Environmental business consultant Joel Makower asserts that in the midst of GM’s current crisis, the company is getting it. The “it,” of course, is a strategic shift that will put the company on a greener trajectory.
Curious, since GM has gotten the brunt of environmentalist’s criticism (remember, Who Killed the Electric Car?). But that wasn’t the whole story, Makower writes.
In my recent book, I chronicled how GM began changing the conversation with the environmental community, beginning in late 2005, as the company promoted biofuels as a potential alternative fuel. In late 2006, GM leaders briefed a group of environmentalists about the Volt, even before it unveiled the car to the press, helping to ensure a group of supportive voices at the car’s debut in early 2007. (Remarkably, the greenies kept their promise of confidentiality: There were no leaks.)
Over the past year, and especially over the past six months, GM stepped up its outreach to the major environmental groups, engaging them several times in conference calls and face-to-face meetings, seeking their support during the federal government’s deliberations over its fate.
While the WSJ Environmental Capital blog, which questioned GM’s continued push on the Volt, Makower sees the future electric car as central to the road ahead. He says that before the recession, GM was “designing prototypes of small neighborhood electric vehicles. And they were thinking about the second and third generations of the Volt technology that will follow in 2011 and beyond.” And he added this note from Beth Lowery, GM’s Vice President, Environment, Energy, and Safety Policy, sent out this week:
The New GM will focus on reinventing not just ourselves, but transportation systems around the world. An essential starting point is vehicle electrification, including our new advanced battery lab in Warren, Michigan, where we will continue to develop battery technology to support electric vehicle programs such as the Chevrolet Volt. Also, we will continue to work with partners to develop the infrastructure necessary to support advanced technologies, from flexible-fuel vehicles to urban electric vehicles.
Sounds like a new GM to me.