Americans love their SUV’s and the number of electric vehicles on the road is still only a small percentage of all vehicles. Transportation is one of the top energy users on the planet and car manufacturers respond to what we buy – not what we say.
Anna Schneider, Vice President of Industry-Government Relations at Volkswagen of America shares with host Joan Michelson the auto industry’s challenges and what VW is doing to reduce its footprint – and ours.
For example, they have the only Platinum LEED-certified manufacturing plant – anywhere, in any industry.
How have regulations affected the growth of the electric car market? What is the impact of low gas prices on car buying? Manufacturers?
Listen to this intriguing interview with an expert who has spent her entire career in the auto industry. (Note: This interview was recorded just before the story broke about the EPA tests of their clean diesel vehicles, so it is not addressed.)
Joan Michelson, MBA is a highly accomplished business leader and award-winning strategic social impact and ESG – environment, social, governance – leader, who drove breakthrough results at Chrysler (in EVs), American Express and Deloitte, small businesses, and government agencies. She is an instructor on ESG issues to professionals, leaders and board members across industries. Her specialties include leveraging ESG solutions and partnerships strategically for maximum benefit, helping organizations recruit innovative, diverse women, and helping these women thrive in their careers. She is based in the Washington D.C. area.
Joan is also an accomplished journalist who has worked with top media organizations and hosts and produces the acclaimed Electric Ladies podcast (formerly known as Green Connections Radio), about innovation and leadership in energy-, climate- and sustainability-related issues across industries, featuring women experts.
She writes regularly for Forbes on these issues and has also been in the Harvard Business Review, HuffPost, TheAtlantic.com, Greenbiz, The New Economy magazine (distributed at the World Economic Forum), New Thinking magazine, regional business journals; and various other media. She coproduced segments with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” ABC News, and “The Crusaders,” and television specials on NBC.
Joan has spent her career working in energy-sustainability-climate-ESG issues and in marketing communications, including as head of communications and co-leader of the sales and marketing team of Chrysler’s Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), driving “best year ever” growth and significantly accelerated the adoption of electric vehicles. Prior to GEM, she led marketing communications efforts to high-net-worth and high-visibility clients in management consulting-financial services companies Deloitte and American Express. She's a native of NYC and has a BA from UCLA, an MBA from Baruch College at City University of NY, and post-graduate studies at Harvard Business School, The New School and The Aspen Institute, among others. She has a Sustainability and ESG certification from Competent Boards.
