Novonix’s outgoing chief executive said the company is ready to leverage its know-how to safely start production this year at its Chattanooga factory, and that it’s more than “a green and feel-good” business.
But the battery materials company admitted recent layoffs revealed while seeking a large tax incentive package for a planned new $1 billion plant in the city surprised some and caught people off guard.
Novonix CEO Chris Burns, who’s stepping down from the company effective Friday, said Wednesday in an online interview his resignation is a chance for the business aimed at making synthetic graphite for electric vehicle batteries to find a leader with a skill set in manufacturing and operations.
“This is a big year for the company,” he said, reiterating commercial production is to start at its Riverfront Parkway plant later in 2025. “This is phase 1 of the new chapter in our book.”
Robert Long, Novonix’s chief financial officer who was named interim CEO during the executive search, said companies such as Volkswagen’s PowerCo, Stellantis and Panasonic, which have signed contracts for the material, have visited the plant.