WEBVTT - WHY BLACK PEOPLE SHOULD CARE ABOUT ELECTRIC VEHICLES w/ TELVA MCGRUDER 0:00:00.760 --> 0:00:04.160 But my absolutely favorite part, and this says a lot 0:00:04.200 --> 0:00:08.560 about me, is when you're sitting at that light and 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:15.120 you push that pedal grade it is gone, like it 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:21.840 is absolutely fair, and it's like that feeling is great. 0:00:22.200 --> 0:00:24.160 And then and then you get that like not only 0:00:24.440 --> 0:00:26.800 the vehicle's just gone, you're not waiting to accelerate, you 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:33.040 don't have to worry about it, but it's silent. It's quiet. Now, 0:00:33.040 --> 0:00:37.479 why do I love that? Because I love music? Right, 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:39.640 Like I don't want to to turn out my music 0:00:39.760 --> 0:00:42.360 just because I'm on the highway. I'm Will Lucas and 0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:45.479 this is black tag green money tell them. Agruti is 0:00:45.520 --> 0:00:48.960 the chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at General Motors 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:51.159 and it spent more than twenty year years to the company, 0:00:51.200 --> 0:00:55.200 having started as an engineer. Today, she's focused on weaving 0:00:55.240 --> 0:00:58.320 the EI into the very fabric of the company, working 0:00:58.320 --> 0:01:01.880 in partnership with internal and external leaders to champion the 0:01:01.920 --> 0:01:06.040 broad and diverse war force they have. On this episode, 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:09.720 recorded at two is afro Tech conference in Austin, Texas, 0:01:10.240 --> 0:01:13.520 tell Us speaks with Blacky's co founder and CEO Jeff 0:01:13.560 --> 0:01:17.319 Nelson about corporate commitment to d e I Electric vehicles 0:01:17.440 --> 0:01:19.920 and why black people should care about the future. Ev 0:01:20.360 --> 0:01:24.800 I'm really excited about this. We are talking about electric 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:28.720 cars and why black people should care and and and 0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:32.400 uh teba, it's a pleasure to have you here. How 0:01:32.440 --> 0:01:35.240 are you? I'm great? I am. I can't even say 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:36.880 how happy I am to be here with all of 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:41.840 you in Austin, but more specifically here atro tech. That 0:01:41.920 --> 0:01:44.720 that's wonderful and so I want to dive right into it. 0:01:44.920 --> 0:01:50.920 So you are the chiefs Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer 0:01:51.320 --> 0:01:55.000 at General Motors. Okay, now that's my day job. That's 0:01:55.040 --> 0:01:58.240 your day job. Right. GM is a car company, So 0:01:58.280 --> 0:02:02.080 I'm curious. We're gonna talk about why black people should 0:02:02.080 --> 0:02:04.160 care about electric vehicles, but first let's talk about why 0:02:04.160 --> 0:02:07.800 GM cares about diversity, right? Why is that important to 0:02:07.880 --> 0:02:11.160 a car company like GM? Yeah, it's critically important to 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:15.280 GM for a whole lot of reasons, but I'll say, 0:02:15.320 --> 0:02:19.640 you know, most fundamentally, because we care about the future. 0:02:20.720 --> 0:02:25.000 We care about the future, and there is no real 0:02:25.639 --> 0:02:30.360 substantial future that engages the public if it doesn't include 0:02:31.040 --> 0:02:35.800 diverse groups. And and we recognize that, not just because 0:02:35.840 --> 0:02:38.880 we're trying to sell to customers. But we're working to 0:02:38.919 --> 0:02:41.760 create a future that's more sustainable, a future where people 0:02:42.280 --> 0:02:45.760 have more access to the things that they need. And 0:02:45.840 --> 0:02:47.799 in order for us to do that well, we need 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:50.359 to have diverse team members that can help us think 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:54.640 about it. We need to be engaged in communities that 0:02:54.680 --> 0:02:57.680 are extremely diverse so they can help us think about 0:02:57.720 --> 0:02:59.280 how to do this well. You know, how do we 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:02.839 create a more animal future where people matter and we're 0:03:02.880 --> 0:03:05.720 helping them have better outcomes? And so that's that's what 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:07.639 we care about. That's so important, and I think we 0:03:07.680 --> 0:03:10.480 should just give GM around of applause for taking that stance, 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:14.600 because not enough companies may talk about it, but they 0:03:14.600 --> 0:03:17.360 don't necessarily put the action into it. And GM has 0:03:17.360 --> 0:03:21.080 shown their commitment by hiring you bringing you here to 0:03:21.160 --> 0:03:25.040 afro Tech, So we're excited about that. And you know, 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:28.239 what you've touched on is something that is important to 0:03:28.320 --> 0:03:30.760 why we do afro tech. What we find is that 0:03:30.880 --> 0:03:35.040 often black people are creators but not owners, right, And 0:03:35.080 --> 0:03:37.160 so as we think about these new industries that are 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:40.840 being created, these new verticals that are emerging, it's important 0:03:40.840 --> 0:03:43.360 for black people to be there at the forefront so 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:46.320 that we can be creators and owners going forward. So 0:03:47.440 --> 0:03:49.960 you talked about why this is important to GM. How 0:03:49.960 --> 0:03:52.440 does your work on a day to day basis contribute 0:03:52.720 --> 0:03:56.400 to that vision of hy GM wants to have diverse 0:03:56.480 --> 0:03:59.640 people uh and and inclusive workforce. What are you doing 0:03:59.640 --> 0:04:02.520 on a day today to contribute to that? Yeah, so 0:04:03.360 --> 0:04:06.920 my days are busy that there's a lot going on. 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:09.360 You know, we aspire to be what we say, the 0:04:09.440 --> 0:04:11.160 most inclusive company in the world. Now, we don't want 0:04:11.160 --> 0:04:13.840 to be alone. We want other companies to truly be 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:16.960 on this mission as well. Um, but what we're really 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:20.279 doing first and foremost is is we're focusing on us, 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:24.080 who we are, what our intent is, how we're living 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:27.400 every single day. And so I hope our team at 0:04:27.440 --> 0:04:32.560 GM literally practice inclusion and we coach our team members 0:04:32.560 --> 0:04:35.520 on inclusion and and I support my team as they're 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:38.120 doing that, and I build partnerships with leaders across the 0:04:38.160 --> 0:04:41.800 company so that we can have really coaching conversations about 0:04:42.120 --> 0:04:45.640 you know, are we including the ideas of our diverse 0:04:45.760 --> 0:04:49.440 team members and how are we doing it and how 0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:52.800 can we get better at it? Because it's not good 0:04:52.920 --> 0:04:55.400 enough for me and my role to to just have 0:04:55.520 --> 0:05:00.719 people their representation is price of entry. It's baseline, but 0:05:00.839 --> 0:05:03.600 that's not what it's about. Really, what it's about is 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:07.960 having those ideas heard, you know, allowing our diverse community 0:05:08.080 --> 0:05:12.279 to innovate together and not only the expecting it. So 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:14.640 I spent a lot of time on you know, hey, 0:05:14.720 --> 0:05:17.440 you as leaders. You know, in my role, I'm focused 0:05:17.440 --> 0:05:20.560 on the leadership team and how do you create environments 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:23.320 where we're expecting people to innovate together, and we're expecting 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:27.440 people to collaborate together, and where we realize when we 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:29.799 may have great ideas being left on the table because 0:05:29.800 --> 0:05:32.440 we're not being as exclusive as we could be, you know, 0:05:32.760 --> 0:05:35.200 that's really it. And then helping them understand, you know, 0:05:35.240 --> 0:05:38.640 we are a business and so and I believe in 0:05:38.680 --> 0:05:42.880 this business that we're in and we need to kill it, right, 0:05:43.560 --> 0:05:46.080 we need to kill it. And so what does that mean. 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:49.600 That means that we have to rise to the occasion 0:05:50.000 --> 0:05:53.400 of hearing things that maybe we haven't heard before, and 0:05:53.440 --> 0:05:57.440 we have to let those voices come through, right. So 0:05:57.480 --> 0:05:59.960 I spent a lot of time with helping leaders under 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:04.640 stand how to connect diversity, equity and inclusion work that 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:09.400 we're doing too great business outcomes. I love that, and 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:13.120 it's so important that you say that, And I hope 0:06:13.200 --> 0:06:17.160 all companies and not even companies, but but those that 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:19.720 work at companies, even if you're not an official at 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:22.600 the company, if you're an employee, that's so important. Diversity, 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:26.920 equity and inclusion isn't charity, right, it's not. It's not 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:31.160 just that, it's not corporate philanthropy. Now, it is essential 0:06:31.200 --> 0:06:33.920 to being a successful business. Yes, if you're not doing it, 0:06:34.640 --> 0:06:37.440 you're not going to be successful as successful as you 0:06:37.480 --> 0:06:40.159 could be, you know. And a lot of times I remember, 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:43.920 you know, when you know hit and I actually came 0:06:43.920 --> 0:06:46.480 into my role soon after that. But I've been working 0:06:46.520 --> 0:06:48.919 on diversity inclusion for years from where I was in 0:06:48.960 --> 0:06:53.200 the business and when when we started, you know, having 0:06:53.200 --> 0:06:56.000 a different kind of conversation, people said, well, what's wrong 0:06:56.080 --> 0:06:59.119 with us, what's wrong with us? What are we doing wrong? 0:06:59.600 --> 0:07:03.600 Well I could entertain that question and and talk about that, 0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:07.640 but it's really about what opportunity are we missing? Yes, 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:10.120 that's really what it's about. And people don't realize it's 0:07:10.120 --> 0:07:14.080 hard to see what's not there, you know. And so 0:07:14.120 --> 0:07:16.520 as we work on diversity equal inclusion, what we're doing 0:07:16.600 --> 0:07:19.120 is we're creating a future that is, you know, more 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:22.120 substantial for the people in the company and for the 0:07:22.160 --> 0:07:25.640 communities outside of the company than it otherwise would have been. Absolutely, 0:07:25.880 --> 0:07:29.520 And and so when we think about what GM is 0:07:29.520 --> 0:07:32.960 trying to do with electric vehicles, Uh, there are many 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:37.280 reasons for consumers to think about electric cars, but one 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:39.600 at the top of the list is the environment. Right. 0:07:39.680 --> 0:07:43.280 The the environment is in dire straits, and it's op 0:07:43.320 --> 0:07:46.640 precious resource and it's limited. But as we think about 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:49.400 black people, right, and I say this as we have 0:07:49.600 --> 0:07:51.760 just had an election that we're we're still you know, 0:07:51.840 --> 0:07:53.960 waiting to to figure out exactly what the meaning of 0:07:54.000 --> 0:07:59.680 it is. But throughout history and unfortunately, uh, throughout the 0:07:59.760 --> 0:08:02.480 last a few years, Uh, it seems like it's been 0:08:02.480 --> 0:08:06.040 more pronounced than ever. But black people are are sort 0:08:06.040 --> 0:08:10.880 of always wondering what is the future home for us? Right? Um? 0:08:11.040 --> 0:08:16.920 And there are a lot of issues voting rights, economic quality, 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:20.840 social justice that are probably at the top of black 0:08:20.880 --> 0:08:23.960 people's minds when they think about, well, the future, what 0:08:24.040 --> 0:08:26.440 we're worried about, what the government should be doing, what 0:08:26.520 --> 0:08:29.160 companies should be focused on. So, can you talk about 0:08:29.200 --> 0:08:31.480 why black people should care about the environment, Why is 0:08:31.520 --> 0:08:34.760 that an important issue for black people to take seriously 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:38.040 and to really think about how they can contribute and 0:08:38.080 --> 0:08:42.240 make positive change. There are a lot of reasons, but 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:44.080 I'll start with one of the things you didn't mention 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:51.000 in your list, which is healthy. Okay, health, our health, 0:08:52.160 --> 0:08:57.160 our longevity, our ability to raise children that are in 0:08:57.200 --> 0:09:00.800 an environment that is more positive of them than the 0:09:00.840 --> 0:09:06.960 ones we were raised in, particularly where we tend to live. Right, 0:09:07.040 --> 0:09:11.880 we know that our communities and other socio economically disadvantaged 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:15.360 communities are the ones that are most disadvantage when it 0:09:15.400 --> 0:09:17.320 comes to the state of climate and the state of 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:20.840 the environment. Like there's there's no way that we can 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:25.680 deny that. And at GM, we're working towards this vision 0:09:25.880 --> 0:09:30.400 of zero crashes, zero missions, and zero congestion, and that 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:35.120 center one zero emissions is one that is tied to 0:09:35.840 --> 0:09:38.960 the health of people. And so when you look at 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:41.760 the Black community, you know we have a long way 0:09:41.760 --> 0:09:45.440 to go. We know that our social determinants are not 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:49.959 leading us towards having healthier lives, and so um when 0:09:49.960 --> 0:09:52.280 you focus on the environment, when you focus on climate, 0:09:52.800 --> 0:09:55.880 it takes one of those social determinants of health and 0:09:55.960 --> 0:10:01.800 it moves us moves it into our favor. Okay, so 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:05.440 it's it's it's really critically important for our community for 0:10:05.440 --> 0:10:10.679 that reason. Um, I could listen anymore, but well, I 0:10:10.720 --> 0:10:12.600 think what you're saying is resume. I mean I heard 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:15.240 people you know, we're going to church. Now you know 0:10:15.679 --> 0:10:18.719 you're you're, you're you're really ministering too. I think what 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:22.360 we need to hear write the environment and thinking about 0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:26.200 electric vehicles in many ways, Yes, it's an economic issue, 0:10:26.240 --> 0:10:28.440 but it's also a health issue. It's about our lives, 0:10:28.840 --> 0:10:32.720 is right. And you know, as we said earlier, as 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:35.600 the world is changing, as the world is shifting, for 0:10:35.679 --> 0:10:40.400 too long, black people, women, other marginalized groups have been afterthoughts, 0:10:40.600 --> 0:10:43.079 and so it's important. And again I applaud GM, and 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:44.719 I applaud you for the work that you do for 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:47.720 making sure that we're in the conversation earlier that that's 0:10:47.760 --> 0:10:50.679 that that is important. And and so GM is clearly 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:53.280 up to the task of doing the work that's necessary 0:10:53.720 --> 0:10:58.520 to produce products and vehicles that are going to move 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:01.319 us to the kind of future that's going to prolong 0:11:02.400 --> 0:11:06.120 the environment, that is going to allow black people to 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:09.800 live healthier lives. Um and and and and just looking 0:11:09.840 --> 0:11:13.679 at some of the numbers, right the Biden administration his 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:17.079 pleasure to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by at least 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:20.640 fifty Now, I don't know if you all like me, 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:23.040 but sometimes you hear and you think, oh, that's a 0:11:23.080 --> 0:11:26.040 long way away, but you're like, oh, it's two. That's 0:11:26.080 --> 0:11:30.400 like next week's tomorrow. Um. And then the goal further 0:11:30.559 --> 0:11:33.520 is to get to net zero emissions, by which you've 0:11:33.520 --> 0:11:36.000 already spoken about how GM is focused on that. So 0:11:36.200 --> 0:11:39.520 GM is clearly up to the task. But you can 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:42.679 make the vehicles, and I think you know your previous 0:11:42.720 --> 0:11:44.720 answer sort of made this case, but would love for 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:48.200 you to to to underscore a bit more. How do 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:52.680 you get people to buy them? Especially when electric vehicles 0:11:52.720 --> 0:11:55.040 are on average more expensive. So if we've got black 0:11:55.080 --> 0:11:59.760 people in particular, who are already economically disadvantaged, we've got 0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:02.520 a recession either in it or it's on the horizon. 0:12:02.960 --> 0:12:04.679 How do you get people to say, Okay, I get 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:06.800 what you're saying about health outcomes, Like get what you're 0:12:06.800 --> 0:12:09.200 saying about the environment, but I can't afford it. How 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:10.679 do how do we think about that? And how is 0:12:10.760 --> 0:12:13.400 GM thinking about that? Yeah? Absolutely, and there's a lot 0:12:13.400 --> 0:12:14.839 of things. It's like, even if I can afford it, 0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:16.880 why should I spend my money on that? Yes, if 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:18.800 we're keeping it real, you know, there are a lot 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:22.199 of things we can choose to spend our money on. UM. 0:12:22.280 --> 0:12:26.640 So it's it's it's a pretty complex puzzle. UM. But 0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:28.839 when you think about our community, one of the things 0:12:28.880 --> 0:12:32.640 that we're absolutely focused on for all communities that once 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:36.199 again positively impacts the black community is creating products that 0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:39.400 are available at all different price points. Okay, so we've 0:12:39.440 --> 0:12:44.640 had some electric vehicles out UM for years. Most you know, 0:12:44.679 --> 0:12:46.600 most recently might think about the Chevy Bolt and things 0:12:46.679 --> 0:12:48.720 like that, and they're smaller vehicles and you look at 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:51.120 that size versus that price, and you say, no, I'm 0:12:51.160 --> 0:12:53.840 not really interested in that, right, I'm just you know, 0:12:53.960 --> 0:12:57.720 keeping it real, we have to increase those product offerings, 0:12:58.160 --> 0:13:02.000 and so we're doing that. So we started on a 0:13:02.160 --> 0:13:04.400 on a more expensive front because we had to allow 0:13:04.440 --> 0:13:08.079 the technology to improve. And this is afrotech. We understand 0:13:08.160 --> 0:13:10.920 that over time, as you develop and innovate on technology, 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:13.760 the cost of that technology comes down, and so that's 0:13:13.760 --> 0:13:15.800 what we've been doing. So we started with you know, 0:13:15.840 --> 0:13:19.120 some more expensive vehicle sets. But we just announced, um, 0:13:19.160 --> 0:13:20.520 a couple of months ago, that we're gonna have a 0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:23.439 Chevy Blazer coming out. It's gonna be at a price 0:13:23.520 --> 0:13:26.319 point electric Blazer, because the Blaze is already out there. 0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:30.480 They're fantastic. Um, but that's gonna be a thirty I'm sorry, 0:13:30.559 --> 0:13:32.080 Chevy equal not as many to be a thirty thou 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:35.000 dollar price point, right, Chevy Blazer is gonna be slightly 0:13:35.000 --> 0:13:38.760 more around. But now you have a vehicle that's gonna 0:13:38.800 --> 0:13:42.000 be sized for a family, that's that's gonna allow you 0:13:42.040 --> 0:13:43.840 to get around, that's going to be at a price 0:13:43.920 --> 0:13:47.480 point that's that's very reasonable. And so that's one thing 0:13:47.520 --> 0:13:49.320 we do. But then there are other things we have 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:51.760 to consider. You know, you have the vehicle, how are 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:56.599 you going to charge it? And for our community, um, 0:13:56.679 --> 0:13:59.760 you know who often lives in urban centers, right, not 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:03.400 often in suburbs. You've got things to think about, Right, Okay, 0:14:03.400 --> 0:14:05.360 we've got how many people in this apartment building and 0:14:05.360 --> 0:14:08.760 how many charging stations? You know, this is this is 0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:12.200 a big deal and um, and so we're we're innovating 0:14:12.200 --> 0:14:13.680 in that area in a lot of different ways, and 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:17.800 we're partnering with with several different organizations, both for profit 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:23.000 and nonprofit, and particularly nonprofits that are focused on the 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:29.160 Black community and for other underrepresented communities. We actually created UM. 0:14:29.200 --> 0:14:32.760 We actually have UM an Equitable Climate Action Framework that 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:35.440 we put together that's underpinned by a fifty million dollar 0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:40.360 UM fifty million dollar fund, Equitable Climate Fund, where we're 0:14:40.400 --> 0:14:44.800 partnering with UM organizations in the Black community that can 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:48.960 help us think through how do you do this? Well? Right, 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:52.280 you know, we understand, we know a lot like technically, 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:54.160 like you said, we're up to the task to getting 0:14:54.160 --> 0:14:56.720 these vehicles out. We're up to the task to creating 0:14:56.800 --> 0:14:59.560 charging infrastructure that makes sense with different levels of charging 0:14:59.600 --> 0:15:03.080 and all of that. But the real question is what 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:05.680 do people really need that are in the city that 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:08.640 want to own an electric vehicle? And how do we 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:11.520 deliver it in a way that they'll understand what we're 0:15:11.520 --> 0:15:13.400 doing and why we're doing it and it's gonna work 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:16.960 for them. And we can't get all those answers by ourselves. 0:15:17.000 --> 0:15:19.720 That's that is a gym. That is that is truly 0:15:19.760 --> 0:15:22.600 a gym that you just drop, yeah, please please please 0:15:22.600 --> 0:15:26.360 please flap for that, because what you're talking about is 0:15:26.400 --> 0:15:30.520 the total experience of ownership. That's exactly right, right, And 0:15:30.920 --> 0:15:33.080 you know, if companies just look at it as well, 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:36.360 let's make them affordable. Well you're you know, the m 0:15:36.440 --> 0:15:38.760 s r P. The price point can be affordable, but 0:15:38.960 --> 0:15:41.200 if people can't live with it, if they can't charge it, 0:15:41.280 --> 0:15:44.320 they can't sustain the ownership of the vehicle. And that 0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:46.440 only comes when you've got diverse voices in the room. 0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:48.640 And that when we've got to tell us at the 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:51.360 table to sort of think about that and make sure 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:54.800 that all the leadership is aligned to building that stuff 0:15:54.800 --> 0:15:58.040 into the product experience up front. Yeah. Absolutely, And you know, 0:15:58.240 --> 0:15:59.760 part of what we have to do with that, and 0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:02.160 part some of the partnerships were forming, is we have 0:16:02.240 --> 0:16:07.240 to educate our community to really understand what's going on 0:16:07.600 --> 0:16:09.720 around them, right, because there's only so much you can 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:13.160 get off of Twitter and different you know platforms, you 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:16.400 only get so much um But to truly understand what's 0:16:16.440 --> 0:16:18.120 going on and what are the things we need to 0:16:18.160 --> 0:16:20.280 think about so we know what to raise our voice 0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:24.400 in is really important. So educating the black community is 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:27.800 critically important. And the other thing that we're committed to 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:31.160 is getting more people educated in the environment and climate 0:16:31.600 --> 0:16:35.800 in you know, this future of electric vehicles, so that 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:39.760 they can be participating in policy tables right in in 0:16:39.880 --> 0:16:44.280 local government forums and things like that with the knowledge 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:48.080 and the expertise, so that that diverse voice at the 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:50.640 table is actually affecting change. It's going to be to 0:16:50.720 --> 0:16:54.520 benefit of diverse communities and particularly the black community. You know, 0:16:54.560 --> 0:16:58.120 I was pretty shocked. I um. I had started working 0:16:58.120 --> 0:17:01.160 in sustainability space several years go before I moved into 0:17:01.160 --> 0:17:04.679 my current role, and you know, like spent you know, 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:08.240 several years at GM as as an engineer. Very few women, 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:10.640 so I moved into sustainability or there are a lot 0:17:10.680 --> 0:17:14.920 more women, but there were no black people. I'm surprised, 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:18.280 right right. And so you think about that, and you 0:17:18.320 --> 0:17:20.439 think about the change that's going on in the world 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:23.480 and how the world is more focused on sustainability. Think 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:28.720 about Paris Accord two one percent now, and we need 0:17:28.720 --> 0:17:30.960 to have enough people in the room that are looking 0:17:31.000 --> 0:17:35.080 at environmental justice and how do we create equitable futures 0:17:35.119 --> 0:17:37.520 for the community. And so we're also committed to that. 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:40.600 So by show of hands, how many people in the 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:44.320 audience use an electric vehicle? Raise your hand. I'm just curious, 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:47.159 So we got a few hands up. But as you 0:17:47.200 --> 0:17:50.679 can see, there's a huge opportunity to get more people 0:17:51.760 --> 0:17:53.879 to to get to get on the bandwagon, so to 0:17:53.880 --> 0:17:57.320 speak about where the future is headed. I want you 0:17:57.400 --> 0:18:00.520 to to put on your marketing sales had real quick right, 0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:03.080 So we talked about how the environment is important and 0:18:03.119 --> 0:18:08.280 how electric vehicles contribute too, you know, reducing the effects 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:10.560 of climate change. But what are some other reasons that 0:18:10.600 --> 0:18:12.640 you would tell people to think about as they are 0:18:12.720 --> 0:18:15.600 considering purchasing an electric vehic? What are some of your 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:19.040 favorite features an electric Because I love my I I switched 0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:21.600 over and you know, I'm a I'm a convert and 0:18:21.640 --> 0:18:24.239 I would evangelize it, but I am curious. What are 0:18:24.240 --> 0:18:26.080 your thoughts like, what are some of your favorite features 0:18:26.359 --> 0:18:29.960 and your experience with evs. Yeah, they are fantastic. So 0:18:30.240 --> 0:18:32.600 if you first just think about you know, I don't 0:18:32.600 --> 0:18:34.480 know how many of you have have have bought a 0:18:34.520 --> 0:18:37.000 car recently or have family members by a car recently. 0:18:37.640 --> 0:18:42.160 But the technology inside the vehicle from a software perspective, 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:45.919 from an integration perspective, as is grown by leaps and 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:48.679 bound off time, and that is on steroids and electric 0:18:48.760 --> 0:18:53.760 vehicle it's it's just fantastic. You know, you know what 0:18:53.800 --> 0:18:56.320 you want is at your fingertips. It's much more user friendly, 0:18:56.600 --> 0:19:01.080 user intuitive. It needs to be, but it makes the 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:05.639 experience really special. So you get in your car and 0:19:05.760 --> 0:19:09.840 it and it feels different. But my absolutely favorite part, 0:19:10.080 --> 0:19:13.960 and this says a lot about me, is when you're 0:19:14.040 --> 0:19:17.560 sitting at that light and you push that pedals, great, 0:19:19.040 --> 0:19:25.920 it is gone, like it is absolutely fantastic, and and 0:19:25.960 --> 0:19:29.520 it's like that feeling is great. And then and then 0:19:29.560 --> 0:19:32.000 you get that like, not only the vehicle's just gone, 0:19:32.000 --> 0:19:34.200 you're not waiting to accelerate, you don't have to worry 0:19:34.240 --> 0:19:40.159 about it, but it's silent. It's quiet. Now why do 0:19:40.200 --> 0:19:44.879 I love that? Because I love music? Right, Like, I 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:46.520 don't want to have to turn up my music just 0:19:46.560 --> 0:19:49.520 because I'm on the highway, you know, I don't, I don't. 0:19:49.640 --> 0:19:54.800 I And so like that experience, the sound system experience, um, 0:19:54.840 --> 0:20:00.359 along with just the pure dependability of that of that drive, 0:20:00.560 --> 0:20:05.000 that of that electric vehicle. It's just it's fun. I agree. 0:20:05.040 --> 0:20:08.159 I'm someone that typically doesn't like driving, but in an 0:20:08.359 --> 0:20:11.160 in an electric vehicle, I'm like, let me just take 0:20:11.200 --> 0:20:13.800 a random road just for the experience. I get what 0:20:13.840 --> 0:20:17.359 you're saying. That's that's real. That's real. So if you 0:20:17.400 --> 0:20:20.280 all aren't convinced by by what it does for the environment, 0:20:20.560 --> 0:20:23.400 if you like cars, if you like driving, I guarantee 0:20:23.400 --> 0:20:26.160 you an electric vehicle will be a much better experience 0:20:26.160 --> 0:20:28.680 and you get to enjoy that drive more. You know 0:20:28.760 --> 0:20:34.320 how you lean back and fronton Ohio. So okay, you've real, 0:20:34.440 --> 0:20:38.280 keep it real, and and but you can just enjoy 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:42.960 it more. That's fantastic. So I want to go back 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:44.879 to what you were talking about earlier, which is, you know, 0:20:44.920 --> 0:20:47.800 what we talked about, the total experience of ownership and 0:20:47.840 --> 0:20:52.119 how you know, GM is working with public and private 0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:55.520 entities to think about how we can do you know, 0:20:55.560 --> 0:20:57.720 do more to build it more charging stations and urban 0:20:57.720 --> 0:21:00.520 epicenters and among other things. I want talk about the 0:21:00.640 --> 0:21:03.199 role of the government, right the the federal government in 0:21:03.200 --> 0:21:06.680 additions to state and local government. So um, in this 0:21:06.880 --> 0:21:10.760 past Congress or this current Congress, the Infrastructure Investment in 0:21:10.840 --> 0:21:15.720 Jobs Acts, the Jobs Act was passed, which allocates a 0:21:15.880 --> 0:21:19.160 lot of federal dollars to do a lot of needed 0:21:19.200 --> 0:21:23.920 infrastructure improvements, and some of those are specifically allocated for 0:21:24.119 --> 0:21:28.320 the environment. From your perspective, in the perspective of GM, 0:21:28.480 --> 0:21:31.119 is that enough or does more need to be done 0:21:31.600 --> 0:21:33.440 at the level of the federal government but also state 0:21:33.520 --> 0:21:36.040 local governments. Yeah, yeah, I'm glad you. I'm really glad 0:21:36.040 --> 0:21:39.280 you asked that question, particularly about the state and local governments. UM. 0:21:39.400 --> 0:21:42.560 In order for this to work well, right, and I'm 0:21:42.560 --> 0:21:44.399 not going to pretend GM is the only company on 0:21:44.440 --> 0:21:48.280 this journey, right. The whole industry is on this journey, UM, 0:21:48.320 --> 0:21:52.520 and therefore communities are on this journey. UM. In order 0:21:52.560 --> 0:21:56.280 for this to work well, we need really strong intent 0:21:56.760 --> 0:21:59.240 from a local level, from a state level, and from 0:21:59.240 --> 0:22:05.320 the federal level. So current administration, current Congress has given 0:22:05.359 --> 0:22:08.280 a great kick start to the work that needs to 0:22:08.280 --> 0:22:11.080 be done. Seven and a half billion dollars on charging infrastructure. 0:22:11.119 --> 0:22:14.040 That is more than a little bit, okay, but it's 0:22:14.040 --> 0:22:18.479 going to take more than that, and so we need 0:22:18.600 --> 0:22:22.640 Congress UM to continue to look at how are we 0:22:22.680 --> 0:22:25.920 growing in this transition to electric vehicles and what more 0:22:25.960 --> 0:22:28.320 can they do? And not only that, you know, and 0:22:28.680 --> 0:22:32.040 we we work very well UM at the federal level 0:22:32.080 --> 0:22:35.320 with many different agencies, with with the UM, with the 0:22:35.320 --> 0:22:38.560 e p A, with the d OE, etcetera, etcetera. UM, 0:22:38.640 --> 0:22:41.879 who are who are supporting who can give more support 0:22:41.920 --> 0:22:45.800