Rising to Change
Ed Pierce recently attended the IARA Virtual Conference, where the session “Consignors Rising to Change” provided viewers with an extended opportunity to ask pertinent questions and get expert answers from high-caliber executives. It’s a good read.
In other remarketing news, Gary Mott from FLD Inc. talks about How ‘Zero Days to Sale’ Eliminates Remarketing Risk for Sellers, and how that approach made his organization a true pioneer in the remarketing space.
Speaking of rising to change, how has your fleet (or organization) risen up to meet the formidable challenges we’ve seen in the past year? We would love to capture your story to share with our audience via a Zoom video interview. Email me if you’re interested.
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Ted Roberts
President
Lordstown Motors in Fight for its Life
Lordstown Motors officials went on the offensive Wednesday afternoon, aiming to dispel mounting doubts about the EV startup’s future in light of a damning research report questioning whether it has received any real orders – while suggesting its founder and CEO is a “con man.”
Lordstown officials claim they’ve received more than 100,000 non-binding production reservations from commercial fleet users. But that’s been thrown in doubt as a result of a report published last week by short-seller Hindenburg Research.
“They’re absolutely facing the fight of their life, no doubt about it,” said Sam Abuelsamid, principal automotive analyst with Guidehouse Insights. “I’ve always been dubious about the number of orders they claim considering they’ve never built a product before. They’re going to have to provide real evidence of what they actually have … and they need to demonstrate an actual product.”
Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.
Innovation: Your Launchpad Out of the COVID-19 Crisis
Research suggests organizations that innovate through crises by focusing on generating new growth versus simply weathering the storm outperform significantly over time. But leading your organization to a successful COVID-19 exit requires making fundamental shifts in mindsets - starting at the top.
To put the organization on a new growth trajectory requires three actions:
Reallocating toward the future - place bets, backed by sufficient funds and people, on emerging profit pools while reassessing legacy decisions.
Embedding flexibility - reorganize around new, crisis-inspired ways of working.
Hacking processes - focus on outcomes rather than activities to increase speed.
Driving change of this magnitude has to be deliberate. To spearhead transformation-related initiatives and impose accountability that ensures the changes stick, organizations should create “reimagination teams” staffed with top emerging talent. Ultimately, however, it is the business leaders’ responsibility to set the course, speed, and tone of the pivot that will deliver innovation-led growth.
Read the article at McKinsey & Company.
EV Startup Rivian Announces a Tesla-Style U.S. Charging Network
Electric-vehicle startup Rivian announced this week that it is rolling out a North American "Adventure Network." The charging network will be for the exclusive use of owners of its upcoming R1S and R1T EVs. In structure and in planned scope, it looks similar to Tesla's Supercharger network.
Rivian promises 600 charging stations by the end of 2023 that will contain a total of more than 3500 individual 200-kW DC fast chargers—compared with the Superchargers' current maximum of 250 kW. Rivian says users can add 140 miles of range to their Rivian EVs in 20 minutes, while Tesla's Superchargers are claimed to give back up to 200 miles in 15 minutes.
The chargers are plug-and-charge automatic units, will be powered by wind and solar when possible, and can be located on road trips using the vehicle's navigation system.
Read the article at Car and Driver.
UPS Vans to Get the Electric Treatment
UK-based startup Arrival, which has signed a contract with UPS for 10,000 delivery vans, plans to open a second microfactory in the US, not too far from its first one in York County, South Carolina, that will produce electric buses.
Last year the startup company shared images of its toaster-shaped electric van, which will be based on a "skateboard" platform of Arrival's own design and will have a range of about 150 miles on a full charge. The vans will be aimed at last-mile delivery rather than interstate travel between UPS hubs, and will feature composite bodies.
Almost a year ago Arrival received a €100 million investment from Hyundai and Kia, which includes an agreement to develop commercial vehicles together with Arrival. The announcement of a second US microfactory coincides with the startup's plans to go public - as well as the new administration's indication it will champion the zero-emission vehicle.
Read the article at Autoweek.
