Are Electric Cars Really Better for the Environment?
Widespread adoption of electric vehicles nationwide will likely increase air pollution compared with new internal combustion vehicles. Electric cars are only as "clean" as America's mix of power sources - natural gas and coal.
Evaluating the benefits of electric vehicle subsidies and mandates should be based on the comparison between an electric car and a new gas car - new internal combustion engines are really clean, emitting only about 1% of the pollution that they did in the 1960's.
"So, if electric-vehicle subsidies don’t help the environment, what—or who—do they help? Most electric-vehicle buyers are far wealthier than average Americans. A nationwide survey in 2017 found that 56% had household incomes of at least $100,000 and 17% had household incomes of at least $200,000. (In 2016, median household income for the US as a whole was less than $58,000.) So it’s fair to say the subsidies disproportionately benefit the wealthy at the expense of the poor, who cannot afford to buy even subsidized electric vehicles or live in their own homes to take advantage of residential chargers or solar panels."
Read the article at Politico.
Successfully Leading Change
Change is the only constant and the best thing you can do is to adapt and learn to thrive with it. In today’s issue, AmeriFleet’s Kyle Steffens shares with us Four Keys to Leading Change with Success. It’s a good and insightful read.
New Products and Alternatives for Mobility
Mobility is one of today’s fastest-moving and most compelling topics. This week, we have a video of Donlen’s John Korte talking about what his company is doing around Creating New Products for the Shared Mobility Space.
We also feature a video of Stuart Donnelly talking about how Sixt is Creating Alternative Mobility Solutions. They’re both great interviews. Check them out.
Enjoy the issue and check in with FleetManagementWeekly.com for daily updates.
Ted Roberts
President
Greg Hawes Joins Donlen as Senior Vice President, Sales and Client Relations
Donlen has announced that Greg Hawes has joined Donlen as senior vice president, sales and client relations.
Hawes will oversee the strategy for new business development, client retention, and sales force effectiveness.
“We are excited to bring Greg on board and we look forward to him leading his team’s strategy for contributing to Donlen’s rapid growth,” said Donlen president, Tom Callahan.
fleetcompetence Group Appoints Matthias Engel as Global Sales Director
In this function, Matthias Engel will be responsible for the development of new customer relations in close collaboration with the Group's global partner network.
Prior to joining fleetcompetence Group, Engel was responsible for sales in the Germany-Austria-Switzerland region for ARI Fleet Services. He has been active in the German and international fleet management industry for almost 25 years.
Can We Drive Safely While Connected to Internet Applications?
Fatal highway crashes have increased in the past three years to around 40,000 annually, with phone use being the second-highest reason as the cause.
Research by the American Psychological Association determined that multitasking in or out of the car has been shown in many psychological experiments to divide attention and limit working memory — both essential to safe driving.
"But phone use on the road centers around more than just having verbal conversations. Notifications from apps such as fake news, social media bias confirmation bubbles and inflammatory messaging add to the problem."
Read the article at The Detroit News.
