing operations and supply chain sustainability for Ford Motor Co., as well as Jacqueline Dedo, previously an executive with several suppliers and co-founder of Aware Mobility, and Matti Masanovich, former CFO of Tenneco Automotive.

The appointments will be effective upon completion of the company’s SPAC merger, expected to take place in October. Carbon Revolution is set to merge with Twin Ridge Capital Acquisition Corp., at which point the company’s shares will be traded on the Nasdaq.

“I have full confidence they will bring to the company a high degree of additional experience, skills and insights that will be invaluable following our U.S. listing, as we pursue new growth opportunities globally,” Carbon Revolution Board Chair James Douglas said in a statement about the appointments.

The company is banking on electric vehicles to spur much of its growth. It says its carbon-fiber wheels can weigh half of what standard aluminum wheels weigh, helping to boost an EV’s battery range.

The wheel supplier expects Lutz’s appointment to give its board a high-profile, outspoken and well-connected face as the 16-year-old company looks to expand business in the coming years.

In a news release, the company said it has been awarded 181 programs with six automakers, including GM, Ford, Renault, Ferrari and JLR, and that its order backlog has more than doubled since October 2022 to $680 million.

The company also said Monday that it entered into a structured equity facility worth up to $110 million with New York-based infrastructure investment firm Orion Infrastructure Capital. The deal brings the expected capital available to Carbon Revolution following its SPAC merger to $230 million.