EVwire brief: Redwood Materials has appointed Deepak Ahuja as Chief Financial Officer. Ahuja previously served as CFO of Tesla across two separate tenures, guiding the company through its 2010 IPO and its later global expansion.
Redwood said the hire comes at a pivotal moment as domestic energy storage becomes an increasingly important strategic priority in the United States.
Redwood Materials was founded by Tesla co-founder and current Board Member J.B Straubel in 2017. The company is looking to create a “closed-loop” supply chain for lithium-ion batteries through recycling.
Redwood announced the appointment through its official account on X.
Context:
After leaving Tesla, Ahuja went on to serve as CFO of Verily and Chief Business and Financial Officer at Zipline.
In Redwood's announcement, Ahuja described the company as uniquely positioned to address growing U.S. demand for energy storage and domestically sourced battery materials.
To stay globally competitive, America needs far more energy storage capacity and a reliable, domestic supply of critical minerals.
Ahuja also noted that he became an investor in Redwood several years ago, adding that interest from companies such as NVIDIA and Google reinforced his confidence in the company's long-term direction.
Redwood Materials aims to eventually create a “closed-loop” supply chain for batteries
Redwood positions itself as a key energy player
Redwood emphasized that rising energy demand and grid constraints are increasing the need for large-scale energy storage deployments across the United States.
Ahuja pointed to data centers, industrial operations, and defense installations as sectors that increasingly require behind-the-meter and off-grid energy systems due to long grid interconnection timelines.
"What they need is reliable, cost-effective energy storage that can be deployed quickly. Storage is the obvious solution, and Redwood Energy has built one of the most compelling answers in the market, backed by a supply chain no competitor can replicate."
He also highlighted Redwood's vertically integrated structure, where battery recycling feeds materials production, which in turn supports the company's energy storage business.
"That closed loop is what makes Redwood structurally different from any other company operating in this space," Ahuja said.
Source: Redwood Materials
DON’T FORGET to subscribe to our EV industry newsletter to join 14,000+ EV geeks.
