About the Lecture
In 2021 an estimated 79.1 million motor vehicles were produced worldwide, with an estimated average lifespan of 12 years – indicating there are approximately 900 million motor vehicles on the road today.  The vast majority of these vehicles are traditional ICE vehicles, emitting an average of 4.6 metric tons of CO2 per year per vehicle.  All in passenger vehicles emit over 3.2 billion metric tons of CO2.  The transportation sector worldwide accounts for 29% of carbon dioxide emissions.  Road vehicles (cars, trucks, motorcycles, buses, trucks) account for three quarters of this amount, thus automotive applications account for roughly 22% of world CO2 emissions.

The leading car manufacturing firms have essentially all pledged to transition from traditional CO2 emitting ICE vehicles to battery powered Electric Vehicles (EV).  Tesla has led the way to date, recently producing its three millionth car since its first sale in 2009.  General Motors has committed to carbon neutrality in its global products and operations by 2040 and the elimination of tailpipe emissions in new light duty vehicles by 2035.  Ford announced in February 2021 that it would invest $22 billion in electric vehicles through 2025.  Stellantis (parent company to Chrysler, Fiat, Dodge, Peugot and Citroen and several others) has committed to Net Zero emissions by 2038.  Toyota’s commitment is to Carbon Neutrality worldwide by 2050 and in North America by 2035.  Lastly, Honda has committed to Carbon Neutrality as well as Zero traffic collision fatalities by 2050.  These are ambitious and noble goals, yet they will take a supreme transformation to achieve. Without a supreme transformation, these are empty promises or what is commonly labeled Greenwashing.

This talk will examine the efforts of the industry to become more sustainable, largely through transition to Battery Electric Vehicles.  Leading companies including General Motors, Honda, Tesla and Vinfast will be discussed.

About the Lecturer

Dr. Ken Boyer is a professor of operations management. He came to Fisher in 2008 from Michigan State University, where he was a professor in the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management. From 2006-11, he was the co-editor in chief of the Journal of Operations Management, one of the five highest-ranking management journals in the field and the premiere scholarly journal for operations and supply chain management. He has memberships in the Academy of Management, Production and Operations Management Society and the Decision Sciences Institute.

Dr. Boyer’s professional activities include serving in several leadership positions within DSI and the Academy of Management. He has published more than 50 journal articles on health-care operations, e-commerce, and technology management. Dr. Boyer has given invited presentations in nine different countries and been quoted in several prominent periodicals, including the New York Times, Business 2.0, the Chicago Tribune and USA Today.