With a substantial number of new electric vehicles in the works, General Motor's first chief sustainability officer says automakers are hoping consumers embrace the new technology in the same way early drivers switched from horses and buggies to motorized vehicles.
Dane Parker noted that the first cars were more convenient, quieter, and "better in every other way" than the old way of getting around. He expects those benefits to also drive people today to eco-friendly vehicles.
"I think we're going to see the same with electric vehicles as we enter this 100-year period," Dane Parker, said.
Although, as GM just announced its new all-electric Hummer, the company may hope adoption comes sooner than that.
Parker's optimism rests, in part, on a conviction that electric vehicles outperform conventional ones.
"They will be desirable in all other types of ways," he said.
In order to convince drivers to try EVs, Parker said the vehicles will need to solve the three concerns most frequently cited by GM customers: cost, range, and charging locations.
"We're addressing all three of those and pretty aggressively, and we're optimistic in the near future none of those are going to be barriers," he said.
Parker's role as the chief sustainability officer includes engaging with employees as well as dealing with the nuts and bolts of the vehicles. "Ultimately we think every employee can make an impact in their own lives as well as what we do as a business."
"As we look to the next 10 years, I think we'll see aggressive adoption of electric vehicles as those barriers come down," he said.
E-commerce data platform Rokt is prepping for an IPO as it comes off of a $325 million Series E fundraise, and CEO Bruce Buchanan joined Cheddar to discuss the future of his company. He explained how Rokt uses data science to optimize the consumer experience with their clients and discussed the goal to go public in 2023. "We're at a size and scale now where it's important we can give liquidity to investors, we can use the public markets to attract more talent, and we can use the public markets also to go on and acquire more businesses," he said. "We think it's about time that we do list."
Chloe and Halle Bailey are no strangers to hard work. The sisters got their start performing covers on YouTube and have become a force in the music industry. Since then, the two have spread their wings beyond their duo group to individual projects. Now they're coming together to face off in the LG OLED Ultimate Gaming Showdown. Chloe and Halle join Cheddar News to discuss.
Software giants Adobe and Microsoft are further partnering to build synergy between their productivity tools for the digital-first workplace. Ashley Still, the senior vice president and general manager of digital media at Adobe, talked to Cheddar about the common vision between her company and Microsoft for simplifying work. "It's really important that companies make sure that the tools and applications that employees have at their disposal make their work delightful and easier," Still said in terms of how to judge the success of the partnership.
Carlo and Baker wrap up another week discussing the latest explosion in new Covid cases in the Northeast, President Biden's stalled agenda and more. Plus, Love, Hate, Ate featuring the question: why did movie dialogue get so hard to understand?
