It’s not hard to be discouraged in our fast-paced modern world. Like many execs, I spend a lot of my work days dashing from meeting to meeting, closing deals and cutting through the noise—and then waking up and doing it all over again the next day. I’m one of the lucky ones though because I’m passionate about what I do. That makes a big difference, because like most of us, I do it all while weathering a relentless barrage of news streaming from the many devices I rely on to do my job. I can certainly understand why so many people feel as if we’re doomed and things can’t possibly get any better. But because I happen to work for a company that’s disrupting transportation, I have a bit more insight than most into what’s on the horizon—and, while it’s going to take a lot of hard work, there are signs of clear skies ahead for you and your employees.
1. Better Cars
Remember how cool you looked whipping out your Blackberry back when it was the pinnacle of handset technology? Did you hang onto it when your friends began replacing theirs with smartphones? No, you didn’t. I know that because, like mine, it’s buried in a box in the garage beneath your old fax machine, VHS player, Walkman and dot-matrix printer. Besides being bad for the planet, the internal combustion engine (ICE) is another outdated piece of technology destined for extinction. ICE cars are dirtier, louder, slower and more prone to breaking than the multitudes of electric vehicles (EVs) hitting the market today. That’s one reason 1 in 5 US drivers—50 million Americans—recently told AAA that their next car will be an EV! What do you think will happen when all your employees are driving EVs? You’re gonna need a whole lotta charging stations in your parking lot!
2. Clearer Skies
Despite what you may have heard, green energy has already reached a tipping point. Around the world, solar and wind power is cheaper to produce than gas and coal (and that new EV will cost less to produce than its ICE counterpart within five years). While the media has largely focused on the politics of climate change, many people around the world—including those who run companies, states and countries—have decided to tackle it head on. As with every new technology ever invented, once it becomes affordable it’s only a matter of time before it’s adopted en masse. We’re already there with renewables. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not going to be a cake walk, but there’s no going back.
3. Smarter Cities
Work commute got you down? You’re not alone. The average driver is stuck in traffic for more than 80 hours annually. Ouch. But, out of big challenges come big solutions and, like many of the problems that plague us today, technology is on the case. Because 6.3 billion of us will live in cities by 2050, municipalities around the globe are working on heading off tomorrow’s transportation challenges today. In the future everything will be connected, which means cars, buses, bikes, stop lights and even street signs will help us move around more efficiently—and faster. And, thanks to e-mobility and automation, cities will be far cleaner, quieter and safer than they are today. So, breathe easy, sit back and enjoy your ride to the office.
“9 out of 10 workers would sacrifice 23 percent of future earnings—an average of $21,000 a year—for work that is always meaningful.” – BetterUp Labs, Meaning and Purpose at Work (MAP) Report
4. More Meaning
One of the main reasons people are so dissatisfied is they don’t feel their jobs provide their lives with much meaning. For more than three-quarters of millennials (and half of all workers) meaning equates with working for an environmentally-friendly company. Businesses are starting to catch on: besides being good for the planet, sustainability builds loyalty and engagement with workers, helps attract top talent and increases retention. I know because we offer EV charging to our employees and they love it! ChargePoint is thriving, thanks in large part to all the businesses either offering or planning to offer workplace EV charging as a benefit to their employees too. It turns out meaning isn’t only good for people; it’s good for your business.
Want to get started building that brighter future? Download our new eBook, Achieve Your Business Goals with EV Charging.
