Rawlinson has held several positions in the UK automotive industry, including Principal Engineer at Jaguar Cars, Chief Engineer at Lotus Cars and Head of Vehicle Engineering at Corus Automotive.[7] Rawlinson was one of the first people in the UK to use computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE); in the 1980s, his team created Jaguar's first intranet to transfer engineering files from computer to computer.[8]
Rawlinson joined Tesla in February[9] 2009[10] as Vice President and Chief Vehicle Engineering of Tesla Model S.[11] One week after joining, he told his boss, Elon Musk, that the early Model S prototype was a "false dawn" and that Rawlinson's 6-person team would have to restart the engineering work on Tesla's flagship vehicle from a "clean sheet."[12]
Rawlinson was responsible for the technical execution and delivery of the Model S,[13] improving structure and production by taking advantage of the fewer restrictions facilitated by electric vehicle drivetrain.[14][15][16][17] At Tesla, Rawlinson built a team of 150 engineers and drew upon his knowledge of computational prototyping, digital wind tunnels and other CAD and CAE work from his advanced engineering work in the UK.[18] Rawlinson said that, from 2009-2012, "Tesla was truly at the cutting edge, developing the most advanced technology with clarity, a vision and purpose, and an absolute singularity of mindset.”[19] He resigned his position at Tesla in January 2012[20] to move back home to the UK and care for his aging mother.[21]
Rawlinson helped launch Lucid Motors in 2016 as the Chief Technology Officer[22] and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2019.[23] He oversees the development of the Lucid Air and Lucid Gravity.[24] His goal is to make Lucid a "major volume player," including the planned late 2024 launch of an electric SUV and a planned 2026 launch of a mid-sized sedan.[25] His name is on dozens of patents for battery technology or other innovations, and Rawlinson oversaw Lucid’s development of the battery used by all the teams in the Formula E electric-vehicle racing circuit.[26]
