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GM is going hard on EVs these days, with a number of trucks and SUVs already on sale or in the pipeline for launch. This week, however, a simple feature announcement video hinted that an EV coupe may just be on the cards. Could GM have an electric sportscar in the works?
The hint came from GM's recent announcement that vehicle-to-home (V2H) charging is coming to its full line of Ultium-architecture EVs by 2026. That announcement included a short video, highlighting the technology and the range of EVs that will be getting the feature. Amongst the SUVs and trucks that we already know about, there was one little interesting hint. A title at the end of the video indicated the technology would be coming to "New Ultium-based coupes."
This means we get to brazenly speculate as to what this could mean going forward. Thus far, there has been some talk of upcoming Ultium-powered coupes. This latest video just adds fuel to the fire that GM is getting really serious about building an EV sports car.
Back in 2021, rumors abounded that the Chevrolet Camaro could be going electric. It would in some ways make sense, given the current model is due to end production in January 2024. However, those same rumors indicated we'd be seeing the new model by 2024, and that it would be reborn as an electric sedan, not a coupe.
Perhaps more likely is that GM is going to build an all-electric Corvette or some kind of EV coupe based on the C8 platform. We've already heard strong suggestions this could happen. GM President Mark Reuss made a post on LinkedIn last year indicating that a fully-electric Ultium-based Corvette would be on the way, following the first electrified hybrid Corvette which dropped this year, in the form of the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.
Reuss later followed that up with comments made in an investor call in 2022. There, Reuss stopped short of calling the potential model a Corvette but referred to an all-electric sports car based on the C8 platform.
To play devil's advocate, however, this hint could lead us all into a pit of disappointment. Any enthusiast will tell you that automakers have been playing fast and loose with the term "coupe" of late, often applying it to sedans and SUVs with four doors and squished rooflines. The word coupe is no longer definitively synonymous with sports car, so those hoping for one should temper their excitement for now. GM did say "coupes," plural, though, so who knows—maybe we'll get both.
The Drive has contacted GM for comment and will update this article accordingly. In any case, though, automakers are typically very coy about discussing future models before they're ready to make a full announcement.
It's not exactly clear what GM is planning just yet. However, it's yet more evidence that the company is serious about building some kind of electric coupe. Here's hoping it's an absolute barnstormer that can make America proud.
Got a tip? Let the author know: firstname.lastname@example.org


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Nestle India Net up 2.31 per cent to Rs 201.8 cr in Q1
The company had a net profit of Rs 197.30 crore in the quarter ended March 31, 2009, Nestle India said in a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange.
Total income of the company rose to Rs 1,488.91 crore in the quarter under review from Rs 1,275.59 crore during the same period last fiscal, it said.
"I am quite happy with the strong start of the year where we continued to deliver profitable growth, particularly in a very challenging environment," said Antonio Helio Waszyk, chairman and managing director of the FMCG major.
"We all know that commodity prices have spiked to record high levels such as milk increased by 30 per cent, sugar 70 per cent and wheat 25 per cent. These have significantly impacted our costs," he said.
The increase of 16.9 per cent in net sales/income from operations is largely driven by volumes with limited price hike, it said.
The board of directors recommended the first interim dividend of Rs 9 per equity share of Rs 10 each at its meeting held on Thursday.
The company said it non-executive director Rajendra A Pawar has resigned from the board due to his business pre-occupations. Pawar joined Nestle board on October 01, 2001 and has been member of the audit committee also.
The board of directors of the company has also appointed Rakesh Mohan as non-executive director of the company, Nestle said.

domain: news


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LONDON — Jack Ma’s “996″ work culture, a day lasting from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week, may have raised questions around work-life balance, but it has also kept the Alibaba Group growing quickly. Alibaba has also shown improvement in intellectual property rights protection in 2018, according to an internal report.
In the international press, the digital giant has been associated with fake goods and cheap products for a long time, and Alibaba is trying its best to flip that image and position itself as a leading IPR protector.
Alibaba Group said in its 2018 Intellectual Property Rights Protection Annual Report that some 96 percent of listings flagged by rights holders through Alibaba’s Intellectual Property Protection Platform during business days were processed within 24 hours and removed before a single sale took place. Takedown requests have been reduced by 32 percent, the company said.
Consumers played a big part in fighting counterfeit as well. Maoniang, a one-time Chinese live-streaming Internet celebrity, made a limited-time offer of sunglasses by Gentle Monster.
Her followers snapped up 3,000 pairs of sunglasses in minutes, resulting in 1.94 million renminbi in sales. Complaints and criticism poured in from the community that the sunglasses were counterfeit.
Alibaba soon closed her online store and reported the case, adding that the number of suspected counterfeit listings removed in response to consumer reports has dropped 70 percent from 2017.
The platform said it has been proactively monitoring its listings. Product intelligence, image and semantic recognition algorithms, real-time monitoring and interception, bio-identification and algorithms to detect abnormal merchant behavior have been developed and implemented by the company.
In 2018, Alibaba supported local police in China as part of its efforts to crack down on the sale of fake goods. “During the course of the year, Alibaba referred 1,634 IP-related leads to law enforcement, which led to the arrest of 1,953 criminal suspects and the closure of 1,542 facilities. These cases involved goods worth an estimated 7.9 billion renminbi, or $1.15 billion,” according to the report.
In January 2018, Alibaba’s off-line investigation team assisted Jiangsu police in dismantling a counterfeiting operation in Fujian province, where 18 suspects were arrested. The perpetrators had opened more than 50 online stores using the identities of friends and family.
The platform, which had nearly 700 million mobile active users as of December 2018, said their progress on IP protection has been reflected in the increased membership in the Alibaba Anti-Counterfeiting Alliance.
In 2018, the AACA grew from 30 founding members to 121 rights-holder members, with brands such as Burberry, Canada Goose, Chanel, Estée Lauder, Louis Vuitton, Pandora, Ralph Lauren, Swarovski and Valentino joining the effort.
As reported, Richemont also joined the AACA shortly after inking a JV deal with Alibaba last year. The deal will see a major rollout of Mr Porter and Net-a-porter in the region, aimed at domestic and traveling Chinese consumers.
“It will require ongoing collaboration and unity among all stakeholders to continue to combat the increasingly global and sophisticated nature of modern-day counterfeiters, but Alibaba is committed to working together and innovating to develop state-of-the-art technical solutions,” the report said.


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US online retail giant Amazon.com announced on Monday that it will cut 9,000 jobs – not the first tech giant to announce a second round of layoffs amid a possible recession.
Source. Reuters writes about it.
"Given the uncertainty in the economy we live in and the uncertainties that exist in the near future, we have decided to take a more rational approach to our costs and headcount," Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in a statement on the company's website.
In January, it was reported that Amazon plans to increase the number of layoffs to 18 thousand.
Amazon's shares fell by 1.4% following the news.
Background. Recently, it was reported that Meta is cutting its staff by another 10,000 people, which is the second wave of layoffs in the company.


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The upcoming 2021 Jeep Compass facelift has been recently spied while getting tested in Spain. The SUV is likely to feature a few cosmetic and feature updates.
The American carmaker Jeep will launch the new 2021 Compass facelift in India early next year. The new Jeep Compass facelift has been recently spied while getting tested in Spain. The recently spotted test mule was heavily camouflaged unveiling some new styling details. The SUV will employ revised headlamps, grille and taillights. The spy images reveal that new 2021 Jeep Compass will get thinner headlights that merge with the new thinner front grille. The rear facia of the SUV features new taillights along with new inserts. The boot lid design on the car is expected to remain the same, while of bumper design is likely to be revised.
Moreover, the 2021 Jeep Compass is also expected to employ a new set of alloy wheels. Reports claim that the recently spotted model was the plug-in hybrid trim 4Xe. This model is powered by a 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine with an electric motor. It is capable of shredding out 240bhp of peak power and is rated to offer 47.6kmpl of fuel-efficiency. Moreover, the SUV can run up to 50 km on electric mode. The Brazilian-spec Compass facelift will be powered by a new 1.3-litre turbo flex powertrain, which is expected to put out 180bhp of power and 270 Nm of twisting force. The engine will come paired with a 6-speed MT, 9-speed AT or an all-new CVT. Furthermore, the upcoming Jeep Compass facelift is expected to be equipped with a fully digital instrument console, 360-degree camera, a new 10-inch vertically stacked touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone connectivity options.
The upcoming India-spec Compass will derive power from a new 1.3-litre direct-injection turbocharged gasoline motor with engine start-stop system. The petrol motor is capable of putting out power and torque outputs of 180bhp and 285 Nm. The ongoing model of the SUV is offered with a 1.4-litre turbo petrol motor. The diesel model will continue to be offered with a 2.0-litre turbocharged unit that produces power and torque outputs 170bhp and 350 Nm.


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Also in this playlist...
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Good morning rally on Wall Street -- big jump in US auto sales last month helped drive stocks higher the Dow gained 97 points on Wednesday.
The rest of the week is all about jobs the government jobs report for August is due out tomorrow economists expect a 180000.
Jobs have added that's a little bit better than July.
-- -- -- fuel for the Federal Reserve which needs and less than two weeks and is considering when to pare down stimulus.
McDonald's popular dollar menu may not cost a dollar -- more.
The burger giant has been testing higher prices in markets including Fresno California Albuquerque, New Mexico -- Memphis Tennessee.
A big wing for Smartphones shipments are expected to surpass one million for the first time ever this year.
But the good news excludes Blackberry the Wall Street Journal says Blackberry plans to auction itself off to -- highest bidder.
By November and while bosses and workers prepare for obamacare health exchanges this fall.
Now maybe getting a new option a private exchange that's -- companies give it six sum of money to their workers who then use the online marketplace of their choice.
Companies like -- an olive garden parent Darden Restaurants have already.
Adopted an idea and that business from -- on Fox Business stock content in New York online minute.
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News: Mobile Phones
Wednesday, 6 Aug 2014
Xiaomi Singapore just informed HardwareZone that the Redmi Note 4G will be available at the end of the year.
Xiaomi just unveiled the 4G variant of the Redmi Note. Besides the change of processor to Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, the Redmi Note 4G is lighter by 10g and loses the dual-SIM support.
Chinese site CNMO published a report stating that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will sport a smaller 5.5-inch Quad-HD Super AMOLED display. Read to find out more about its alleged specs.
Two different research reports revealed that Samsung lost its title as the top phone vendor in China and India last quarter. Apparently, the world's largest phone company was dethroned by two relatively young phone brands. Hit the link to find out more.
Re/code reports that Apple is scheduling a media event on Tuesday, September 9 to launch the iPhone 6.
Xiaomi's co-founder Bin Lin teased on his Facebook Page that a lighter and faster Redmi Note is coming later today. It is very likely to support 4G LTE connectivity.
Tuesday, 5 Aug 2014
To celebrate Singapore's 49th birthday, SingTel is offering its postpaid mobile subscribers free all-day unlimited mobile data usage on August 9.
An analyst from Cowen & Co. believes that the rumored 5.5-inch iPhone 6 would be given a faster processor than the smaller 4.7-inch model.
Monday, 4 Aug 2014
A new set of photos revealed the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Alpha in its full glory. Not surprisingly, the Galaxy Alpha has a design similar to the Apple iPhone 5S. Hit the link to find out more.
Move over Nokia Lumia 930, a new 5-inch Windows Phone flagship is (almost) in town.


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“Not so long ago,” writes the Doxee Marketing Team, “data-driven marketing was shrouded in an aura of mystery, a kind of unknown territory into which only technicians with specialized skills could venture. And for this reason, it was rather rare.” They go on to insist that data-driven marketing (sometimes referred to as digital marketing) is something “companies can no longer do without.” This assertion, however, comes at a time when digital marketing is coming under greater scrutiny and access to data is becoming more difficult. Bryan Leach (@bryan_leach), founder and CEO of Ibotta, explains, “As Apple and Google have strengthened their privacy rules, many of the largest ad platforms have begun to ‘lose signal,’ meaning they can no longer effectively target specific audiences based on past viewership habits. Advertisers in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry are reporting 30% increases in their cost to activate new customers from digital ads, with click-through rates often dropping below 1% and many of those clicks being accidental.” This begs the question: Is digital marketing the future or the past?
What is data-driven marketing?
According to the Doxee team, “Data-driven marketing builds plans and strategies starting from the data of consumers (already acquired or potential) with whom it comes into contact (or that it aims to intercept). It is an approach — which is based on technological premises and has important cultural implications — that is increasingly adopted by organizations of all sectors and sizes.” They go on to explain the advantages of digital marketing, which include:
• the ability to target ads with a high level of personalization,
• achieving a higher level of engagement with target audiences, and
• maximizing ROI.
They conclude, “With data-driven marketing, data represents the starting point for creating effective and targeted campaigns, promotions and initiatives of various kinds.” Even though data might be the starting point, the benefits derived from that data are unlocked by leveraging cognitive technology (aka artificial intelligence). Ceyhun Yakup Özkardes-Cheung (@YakupCheung), an AI content manager, explains, “Artificial intelligence is the new frontier of marketing. Marketing with AI has been proven to be a successful strategy for many businesses. It is a new way to reach customers and is much more personalized, targeted and engaging than traditional methods. AI marketing can be used for customer service, sales and marketing, lead generation and more.”
Two words mentioned by Özkardes-Cheung set off alarm bells for consumer advocates. Those words are “personalized” and “targeted.” Many consumers view personalized and targeted ads as breaches of their privacy. Shama Hyder (@Shama), founder and CEO of Zen Media, asks, “Have you ever had an online ad follow you for days on end?” Of course, we all have. Hyder explains, “Like a ghost, it tracks your behaviors with a quiet, sometimes creepy, determination. This e-haunting is thanks to digital marketers, who are tracking your online behaviors to showcase their products and drive sales.” Thanks to “e-haunting,” consumers have begun to fight back. Hyder observes, “[In the past,] marketers relied heavily on third-party cookies to deliver highly-targeted ads. Through various web browsers, they were able to collect sensitive data about consumers and re-target campaigns based on this highly specific information. Utilizing these strategies led to severe privacy risks and the distrust of the public. There is a reason why so many internet users block cookies from their web browsers to this day.”
Is data-driven marketing still relevant?
The easy answer to that question is “yes.” Unfortunately, keeping data-driven marketing relevant is not that easy. Hyder notes, “The world of digital marketing is moving in a new direction. This new age focuses on protecting consumer privacy through less invasive advertising tactics. The tides began to change in 2017 when Apple introduced its Intelligent Tracking Prevention program. This program started the trend of blocking third-party cookies, which are now in the process of being phased out legally by 2023. Browsers like Safari and Firefox are already following Apple’s lead, while Google Chrome is well on its way.” The fact that digital marketing is moving in a new direction is a clear indication that it is not going away. Wendy Gonzalez (@wendykgonzalez1), CEO of Sama, explains, “By mixing fundamental marketing concepts from previous generations with state-of-the-art AI technology, today’s ad agencies and brands can harness machine learning to stay relevant.”
In large measure, remaining relevant starts with the data rather than the analysis. Mariia Lvovych (@mariialvovych), founder and CEO and founder at GetReviewed, observes, “Marketing — in its conventional form — requires using data to ensure success. And that is why famous author and social media scientist Dan Zarella says, ‘Marketing without data is like driving with your eyes closed.’ … Marketing is nothing without data. Decisions made on the basis of data are (often) better decisions.” So how do companies collect data in the age of privacy? The best method is by directly requesting the data from consumers (i.e., first-party data). As Hyder notes, “The age of privacy is asking the e-commerce space to learn about consumers through relationship-building tactics. … With the average American seeing 4,000 to 10,000 ads per day, there is a need for new channels like these to replace the e-haunting of the past and build consumers’ trust.”
It’s a fair question to ask whether a mature digital marketing strategy real makes a difference. According to Boston Consulting Group (BCG) analysts, it does. They report, “New BCG research in 2021 has found that more mature brands increased their sales by an average of 18 percentage points more than their less mature peers (2 more than in 2019) and boosted cost efficiencies by an average of 29 percentage points (16 more than in 2019). These companies outperformed on market share as well, with more than twice as many digitally mature brands increasing their share in  — by 3 percentage points or more on average — than low-maturity brands.”
In answer to the question posed at the beginning of this article (i.e., Is digital marketing the future or the past?), experts seem to be in agreement that digital marketing still represents the future of advertising. BCG analysts conclude, “The factors influencing digital marketing maturity will evolve with time, of course, as new technologies disrupt the market and as competitors further develop their capabilities. Nascent and emerging brands have their work cut out for them: unless they move up the maturity curve quickly, they risk becoming irrelevant to consumers.” At the same time, companies need to be aware that being driven by the wrong data can also risk their becoming irrelevant to consumers. Michael Baer (@Michaelbaer1), a marketing executive with Stratecution Consulting, explains, “Data can be unclean — or worse, misleading or meaningless. … Data can be filled with errors or holes. Spending time and resources on bad data is not just a waste of time, but a danger to your brand. … Activating on bad data obviously won’t produce the results you’re looking for.”
He concludes, “A better approach to being ‘data-driven’ is being ‘data-informed’ — the happy medium between leveraging experience and instinct only, versus being completely reliant on data. Whatever it’s called, this is the key — using data in conjunction with experience, instinct, and business strategy. Ensure you are making decisions based on data, but within a larger context of market, users, goals, and vision.”
 Marketing Team, “Data-driven marketing: why companies can no longer do without it,” Doxee Blog, 26 April 2022.
 Bryan Leach, “The Next Frontier in Digital Advertising,” AdAge, 21June 2022.
 Ceyhun Yakup Özkardes-Cheung, “How AI Ads Are Disrupting Marketing,” Entrepreneur, 25 May 2022.
 Shama Hyder, “How To Do Digital Marketing in the Age of Privacy,” Inc., 20 May 2022.
 Wendy Gonzalez, “How Machine Learning Is Shaping The Future Of Advertising,” Forbes, 18 January 2022.
 Mariia Lvovych, “Role of big data in digital marketing,” Venture Beat, 5 June 2022.
 Kristi Rogers, Javier Pérez Moiño, Henry Leon, and Alberto Poncela, “The Fast Track to Digital Marketing Maturity,” Boston Consulting Group, 7 September 2021.
 Michael Baer, “The Risks Of Being Too Data-Driven,” The Marketing Insider, 20 December 2021.


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The Six-Core AMD Opteron processor-based system “Jaguar” is the world’s supreme supercomputer according to the Top500 Organisation, which has released its bi-annual list of the highest performing systems in the world.
This mission-critical Cray XT5 system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was recently upgraded from quad- to six-core AMD Opteron processors and delivers 2,3 petaflop/s theoretical peak performance and 1,75 petaflop/s performance on the Linpack benchmark.
AMD continues with solid supercomputing leadership, with four of the top five systems depending on AMD for record-setting performance, including another recently upgraded Cray XT5 system “Kraken".
While the six-core AMD Opteron processor is now the industry-leading CPU for supercomputing, in the first quarter of 2010, AMD plans to deliver HPC customers the world’s first eight- and 12-core x86 processors, the AMD Opteron 6100 Series processor (codename “Magny-Cours”) which is designed deliver up to a 100% increase in compute density and multi-threading capability as compared to its six-core predecessor, with four channels of DDR-3 memory and new power management and virtualisation features.
AMD also plans to deliver another major advancement in 2011 with the completely new “Bulldozer” architecture featuring a modular core design that is planned to dramatically increase concurrency, simultaneous commands and multi-threading capacity with up to 16 dedicated cores, all designed to significantly improve HPC performance.
“We’ve seen the trend in the HPC industry’s move to multi-core x86-based supercomputing and it’s clear that the Six-Core AMD Opteron processor is the ideal choice right now for a world-class supercomputer,” says Patrick Patla, vice-president and GM: Server/Workstation and Embedded Division at AMD.
“Today, AMD also powers the world’s highest performing system leveraging the incredible floating point capability of AMD GPUs and bringing the vision of ATI Stream technology to life. Our OEM customers and the global institutions engaged in cutting-edge research and industrial HPC understand that a truly balanced system helps advance their work and provide an upgrade path to the future.”


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A high-flying industry is going to have to cut off some excess fat to continue ascending, and in the case of airlines recent months have seen companies leave paper behind for the prospect of cost savings and more efficient operations.
It was in the past year that the digitization of air cargo really took off, with with the industry exceeding 24 percent of international e-air waybill penetration in 2014, according to Logistics Manager. With the process already started, the International Air Transport Association hopes that 2015 will bring further progress to the initiative to remove paper from air cargo processes. The intent is to increase e-air waybill penetration to 45 percent through this year and to 80 percent in 2016. By 2017, the IATA expects that nearly the entire industry – 90 percent – will be following digital processes.
"Business improvement will only come by constantly improving the value of cargo," Tony Tyler, IATA director general and CEO, said. "There is a long haul ahead to recapture lost revenues, nevertheless the prospects for the future are bright because the industry is really starting to act strategically and plan for the future."
The e-air waybill is the most important document in the air cargo industry, according to the IATA. The document, sometimes referred to as an air consignment note, is basically a receipt – non-negotiable proof of a contract of carriage.
Air freight switching to content management systems in China
In a direct effort to expand the influence of digital air freight processes, the IATA just signed a deal with six organizations within China to promote e-air waybill use in Shanghai. E-freight pilot programs have been launched at Shanghai Pudong Airport, Guangzhou Baiyun Airport and Beijing Capital Airport.
"China is the second largest market for international freight by air. With much of the world's manufacturing taking place in China, it is essential that processes are kept as efficient as possible. This can be achieved through partnership and adoption of global standards. This agreement will bolster Shanghai's position as a leading air freight hub in China and in the world," Zhang Baojian, IATA's regional vice president for North Asia, explained to The Financial.
How removing paper from the process will boost air cargo profits
Digitization is so important to the traditionally paper-intensive air cargo industry due to its potential to speed up certain processes and significantly reduce costs. Other corners of the airline sector have also begun their own transitions away from paper. For instance, many airlines have begun phasing paper out of their cockpits, making pilots' jobs easier by reducing the total weight of their gear, speeding up certain process and making required documents easier to access.
"We still have work to do to help businesses transition, but there has been a big change in the mentality of the industry. We can now look ahead and plan for the digitization of other air cargo documents, through a collaborative industry approach," Tyler explained, according to Logistics Manager.
He added that the industry cannot do "more work for less money," the South China Morning Post reported. The air freight industry has been consistently losing money over the years, and experts are looking for ways to turn the unfortunate trend around. Last year saw global air traffic fall by 4.3 percent and revenue for the industry remains below the peak of $5 billion in 2011. Hopes are that digitizing much of the air cargo industry will be enough to turn this around and put airlines on track to begin saving, rather than losing, money in the future.


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The recently introduced press release distribution platform known as NY Press Wire enables clients to easily grow their businesses without requiring them to go through any hassle. People are now able to raise awareness of their brands and generate a buzz.
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The company has the potential to serve as a central hub for all forms of information dissemination, including newswire services like Yahoo Press release and Bloomberg Press release Market Watch, as well as insider reporting and live webcasting. Legal firms, capital markets, foreign professional investors, and more than a thousand publicly traded companies have put their faith in NY Press Wire because of its cutting-edge technology, user-friendly platforms, and transparent pricing.They prioritise developing meaningful relationships with each customer. This connection is vital for forming a cooperative partnership and meeting the publishing and newswire needs quickly and affordably.
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The short answer is yes. But it will take a lot of carrots from the state and federal governments. The good news is that the seeds have mostly been planted.
Supply chain issues likely slowed sales, but state still moving more briskly toward 2030 goal than expected. Does new website provide useful info?
Xcel Energy has elevated its vision of vehicle electrification . Can the grid meet this much demand? We can make it work, says SWEEP’s Travis Madsen.
United Power wants to work with 50 EV owners to figure out how their batteries can best be used to manage demands on the electrical grid.
With an incentive here, a mandate there, state legislators hope to nudge buildings to a low-emissions future of heating and cooling.
La Plata Electric will install air-source heat pumps; new website for members of Tri-State cooperatives, and United Power’s EV fast-charging alliance.
Nigel Zeid has left Boulder Nissan, hoping to share his expertise and passion for electric vehicles more broadly as Colorado readies for deep penetration of EVs.
Durango to have a high-speed charging station for EVs by summer, and new EV charger at Montrose is already getting unexpectedly strong use.
General Motors has joined Nissan in offering purchasers of EVs in Colorado immediate state tax credits.
As required by Colorado law, Xcel Energy has plans to heavily invest in charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. one analyst says that the electric utility is, in effect, becoming a transportation company, too.
Almost an hour from an interstate highway, Meeker, Colo., has a high-speed charger that has ben getting used only once a month. And that was before the pandemic. Still, that’s OK with White River Electric, which sees electric vehicles being the wave of the future.
Colorado has a goal of 900,000 sales of electric vehicles annually by 2030. That’s 42% of all sales. To put that statistic into perspective, EVs last year were 3.65% of all sales, a tripling in just two years. How will it get there?


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Mobile India 2010 is the one of the first premier conferences of the year to be held on 8 January 2010 at the Chancery Pavillion Hotel, Residency Road, Bangalore.
Mobile India 2010’s Focus: Innovative Mobile VAS Strategies, Technologies and Opportunities.
Shailesh Rao, MD, Google India will be the keynote speaker for the event.
There will be three sessions on: Personalization and Social Networking, Convergence and Mobile Broadband,and Partnering for Success. The eminent panelists will explore the strategic focus, business models, technologies, and monetization strategies that are keys to success for mobile VAS companies in India and in global markets.
To continue the success of last year, Mobile India 2010 will also have an Entrepreneur’s Demo Showcase in which six firms will exhibit their best-of-breed mobile VAS products and services.


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Fungi-derived mycoprotein supports muscle building as effectively as animal protein, states a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition.
The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Texas Medical Branch, is the first to explore if a vegan diet rich in mycoprotein can support muscle growth during resistance training to the same extent as an omnivorous diet. Mycoprotein is the naturally high-fibre fungi that is the main ingredient of the Quorn brand of products.
The objective of the study was to “investigate whether a high-protein, mycoprotein-rich, non-animal-derived diet can support resistance training-induced skeletal muscle remodeling to the same extent as an isonitrogenous omnivorous diet.
The randomized trial was split into two phases with the first phase consisting of 16 healthy young adults who completed a three-day diet where their protein was derived from either omnivorous or exclusively vegan (predominantly Quorn’s mycoprotein) sources, whilst detailed measures of metabolism were taken. In phase two, 22 healthy young adults completed a 10-week high volume progressive resistance training program while consuming a high protein omnivorous diet or a vegan diet rich in mycoprotein.
The results demonstrated comparable increases in muscle mass and strength in response to both diets, with no significant differences between the two. The group on the high protein omnivorous diet gained 2.6 kg of whole-body lean mass, while the group on the vegan diet gained 3.1 kg. Both groups also increased the size of their thigh muscles by the same amount (8.3%) over the course of the trial.
Based on these results, the research team concluded that a vegan diet that’s high in mycoprotein can be just as effective as a high protein omnivorous diet in building muscle during resistance training.
Omnivorous and vegan diets can support comparable rested and exercised daily MyoPS rates in healthy young adults consuming a high-protein diet. This translates to similar skeletal muscle adaptive responses during prolonged high-volume resistance training, irrespective of dietary protein provenance.
This study is the latest to demonstrate the potency of mycoprotein in muscle building, with research published by the University of Exeter in 2020 finding that mycoprotein builds muscle to a greater extent than milk protein, and a 2021 study concluding that a mycoprotein-rich vegan diet supports the maintenance of muscle tissue in older adults. However, this latest study is the first to directly compare mycoprotein with an omnivorous diet, including meat, and to do this over an extended ‘free living’ period of 10 weeks of the participants’ daily life.
“It is well established that muscle building can be augmented by adhering to a high protein diet”, says Dr Alistair Monteyne, the researcher who led the trial at the University of Exeter. “However, it was previously unclear as to whether non-animal derived diets and non-animal derived protein sources, such as Quorn’s mycoprotein, could support muscle building during resistance training to the same extent as omnivorous diets and animal-derived protein sources.”
They continue: “Our study demonstrates that mycoprotein is comparable to animal proteins in terms of its ability to facilitate increases in muscle mass and strength in young adults who are regularly engaging in resistance training. We now have a strong body of evidence, perhaps more than is available for any other alternative protein source, to show that mycoprotein is an effective protein food to support muscle maintenance and growth.”
The study comes after a report involving University of Exeter researchers found that regular widespread consumption of plant-based proteins could be one of three ‘super leverage points’ that could give hope for a breakthrough on climate change through reducing emissions from livestock farming.


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Greek earnings on travel into the country were up significantly in December compared to the same month in 2015.
Travel earnings increased to $58.2 million in December 2016, compared to $5.29 million in December 2015,
according to a press release from the Bank of Greece
The profits came from a 15.6 percent increase in travel into Greece, with travel costs down 9.4 percent on average.
For the year as a whole, however, travel receipts of $11.86 million last year were slightly less than 2015's figure of $12.8 million, due to an 11 percent drop in spending per trip.
Meanwhile, 564,000 inbound travelers visited Greece in December 2016, for an increase of 15.6 percent compared to 2015.
Greek profits from inbound travel up significantly in December compared to 2015
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As corporate public relations mistakes go, this one’s unlikely to earn Office Depot ODP, +0.58% a spot in the hall of shame. But it was just the kind of screw-up made easier in the digital age. On Wednesday at around 7:20 a.m., the company accidentally and prematurely announced its merger with OfficeMax US:OMX , by tucking the major news inside its fourth-quarter earnings statement. The release disappeared shortly after, followed by silence from the companies and some media reports that the merger talks were still ongoing. Were they ironing out last-minute details of their nuptials? Apparently not: At 9:45 a.m., both companies put out official word announcing that it was a done deal and they were, in fact, coming together. Experts say they did the right thing by clearing up any confusion as early as possible. “Avoid the temptation to be cute,” says Scott Kurnit, CEO and founder of Keep Holdings, an e-commerce and advertising company. Here are five more memorable PR blunders. — By Quentin Fottrell
Google releases earnings “pending Larry quote.”
Google GOOG, +0.24% surprised the market twice when it released its third-quarter earnings last year. It not only released the numbers three hours earlier than expected — rather than after the bell — but missed market expectations on revenue and earnings. Shares dropped over 9% (though have since rebounded) and trading had to be temporarily suspended on the NASDAQ. And in an amusing touch, the results contained three little words, “PENDING LARRY QUOTE,” where a statement from CEO Larry Page was supposed to be. Google blamed RR Donnelley, the financial printer, for the early release. “Google should have focused more on the disappointing earnings than on finger-pointing about the human error involved in the early release,” says Jonathan Bernstein, president of Bernstein Crisis Management. Google declined to comment.
Whole Foods CEO trolls message boards
Was this unbecoming for a CEO? Using the nom de plume “Rahodeb,” Whole Foods WFM, -0.45% co-CEO John Mackey posted on online message boards from 1999 to 2006. He criticized a smaller rival, Wild Oats, saying it had “no value and no future.” In 2007, Whole Foods announced that it would buy Wild Oats. At the time, Whole Foods said Mackey made the comments anonymously so they would not be associated with the company. In an interview on the Nightly Business Report last month, Mackey said, “I had no ulterior motives of trying to harm anyone. Indeed, how could somebody writing under a screen name actually harm anything?” (Whole Foods declined to comment.) Bernstein says Mackey should have used the handle “WholeFoodsCEO,” but says it didn’t do any lasting damage to the brand.
Philip Morris says deaths cut health-care costs
The basic argument may be simple and crude, but hardly a smart one for a tobacco company to make: Dead people don’t have medical bills. This was effectively the conclusion of a 2000 report, “Smoking Cuts Elderly Costs, and Elderly,” commissioned by Philip Morris, to determine whether smoking imposes a financial burden on the public finances of the Czech Republic. “Among the positive effects, excise tax, VAT and health-care cost savings due to early mortality are the most important,” the report stated. At the time, the company said, “We sincerely regret this extraordinarily unfortunate incident.” Smoking adds billions of dollars to healthcare costs and loss of productivity to American businesses, according to the American Lung Association. (A Philip Morris spokesman declined to comment.)
Automobile CEOs take private jets to bailout talks
In the world of PR, file this one under “optics.” In 2008, at the height of the financial crisis, the heads of the country’s biggest automobile companies flew to Washington to make their case for a $25 billion bailout of the automobile industry to avoid bankruptcy. Rick Wagoner, CEO of General Motors GM, -0.27% , Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford F, -0.67% and Robert Nardelli, CEO Chrysler all traveled in their company’s private jets. While there was nothing wrong with flying in style, it didn’t play well with those opposed to the bailouts — not to mention the public and the media. At the time, Tom Schatz, president of the non-profit organization Citizens Against Government Waste, said, “This is a slap in the face of taxpayers.” Both Chrysler and GM agreed to a bailout; of those three CEOs, only Mulally remains in his post as CEO.
Encana executive curses analyst on conference call
The relationship between analysts and company execs can be strained, but the tension really bubbled during a recent conference call with Encana Corp. ECA, -0.05% , Canada’s largest natural gas producer. Canaccord Genuity analyst Phil Skolnick asked interim CEO Clayton Woitas, “In terms of new investment guidelines for you are updated do you think that prohibits company like Encana being acquired?” After a long pause, he replied, “The answer would be no.” In a loud whisper, a voice on the other end of the phone whispered an obscenity (link). A spokeswoman for Encana later apologized, but declined to say what executive was responsible for the salty language. When dealing with the public and press, Kurnit says, “Treat the audience as if they’re smarter than you.” Why? Because more often than not, he says, they are.


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Adrants reader Charley Brough tells us an interesting billboard campaign has just been launched in Seattle, Los Angeles and Minneapolis by the Alaska Travel Industry Association which consists of a board that looks like an Alaskan license plate and says "Alaska B4UDIE." It's definite a a different approach to touorism marketing. We like it.
Hurricane Katrina, without doubt, ravaged New Orleans and didn't leave much good behind except, as some Flickr users appreciate, the eradication of outdoors boards which previously lined area roadways.
Former forehead guy and trend-a-holic Andrew Fischer who sold his forehead as ad space for $37,375 and spawned endless copy-cat efforts is now latching on to the recent million dollar home page trendlet but is taking it further. Fischer plans to award a million dollars over the course of one year and to raise the money, he is selling :30 ad space on a
Times Square Manhattan billboard for as little as $10 per spot. There will be 2,880 available :30's per day. Fischer plans to award $2,000 per day to the person who find the hidden sponsor of the day. It's not clear how that will work but a $100,000 grand prize will be awarded as well at the end of the year. The promotion is set to launch January 2006. Expect to see Golden Palace very soon.
UPDATE: We are informed this promotion has been put on hold indefinitely.
When you launch a business that depends on consumer contributed content, you'd better hope consumers contribute. Al Gore's Current TV is on the hunt for content and is doing so with a robot character called ViC and a big Times Square billboard that says AwaitingInput.com.
Not much to say about this other than it's a pretty cool choice of ad medium. There's not much to do while riding an escalator so you might as well look at ads on the handrail.
We've seen this image of a billboard at Mission and Duboce in San Fransisco floating around for w few days so we figured we' share it. It's a billboard for the Nicholas Cage movie Lord of Ward bur the image has been covered over with a picture of President Bush yielding a cute, little political statement for us all to laugh at.
Hotel Chatter tells us Marriott Hotels has unveiled mSpot, a combined live billboard/musical concert billboard, in New York's Times Square. The board promotes what the hotel chain calls its "hip new room design" and will feature appearances by musical acts Ciara, Marc Broussard, Antigone Rising and Collective Soul along with a wedding held behind a glassed in section of the board. The "board" will be in place for four days.
AdPulp points to a billboard for shopping site Bloom which shows a pan of muffins, out of which, one has fallen and crushed a car beneath. Now that's creative!
Ford Belgium has launched a speaking ad campaign, called Ford Miracles that, well, speaks. And we're not talking about TV or radio. Created by Ogilvy Belgium and consisting of outdoor posters and customizable e-cards, the ads say, well, something. We don't really know what because we don't speak French or whatever language is spoken in Belgium. The campaign site even has a live webcam that is mounted to one of the posters to monitor viewers reactions. It's a bit spooky.
There seems to be rampant idiocy running through the outdoor industry these days as indicated by this image sent to us by our blunder-busting brand bluecoat, Bucky Turco. Following Viacom's placement of a McDonald's billboard directly below that of a childhood obesity board (though one person says it could be a PhotoShop job), Van Wagner Outdoor, in New York City, has placed a poster, at 1st and 19th, backwards on a phone kiosk. Perhaps intending to reach passing drivers as they look in their rear view mirror, the poster is an ad for Tim Burton's new Corpse Bride movie.
UPDATE: Van Wagner says, in Comments, it was an act of vandalism, writing, "we know it was vandalism because when OUR guys (yes, a Van Wagner employee) went to rectify the problem, they came to find all the bolts and the diffuser had been stolen from the unit. It's a ridiculous act of vandalism, as most are, but it was vandalism nonetheless." That said, debate continues to rage in Comments as to the validity of this explanation.


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The owner group is specifically appealing to Tesla to open service centers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In fact, in order to even buy their Teslas the group’s members had to travel to other countries or use brokering services to have their cars imported to the UAE. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, has said in the past that the company will expand to the Middle East by the end of this year, but has not named any particular country. Certainly the UAE has plenty of people with the financial means to buy Teslas if the cars were available.
There are no Tesla stores, service centers, or Superchargers anywhere in the UAE, so anyone in country who buys a Tesla today will have to seek non-Tesla service and support. Market demand, along with Tesla’s goal to increase production of all models, is likely to draw the company to the country. A group of Tesla Model S owners met at a mall in Abu Dhabi and in the process made an impressive and perhaps persuasive video. As Electrek commented, perhaps the UAE owners were inspired by a similar appeal by Tesla owners in Portugal in May who made their own video.
Perhaps this will be the way Tesla will expand in other countries: wait until enough enthusiastic owners make an impressive video plea that’s also a powerful marketing piece.
- 2022 Rivian R1S first drive review: An EV SUV fit for an expedition or a drag race
- Cadillac Lyriq first drive review: Electric manifesto
- This EV charging tech does the job as you drive
- Why do EVs charge slowly? Lithium battery limits explained
- Elon Musk issues stark ultimatum to Tesla workers


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Scott Vaughan shares insights from a recent discussion he hosted on leading in uncertain times and dumping the “more with less” mindset.
Search Results: co-creation (251)
Professional services organizations are in demand as customer needs shift rapidly. Scott Vaughan shares advice on how they can adapt and capitalize on the opportunities available.
CIOs need to engage with professional services organizations for fast progress in big projects, says Kenny Mullican. Co-creation is key to success.
In this ROAD to CIO Summit interview, Bob Evans speaks with the Ross School of Business marketing professor about co-creation’s cutting edge.
Kieron Allen discusses the fruitful partnership between leading AI platform Dataiku and data analytics firm Zetaris.
The business world is beginning to see a new value equation emerge — one that focuses on co-creation, which takes many forms. as Tony Uphoff elaborates.
Interoperability enables services, platforms, and technologies to mesh together, which benefits customers. Kieron Allen discusses why this notion will emerge in the business ecosystem.
Tony Uphoff shares the three trends from 2022 that will affect technology business leaders in 2023
Together, this partnership is driving new notions of cybersecurity, governance, risk mitigation, and compliance, says Bob in the latest episode of the Cloud Wars Minute.
Tom Smith speaks with Malhar Kamdar, Celonis’ Chief Customer Officer, about the company’s co-creation of its latest products and the customer stories that were shared at Celosphere 2022 in the News Desk interview.
Kieron writes about how IKEA, Threadless, and other companies are increasing customer engagement by co-creating with them on new products.
CIO and analyst Kenny Mullican explains how to find the right partners for technology initiatives that require a collaborative co-creation approach.
Kyndryl consulting push brings together co-creation and integration to help customers drive digital transformation, IT modernization.
Kyndryl launches a co-creation ‘experience’ that brings in customers and partners to architect effective infrastructure and services outcomes.
A new co-creation service aims for tight alignment between tech deliverables and a customer’s business requirements.
In this Cloud Wars Expo News Desk interview, SAP’s Matt Laukatis and Applexus’ Chris Couch discuss working together to address current upheavals, challenges, and transformations in the retail industry.
In this Cloud Wars Expo News Desk interview, Workday Chief Technology Officer-North America Dan Wesley discusses the evolving requirements for cloud solutions in state and government agencies.
In this Cloud Wars News Desk interview, the managing director of Google Cloud’s global insurance and risk management solutions discusses how the company is pioneering new technologies for financial service partners.
Wayne looks to help CXOs embrace the cloud by defining two critical big-picture concepts: hybrid cloud and co-creation software models.
In a Cloud Wars Expo fireside chat, renowned business author and professor Venkat Ramaswamy shared his latest thinking on decentering and democratizing value creation.


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Ryanair has committed to refunding customers within five days as part of improvements to the airline’s customer service.
The airline has announced a range of improvements for its customer service, including commitments to refund customers to the original form of payment within five working days and confirmation and access to refunds through its app within 24 hours of the request.
Through the app, customers have also been promised to have “real-time status updates” on their refunds.
Ryanair’s Director of Marketing, Dara Brady said the improvements have been driven by customer panel input.
It comes following the impact of Covid-19 restrictions which saw many airline customers frustrated at the difficulties they experienced when attempting to secure a refund for their cancelled flights.
Ryanair was one of the airlines to face criticism on the issues with refunds and stated that they were processing an unprecedented number of claims.
Earlier this month, Britain ended a probe into Ryanair and British Airways over their refusal to refund customers amid restrictions.
However, the Competition and Markets Authority decided to close the investigation because the law isn’t clear enough about a right to a refund “in these unusual circumstances,” according to a statement.
The probe was launched to determine whether the airlines broke consumer laws by failing to offer customers their money back when Covid-19 rules made it illegal for them to fly.
The budget airline has also committed to an improved online chat, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section and new self-help videos and a ‘Day of Travel' element that will have live updates on airport, terminal, flight and gate information.
The app will also accommodate live videos and webcasts from Ryanair’s ops centre during major disruptions.
Director of Marketing, Dara Brady said the airline’s first-ever Customer Panel meeting in September was instrumental in driving the service improvements.
“We look forward to receiving further panel feedback at our second meeting in early 2022, to help us develop more ways to improve our customers experience while we lower airfares post-Covid.”


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Company pulls 21 mobile apps from its Android Market and people's Android devices after finding they were infected with malware called DroidDream, according to enthusiast sites.
Google apparently has used a kill switch to remove 21 malware-infected apps from both its Android Market and from people's Android devices.
Calling the Trojan the "mother of all Android malware," enthusiast site Android Police said yesterday the infected apps were discovered by a Reddit user. That Reddit user found that pirated versions of legitimate apps were infected by a Trojan called DroidDream, which uses a root exploit dubbed "rageagainstthecage" to compromise a device.
This piece of malware is especially virulent because it apparently cannot only capture user and product information from a device but also has the ability to download more code capable of further damage. The 21 apps in question, all now taken down but still listed by Android Police, came from a publisher named Myournet. However, mobile security vendor Lookout and other sources said yesterday that DroidDream has so far shown up in more than 50 Android apps, including ones from other publishers.
Conversation threads on Reddit suggest that Google was slow to respond to the malware discovery after the company was first alerted via official channels. But after contacting someone at Google directly, Android Police said the company responded quickly to remove the infected apps.
Like Apple, Google has a kill switch that gives it the ability to remotely remove apps from users' phones and tablets that it deems are in violation of its developer agreements. As in this case, such a feature can be used to wipe out apps infected by malware.
At least 50,000 people had downloaded the apps in question, according to enthusiast site AndroidCentral. However, many of those potentially infected may have been protected by staying current with the latest Android updates. AndroidCentral notes that Google actually patched its source code to prevent this type of exploit for users running Android 2.2.2 or higher and that the vulnerability doesn't exist at all in Gingerbread, aka Android 2.3.
CNET has contacted Google for further information and will update the story if and when more details are released.
This new exploit follows a report of a bot called Android.Pjapps that also has turned up in phony versions of legitimate Android apps. The difference is that the bot infected only apps in unregulated Android app stores, whereas DroidDream found its way into Google's "regulated" Android Market.


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In a heterogeneous market like India, some businesses sought to win new fans and customers by giving better pricing on their products, while others hurried to join exclusive clubs with a focus on silicon as a major differentiation. Some have achieved success in developing the correct items for the worldwide market; others have promised too much and the end result was not what many expected; and still others have focused on technology that was not yet completely developed but nonetheless shipped products ahead of schedule. Over the last year, there have been both accomplishments and disasters in the computer sector. However, the trends developing this year have the potential to define the industry, setting the way for next-generation technologies and the market’s trajectory.
Here are five trends (in no particular order) that summarize the personal technology environment in 2021.
The significance of custom silicon
The Tensor Soc is used in Google’s flagship Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro smartphones, while the Imaging V1 chip in the Vivo X70 Pro Plus is aimed to increase noise reduction and motion compensation performance. The existence of internal chips designed to power specific phone functionalities is what the two flagship smartphones of the year have in common. Technically, Vivo’s X70 Pro Plus continues to use a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, but there is a clear strategy in place to expedite the development of internal chips that power a specific function of the phone. As a result, Vivo’s unique image processor vastly improves the quality of photographs captured by the X70 Pro Plus. Both companies have borrowed a page from Apple’s book, which has achieved success by investing substantially on custom silicon. Apple dropped Intel for its M-series processors that power Mac laptops last year, and this year it unveiled even more powerful M1 Pro and M1 Max chips for Macs with “pro” users at the same time. ‘spirit.
It’s only a matter of time before other BBK manufacturers, such as Realme, OnePlus, Oppo, and Iqoo, begin implementing internal chips tailored to improve specific phone aspects. Oppo, for example, just revealed its first internal NPU processor to increase imaging performance in relation to machine learning. It’s dubbed MariSilicon X, and it’ll be included in the company’s next-generation flagship Find X, which will be available in the first quarter of next year. Xiaomi is also racing to create internal chips, indicating that mobile CPU design would be a top long-term focus.
Is this cause for concern for Qualcomm and MediaTek? Most likely not. As demonstrated by the Tensor SoC, Google’s first internal CPU is still unable to compete in terms of performance with Qualcomm’s flagship chip or Apple’s A-series. So these smartphone makers have a long way to go to defeat a hefty chipmaker like Qualcomm, which possesses many critical technologies for developing a modern phone, including the modem. The iPhone 13, for example, includes a Qualcomm-made modem, despite the fact that Apple has purportedly built its own custom-designed 5G modem. Whether it’s Apple, Google, or any other smartphone manufacturer, the ultimate goal is to own every technology and become less reliant on third-party providers.
Samsung still leads the foldable game
Despite Samsung’s best efforts, foldables are still not widely adopted in the industry. The release of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 are good instances of foldable smartphones, but it appears that the industry is still skeptical of the foldable phone segment. With Huawei’s demise as a significant smartphone competitor, Samsung is the only big player investing heavily in the foldable smartphone category. Despite the fact that Oppo just demonstrated their foldable phone, the product is currently only available in China. The Oppo Find N is not a worldwide device, with no foreign release date in sight. Xiaomi’s Mi Mix Fold was also available in limited quantities in China.
Meanwhile, Motorola’s efforts in the foldable smartphone area have been largely unsuccessful. With Google rumored to be scrapping its foldable Pixel phones, Samsung is the only major company with a credible range of foldable devices available globally.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 has been a major hit in several areas, owing to its reduced pricing and superior durability. The point is that Samsung not only manufactures foldable phones, but also creates foldable screens. Because of the restricted availability of foldable phones, there is less demand for foldable displays, which has a direct impact on Samsung’s display division. Samsung has been the poster child for foldable phones, and unless the industry jumps on board, this category of a new class of smartphones will never be formed.
Bluetooth trackers are a big mess
Life360 has acquired Tile, Apple’s AirTag is a public relations nightmare, and Samsung’s Bluetooth-enabled object tracking has gone unreported. All of this happened in a few of months in 2021.
Among all of these companies, one has been losing ground: Apple. The AirTag was introduced with considerable hoopla during Apple’s spring presentation, but the $ 29 coin-sized item tracker quickly became the punchline. Beyond the AirTag, the entire idea was that if the item was misplaced, it could be found on a live map in Apple’s built-in Find my iPhone app. With the AirTag, Apple made enormous assurances about user privacy, yet the exact opposite has happened. Apple has included privacy safeguards in AirTag to make it a safe and secure device. AirTag stackers can now be detected using an Android app, which was just issued by the firm.
The real question is what drove Apple to launch AirTag in the first place. It won’t be a profitable tool right away; it’s merely an iPhone accessory that widens the Apple ecosystem. Since Tile, the most well-known name in the object tracker category, was recently acquired by the Life360 location-sharing platform, and Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTrack is scarcely visible, Apple has remained a prominent player in the selling of Bluetooth-based object trackers. However, these object trackers are less useful and more problematic. Following the announcement of the Tile acquisition, a story surfaced claiming that Life360 planned to sell the location data of its 33 million customers to “almost anyone who wants to buy it.” Those who have purchased a Tile tracker should be concerned.
Chromebooks compete with entry-level Windows laptops
Chromebooks have outperformed Windows laptops this year, particularly in the entry-level market. Once thought to be a second-rate alternative to Windows laptops, PC OEMs saw a great opportunity in regions such as India by bringing Chromebooks to new users. Although there is no statistics on the popularity of Chromebooks in India, the increasing number of product launches demonstrates an understanding of the potential of these ChromeOS-based computers. If Chromebooks sell well, Google will benefit the most. Chromebooks, in particular, have shown to be popular in recent months, thanks to the pandemic and distant work and schooling, because of their reduced pricing and since they are largely used at home, where they are. Always connected to the internet. However, due to a shortage of mid-range solutions, customers will eventually prefer Windows laptops over Chromebooks in the long run.
The buzz around “designer” notebooks
From Apple to Asus to Dell, every manufacturer of consumer PC now has a specialized line aimed at business customers, particularly those in the creative professions. In reality, given the money to be made in this area, the “designer” laptop category has recently become more privileged. Apple’s participation, with its recent release of 16- and 14-inch MacBook Pros, says volumes about Cupertino’s interest in computers for creative users working in industries such as graphic design, video editing, and animation. For certain businesses, having a laptop oriented at professional users is a matter of status. Although niche, these laptops made for creative users combine various industry characteristics to provide a more powerful product than other options on the market. The excitement around “designer” computers is still going strong in 2022, with additional options available at various price points.


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Pick your word: Ludicrous. Insane. Unfathomable. Insulting.
"Egregious" is the one preferred by Christopher Bonavico, who has accumulated $700 million in Apple Inc. AAPL -2.25 % stock at fund company Delaware Investments. Mr. Bonavico can't stop raving about Apple, saying the company still could be undervalued by 30% despite its mammoth stock-market value of $320 billion.
But Mr. Bonavico is going public with deep frustrations over Apple's cash pile, a $50 billion lode that is expected to swell to $70 billion by year-end. The vast sum exceeds the gross domestic product of two-thirds of the world's countries—and all but 36 of the market values of companies in the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index.
Apple won't so much as throw a penny back at shareholders via dividends or buybacks. So far, company executives, including the ailing Steve Jobs, have offered only vague, nearly dismissive koans about possible acquisitions and the need to remain flexible and conservative.
Mr. Bonavico has had enough. Apple "is destroying value," says the portfolio manager of Delaware's Focus Growth team. "We absolutely love the product strategy. However, they are leaving money on the table by having such a large cash balance well below their cost of capital. The cash is earning near zero."
In his meetings with Apple management, company officials were "very, very tightlipped" about what they'll do with the cash, he says. "We think there will be more and more pressure, as overall returns of capital start to reflect that such a large part of the asset base is returning zero."
Mr. Bonavico isn't the only dissatisfied Apple investor. Behind the scenes, say people close to a number of top shareholders, dissent is growing over the fruits of the company's historic success.
Few investors have complained publicly, because they've done so well with Apple stock. The shares have risen nearly threefold since the lows of the financial crisis in March 2009.
But it will be hard to avoid the issue when Apple reports earnings Tuesday. Microsoft Corp. faced the same issue before eventually relenting to shareholders with its own $32 billion dividend in 2004.
"Optimal capital allocation doesn't matter until it does," says Ken Broad, a fellow portfolio manager at Delaware Investments. He points out that the stock-based compensation culture of Silicon Valley has perverted the balance sheets of companies like Cisco Systems Inc. CSCO 0.69 % and Apple.
Employee shares, carrying an expected return on equity of, say, 11%, are being issued en masse while cash continues to accumulate, returning less than 0.75% per year. It's like taking a credit-card cash advance and putting it in a passbook savings account.
"Who would ever do this in their personal lives?" asks Mr. Broad.
By virtually any measure, Apple's numbers speak for themselves. Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi, who has been hammering on the issue since last summer, calculates that Apple could pay out a 4% dividend, buy back $20 billion in shares and still add $10 billion to its cash pile this year.
"I think it has been beyond the point of being rational for a while now," says Mr. Sacconaghi.
If anything, Mr. Jobs's surprise leave of absence only heightens tensions over Apple's cash approach. Apple stock fell immediately in markets outside the U.S. after word of Mr. Jobs's medical leave hit Monday. That's partly because the company is still, incredibly, viewed as a growth stock, making it more volatile on the upside and downside.
Adding a dividend and buybacks might put the stock in the hands of value investors, who would help stabilize the ownership base and diminish some of that volatility, Mr. Sacconaghi says. He recently counted how many of the 10 biggest value-investing funds own the stock. The number: zero.
Apple spokesman Steve Dowling declined to comment, referring me to previous statements on company conference calls.
Perhaps the best statement on the topic comes from Benjamin Graham, the doyen of value-stock investing and inspiration to billionaire Warren Buffett.
Public shareholders have the power to "enforce appropriate standards of capital efficiency in their own interest," Mr. Graham wrote in 1949. "To bring this about they will need more knowledge and gumption than they now exhibit."


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Older entrepreneurs find challenges, bring advantages
Scripps Howard News Service
Must credit Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
With photo/graphic: SH12F074ENTREPRENEURS
By MOLLY HENSLEY-CLANCY
When they picture the modern American entrepreneur, many people imagine Mark Zuckerberg-types -- young, tech-savvy, fresh out of college. But when it comes to successful entrepreneurship, the best years of life may be after 50.
According to a survey by the nonprofit Kauffman Foundation, Americans aged 55 to 64 start new business ventures at a higher rate than any other age group, including twentysomethings. In 2010, the survey said, 23 percent of new entrepreneurs were 55 to 64, up from 14 percent in 1996.
In May, the U.S. Small Business Association and AARP announced a partnership targeting this demographic. Aimed at business owners and would-be entrepreneurs over the age of 50, the partnership will offer counseling and training as well as online resources such as webinars and self-assessments customized for so-called "encore entrepreneurs."
Joyce Kane, 56, of Robinson, Pa., was one among thousands when she was laid off from her mid-level management job during the nation's financial downturn in the fourth quarter of 2008. A worker in infrastructure and telecommunications management for more than 30 years, Kane suddenly found herself without anywhere to go.
"For somebody who was over the age of 50, it wasn't a great time to look for a replacement job," she said. "But not doing anything was not an option."
A Government Accountability Office report found that in 2011, workers over the age of 50 who lost their jobs, like Kane, struggled more than any other group to gain employment.
Kane turned to entrepreneurship, opening a franchise of the administrative support business Cybertary in June 2009. The company offers low-cost virtual administrative assistants to small businesses.
Stephen Cohen left the corporate world at age 50 for different reasons. Cohen, 62, of Squirrel Hill, Pa., was 50 when he fell asleep at the wheel of his car. Though nobody was injured, it was a wakeup call that caused him to reevaluate his busy lifestyle. He left his job in the marketing divisions of a health insurance company and started a small marketing firm, Keystone By Design, which now has more than 30 clients. Cohen, whose firm advises many older small business owners, sees more and more people who have been laid off at the end of long careers and who are looking toward entrepreneurship rather than re-entering the job market. "Opening a business is the American way of starting new," he said.
Others are simply searching for a way to spend more time with their families, Cohen said, or for more financial independence.
Older entrepreneurs face unique challenges, said Carl Knoblock, the SBA's Western Pennsylvania district director.
The biggest hurdle, Knoblock said, is that many are not tech-savvy: "In today's world, they have to be." He added that the SBA's offerings for over-50 entrepreneurs will focus on the importance of websites and "how to make social media a partner to your success."
Another obstacle that many older entrepreneurs face is flexibility. "They have to learn to turn on a dime with the market," Knoblock explained, which is a skill not often taught in the traditional workforce.
But starting a small business after 50 can also provide significant advantages over younger entrepreneurs who are early or mid-career.
Older entrepreneurs, he said, have gained valuable experience from their time working for larger companies. They understand better what products and services are desirable, and can draw on years of customer service and managerial experience.
Another advantage of trying entrepreneurship after 50 can be the financial resources that have been built up over a career. "You need a source of financing other than the bank," said Cohen, since loans are notoriously difficult for small businesses to obtain.
The answer for Kane, and many other older entrepreneurs, was her retirement fund. She leveraged her 401k from her most recent employer to open the Cybertary franchise, an option that, although risky, would not be available to younger entrepreneurs.
Kane said she loves the "sheer independence" of small business ownership, and the direct impact she can have on customers and employees. She expects her Cybertary business to become profitable by June 2013, the third anniversary of the company's launch.
Meanwhile, though, she doesn't regret taking the plunge. "I've found my passion," she said.
(Contact Molly Hensley-Clancy at mclancy(at)post-gazette.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)


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I hate rumors just as much as the next guy, but with the lack of real news for the past few months, it's better than nothing. This morning, I awoke with a plethora of rumors in my inbox from yet another anonymous source. (Same one as before)
-The Wii MegaMan title will briefly be mentioned at GDC (Feb. 18th-22nd). However, what content will be shown is unknown at this time. Its possible we might see a small teaser or even a swift announcement confirming it's existence.
-Keiji Inafune will be present at GDC for a special announcement. This may or may not concern MegaMan. (I'm leaning towards an RE5 announcement)
- A non Wii related RM title is planned to be unveiled, however it might be a downloadable game for the 360, PS3 and possibly WiiWare. One or the other. Whatever it is, it will be a console exclusive. There is a possibility the title won't be shown next week but at a later, Capcom press event.
Non related GDC rumors:
- Currently, there are TWO Wii Rockman games in development. One of them you'll be seeing soon, the other much later.
-Don't be too shocked if one of the games is a Ryuusei title.
- Capcom is producing a total of three DS Rockman games this year. Two of them are expected to be two versions of RnR3. The other might be a new ZX title.
- First news concerning RnR3 will be a new, distinct feature that will truly set RnR3 apart from it's predecessors. Hint: it's a nod to a "fan favorite" gameplay element in the EXE series. (Non restrictive movement?)
- A unique RnR3 marketing campaign will kick off mid summer.
- Their is huge possibility of another Rockman film reminiscent of the "Rockman.EXE/Duel Masters" crossover film. This time around, it would be a crossover between Ryuusei and the newest iteration of Duel Masters.
Anonymous source added further insight to the Wii Rockman announcement:
"There is a possibility Capcom will choose to not show the Wii title this week, rather, show it alongside the DLC title in a future Capcom press event. At the moment, the press event is scheduled to take place in the near future."


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Target's Revenue Reaches Over 26B Dollars in Second Quarter 2022; Brian Cornell Details
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - If you're looking for the latest retail growth strategies, look no further. The most recent update from Target revealed the retailer's second quarter earnings, which showed a 3.5 percent revenue increase to $26 billion, reflecting total sales growth of 3.3 percent. This upward trend shortly follows the company's decision to implement long-range inventory rightsizing goals to guarantee its future success.
"I'm really pleased with the underlying performance of our business, which continues to grow traffic and sales while delivering broad-based unit-share gains in a very challenging environment," said Brian Cornell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "I want to thank our team for their tireless work to deliver on the inventory rightsizing goals we announced in June. While these inventory actions put significant pressure on our near-term profitability, we're confident this was the right long-term decision in support of our guests, our team, and our business. Looking ahead, the team is energized and ready to serve our guests in the back half of the year, with a safe, clean, uncluttered shopping experience, compelling value across every category, and a fresh assortment to serve our guests' wants and needs."
According to a press release, these financial results reflected continued sales and traffic growth, and profit pressure driven primarily by the company's inventory reduction efforts. As a result of this strategy, Target was able to reduce its inventory exposure in discretionary categories while investing in rapidly-growing frequency categories. Additionally, Fall season receipts in discretionary categories were reduced by more than $1.5 billion.
Some other highlights from the report include:
- Comparable sales grew 2.6 percent, on top of 8.9 percent growth last year, reflecting 2.7 percent traffic growth
- Growth reflected continued strength in Food & Beverage, Beauty, and Household Essentials
- Store comparable sales increased 1.3 percent, on top of 8.7 percent growth last year
- Digital comparable sales grew 9.0 percent, following growth of 9.9 percent last year
- Same-day services (Order Pickup, Drive Up, and Shipt) grew nearly 11 percent this year, led by Drive Up, which grew in the mid-teens on top of more than 80 percent last year
- Operating margin rate of 1.2 percent reflected gross margin pressure from actions to reduce excess inventory as well as higher freight and transportation costs
Read the rest of the financial report here.
As always, stick with AndNowUKnow as we keep a pulse on the retail industry.


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In response to Freshii CEO Matthew Corrin’s recent offer to help struggling froyo shop and juice bar franchisees, Amit Kleinberger, CEO of Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, has issued a statement disputing Corrin’s claim that the frozen yogurt industry is struggling.
“The frozen yogurt industry has seen continuous, year-over-year growth for the last 10 years and current trends show consumers are becoming increasingly more health conscious, while increasingly demanding tasteful flavours,” says Kleinberger. “This is especially true among millennials and generation Z, who value the customization self-serve frozen yogurt allows and the control it provides over flavours and toppings that suit their desires.”
At the end of the day, he says, “we love seeing the foodservice and hospitality industries grow, thrive, and flourish. We believe in competition. Competition makes us better, as there is no number-1 without a number-2. And to continue solidifying our position as the world’s largest self-serve frozen yogurt franchise, we remain focused on what we are known for, do best, and are passionate about: bringing smiles to our customers through our high quality, delicious frozen yogurt.”
Kleinberger says his company will continue its growth, with plans to open another 60 locations globally by the end of 2016.


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Tesco customers have been warned to beware of a scam email promising free groceries after 197 reports of fraud last week.
Anyone receiving the email was asked to immediately delete it and not follow the link.
The dangerous email was reported by cybercrime experts at Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre.
Read more:New face mask rules for Wales as coverings are no longer required in all indoor settings.
The scam messages claimed people could win £500 worth of Tesco groceries by entering a competition and providing personal details.
Action Fraud said: “Beware of fake emails claiming to be from Tesco. The emails ask the recipient to use the link provided in order to win ‘free groceries’.
“Report suspicious emails by forwarding them to: [email protected]
“Action Fraud received 197 reports in one week of fake emails claiming to be from Tesco.
“The emails state that the recipient can win ‘free groceries’ by entering a contest. The links provided in the emails lead to phishing websites designed to steal your personal and financial information.”
The messages contained some of the telltale signs of fraud, including poor grammar, spelling mistakes and URLs that were not official Tesco sites.
Action Fraud’s top tips to protect yourself against fraud:
Do not give any personal information to organizations or individuals before verifying their credentials.
Make sure your computer has up-to-date anti-virus software and a firewall installed.
Many scams start with a phishing email. Remember that banks and financial institutions will not send you an email asking you to click on a link and confirm your bank details. Do not trust these emails, even if they seem genuine.
Sign up for Verified by Visa or MasterCard Secure Code whenever you can while shopping online. This involves you registering a password with your card company and adds an extra layer of security to online transactions with registered retailers.
You should get a copy of your credit report regularly and check for entries you don’t recognize.
Destroy and preferably shred receipts with your card details and post them with your name and address. Identity fraudsters don’t need a lot of information to be able to clone your identity.
If you receive bills, bills, or receipts for things you didn’t buy, or if financial institutions you don’t normally deal with contact you about unpaid debts, take action. Your identity may have been stolen.
Be extremely wary of letters, telephone calls or e-mails proposing unannounced commercial offers. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
To get news from across Wales straight to your inbox, sign up here for an email newsletter.


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Facebook Gaming’s presence in the video game streaming world has grown significantly in 2019.
The platform has seen its market share grow to 8.5 percent, which accounts for viewership between it, Twitch, YouTube Gaming and Mixer.
To put this into perspective, that’s around 102 million hours watched on the platform. This is an increase of over five percent in market share, making it a substantial jump compared to 2018.
There are a few factors that contributed to Facebook Gaming’s rise in popularity.
The first is the number of content creators that have joined the service or signed an exclusivity deal to create content only for Facebook, such as former Super Smash Bros. competitive player ZeRo.
Another element is the overall viewership increase for video game streaming sites in general. It’s been reported that consumers have watched over 1.19 billion hours across all four platforms last year, which is more than 2018’s 1.06 billion.
Facebook Gaming streamers also produced more content than in 2018 by over 63 percent, making it only logical for the viewership to grow a large amount.
Twitch still remains the most dominant streaming service, with YouTube Gaming following in second.
However, despite its dominance and experiencing a viewership increase, Twitch lost market shares from 67.1 to 61 percent. YouTube Gaming experienced a slight increase in market share, taking it up to 27.9 percent.
While this is positive news for Facebook Gaming, it’s clear the platform still has a ways to go before it’s able to truly compete with the likes of Twitch.


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Bedfordshire Open Door was delighted to team up with the Princes Trust Bedford Team to pack up 100 Wellbeing Bags for young people receiving counselling and support. Funded by the Beds Luton Community Foundation and Harpur Trust, these orange bags of positivity contained a whole array of goodies and invites to online and video-based activities. We teamed up with a host of different local businesses and companies including Dreamwear, Youth Voices, SkipBeatz, Creative Days, Laughter and Life, Grow Mindfulness. Feedback on the bags has been overwhelmingly positive! A huge thank you to everyone involved.
Peter Thompson, World Record Holder & Skip Beatz founder


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The legislation was originally due to be implemented in the UK on 1 November 2002 but has been brought forward in line with an EC Directive.
It is the third and final phase of a late payments law – The Late Payments of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 – which currently allows small businesses to claim interest on overdue bills from similar-sized and larger businesses.
As of 8 August, however, the law will apply to businesses of all sizes, meaning that any company can claim interest from any company that has debts outstanding, regardless of size. In addition, companies will be able to claw back administration costs involved in recovering debt.
This extension of the act was implemented due to the EC’s recognition that, “Heavy administrative and financial burdens are placed on businesses, particularly small and medium-sized ones, as a result of excessive payment periods and late payment.”
The positive effects of the bill are already being felt amongst small businesses. An ongoing survey by the Credit Management Research Centre (CMRC) revealed that in December 2001, firms with under £1m turnover were reporting “a significant decline” in late payments, with the average waiting time dropping from 25 to 19 days in the previous six months.
Dave Harrop of the Forum of Private Businesses says that businesses are beginning to experience the benefits of the new law, largely due to the increase in cash flow. Previously a late payment would have “a knock-on effect,” generating “a vicious circle” of late payments, but cash is “now circulating more quickly.” However, he warns that it would take “three or four years to kick in” properly, citing the examples of countries like Norway and Denmark, where it has been established for several years.
The CMRC survey also indicated that more small businesses were becoming increasingly aware of the importance of setting up formal payment procedures. 49% of small companies had written sales agreements in 1996, but this had risen to 61% by 2001. There was also a dramatic rise in the number of small companies having written credit policies – 26% in 1996, compared to 43% in 2001.


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Macfarlane Packaging launches 2019 “unboxing” research
Macfarlane Packaging, the country’s leading supplier of protective packaging, is this week (15 July) launching its annual “unboxing” survey to UK consumers.
The experience of opening a package containing a product ordered online has become known as “unboxing”. With the advent of video blogging, consumer reviews of not only products but the packaging that they arrive in are becoming increasingly important to retailers. This research will provide retailers with valuable consumer feedback on the experience of receiving and opening items that were purchased online.
Macfarlane’s 2018 unboxing survey revealed that almost a quarter of online shoppers felt that the products they bought online were overpacked. Overpacking remains a major challenge for retailers as they balance the need to ensure their product arrives undamaged while managing customer demands for more sustainable packaging.
Laurel Granville, Marketing Director of Macfarlane Packaging, said: “Once again we are asking consumers about their unboxing experience which we know remains a top priority for retailers. We know that great unboxing experiences can present opportunities for online businesses to enhance their image and reduce their costs. This year, we are particularly interested to hear consumers views on the use of sustainable packaging.”
The online survey can be accessed at: https://macfarlanepackaging.comtest.co.uk/open-up-about-unboxing-2019/
The survey will be open until 4 August and the results are expected to be published in September 2019.


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Someone who shops at an uptown Hoboken store is $250,000 richer, state lottery officials announced.
A $250,000 Mega Millions ticket -- matching all five numbers drawn, but not the Mega ball -- was sold at Nick's Candy and Grocery, located at 111 14th Street.
The winner, who has not come forward to store owner Jay Majmundar, may be a little shy about telling the world, but Majmundar isn't. The front door of his store sports a sign that a $250,000 ticket was sold in the store.
Lottery officials said that five second-place tickets were sold in New Jersey for the record $640 million jackpot drawing Friday. Three tickets, sold in Kansas, Maryland and Illinois, matched all five numbers and the Mega ball.Majmundar said today he believes his store has some extra luck compared to others in the city.
“We’ve been having several winners recently, and people keep coming back after hearing this, which makes things good for business,” he said.
Several years ago the store sold another second-prize winning ticket that was worth $175,000. Behind the front counter, several winning scratch-off tickets are displayed showing winnings of $100 to $150.Frequent customers such as Ampro Gonzalez, 71, of Hoboken, believes something special does exist at the store. She won $300 last fall.
“I play the lottery every week and have had some good tickets. For me, it’s a lucky place,” she said.The store will get $500 for selling the winning ticket, said lottery spokeswoman Judith Drucker, who added that she was not certain if the winning Hoboken ticket was a quick-pick or if the winner chose the winning numbers.
Last week’s record $640 Mega Millions jackpot made anywhere that sold lottery tickets one of the most popular places in town.


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Because most electricity is generated locally, shifting to electric transportation will save consumers money at the plug and keep more of their transportation fuel dollars recirculating through local economies.Stan Cross and Heather Pohnan | August 26, 2021
Electrifying transportation could provide an economic boon for Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee. That’s what the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) reveals in a new analysis, “Retained Transportation Fuel Spending in the Southeast: Electric vs. Internal Combustion Vehicles.”
SACE analyzed how much consumers spend on gas and diesel, how much of that transportation fuel spending remains in a given Southeast state, and how much leaves. The analysis then looked at what happens if all on-road gas and diesel-powered cars, trucks, and buses are replaced with vehicles that drive entirely on electricity.
What We Found: $47 Billion on the Table
Fueling transportation is expensive
Southeast consumers spend approximately $94 billion on gas and diesel fuels annually. And because the region has nearly no oil production or refining operations, only about one-third of that amount — approximately $30 billion — is retained in our region’s economy, and the rest leaves to pay for the imported fuels. That adds up to $64 billion leaking out of our region’s economy every year.
Electrifying transportation could patch the leak
As light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicle electrification accelerates, more efficient vehicles and cheaper in-state-generated electricity allow consumers to spend less to drive the same number of miles. If all of the region’s vehicle miles traveled were electric today, Southeast consumers would spend approximately $52 billion on electricity, reducing consumer transportation fuel spending by $42 billion annually.
Extra spending kept in the Southeast by electrifying transportation
Additionally, more than two-thirds of those $52 billion dollars we would spend on electricity for transportation — approximately $35 billion — would stay in the region, vs. the $30 billion we retain under the current system that relies heavily on gas and diesel. This means that we could keep an additional $5 billion annually recirculating through and supporting local economies if we switched to a fully electric transportation system.
By saving consumers $42 billion in fuel spending and keeping an extra $5 billion in-region, electrifying transportation in the Southeast would result in $47 billion in transportation fuel spending retained annually.
Why it matters: Economic Impacts Should be Considered in Policy and Regulatory Actions
Our goal in conducting this analysis is to broaden policymakers,’ utility regulators,’ and industry stakeholders’ views of transportation electrification costs and benefits, stimulate discussion and spur additional research.
It is increasingly understood that electrifying America’s car, truck, and bus fleets will require federal, state government, utility, and private investment. And a lot of it. That is evidenced by the billions of dollars earmarked in the federal infrastructure bill; the $93 million of EV-related Volkswagen Settlement funds spent to date by Southeast states; the over $189 million invested and proposed by Southeast utilities; and the more than $30 billion of auto industry investment in passenger EVs alone.
The Southeast clearly has a lot to gain by distancing itself from imported gas and diesel and embracing locally-generated electricity to power transportation. Such an embrace will result in even greater payback over time as the region, which basks in sunshine, ramps up utility-scale and distributed solar generation, allowing even more dollars to be retained and invested in local economies and local jobs. As those retained dollars recirculate through local economies, they will create a multiplying economic impact.
And then there are the jobs. Collectively, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee make up 18% of the nation’s population. These states have secured 18% (7,785) of EV jobs, and an outsized 37% ($11.2 billion) of national EV investment. And it’s important to remember that beyond direct EV jobs are all the supply chain jobs, including mineral mining, battery production, charging infrastructure manufacturing and installation, and industry research and development, which are all present in the region and prepared to grow.
State policymakers and utility regulators need to understand what is at stake. We need a strong EV market to retain billions of dollars in transportation fuel spending and support continued regional EV industry job growth. To foster a strong EV market, we need favorable policies and regulatory reforms.
Policies like the Transportation Climate Initiative, Zero Emission Vehicle standards, and the Advanced Clean Truck and Omnibus rules, as well as the allowance for EV manufacturers to sell their products directly to consumers are all examples of levers that can be pulled to enable consumers and fleet operators to access EVs, generate revenue to support state programs, improve public health, and cut carbon emissions – and ultimately help our region maintain competitiveness.
Utilities and regulators are beginning to propose and approve more ambitious electric transportation investments, but the Southeast currently represents just over 4% of utility EV investment nationwide. Utilities have the capacity to spur EV charger deployment, support school, and transit bus electrification, and educate consumers at scale. And doing so is in the utilities and ratepayers’ best interests: EVs will create new electricity demand, which in turn will increase utility revenue, and at the same time put downward pressure on utility rates. Utilities are also positioned to ensure EV investments are equitable and reach traditionally marginalized and underserved communities.
The Southeast transportation electrification equation is becoming clearer: favorable policies + regulatory reforms = $47 billion in annual retained transportation fuel dollars and thousands of jobs. Policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders need to continue unpacking the costs and benefits. Clearly, there are significant financial investments needed to electrify the movement of people, goods, and services. But the economic returns to be gained are significant and favorable.
Electrify the South is a Southern Alliance for Clean Energy program that leverages research, advocacy, and outreach to promote renewable energy and accelerate the equitable transition to electric transportation throughout the Southeast. Visit ElectrifytheSouth.org to learn more and connect with us.


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Home / News / Further steps to manage unauthorised vehicle access in pedestrian areas
Further steps to manage unauthorised vehicle access in pedestrian areas
CTB News: 01/12/2017 - 11:07
Temporary manual gates to support the existing vehicle access restrictions in place on pedestrianised areas of Leeds city centre have been installed.
The gates will help control unauthorised vehicular access into restricted pedestrianised areas during the festive season. The seven gates will provide another level of additional safety and security during busy shopping periods in the run up to Christmas and the New Year.
Undertaken as a precautionary measure, this work will also provide extra reassurance to visitors, businesses and local residents.
The gates, which will be in operation from 10.30am to 7pm daily, are to be reviewed by Leeds City Council and partners including the police in the New Year.
A scheme to install a permanent bollard system in the city centre area, approved by the council earlier this year, will be implemented in 2018.
Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council’s executive member for regeneration, transport and planning, said: “The installation of these seven gates will add an additional layer of enforcement and safety to restrictions already currently in place in the city centre, and mean that during busy shopping periods no unauthorised vehicles will be able to access to certain pedestrianised areas unless express permission is given.
“This is part of our ongoing planned programme of work, which will see a permanent bollard system introduced in the city centre next year.”