Carbon Blog

Opportunity in Chaos

Posted on Jul 15, 2008 by Wm S Li Chairman and CEO

Prices for raw materials have skyrocketed. Plastics, steel, aluminum, rubber – almost every possible ingredient in vehicles today has gone up by amounts never anticipated by even the brightest of analysts. The headlines capture and forecast existing economic challenges and strike fear with predictions of more disasters to come in financials, industrials, real estate, etc. We have no energy policy, no industrial policy, no leadership, terrorists at the door and our systems are faltering. We should all just crawl in a hole and wait out the storms that seem never to end. Pure and absolute nonsense!

These are the times when capitalism, coupled with American inventiveness, entrepreneurship, and optimism, will fix the problem. These are the times when cowboys and mavericks relish in the chaos and operate effectively to find solutions that are less than obvious or “oh, so difficult!” The key lies in finding that intersection between customers, technology, and financial markets that will deliver on the promise of a better day.

Now, keep in mind the world you see today may not be the same world you will have tomorrow. But if we collectively do the job right, it will be a brighter day. The crystal ball may seem a bit hazy, but perhaps a few insightful questions will help clear the fog to a changed future:

1. Imperfect Choices Today, No Choices Tomorrow – is there a risk that the legacy automakers that provide a portion of today’s solution for the law enforcement vehicle will not be in the marketplace? Or for that matter, not be in business in the years to come? What happens to law enforcement vehicles if one, two, or all three Detroit three automakers falter?
2. Prices – are the local, state and federal law enforcement authorities financially planning for the same prices and same technology to be used in the future – even though every single input to the equation has increased? Will the initial ‘sticker price’ of the vehicle continue to dominate the dialogue at budget meetings or will there be a paradigm shift towards an examination of the overall total cost of ownership (acquisition, vehicle, fuel, parts, maintenance, decommissioning, technology, hidden costs)?
3. Buy or Lease – although today’s law enforcement industry overwhelmingly purchases vehicles and equipment outright, will upcoming changes in costs and technology open the conversation up for more manageable lease options and service contracts?
4. Operating Patterns – will the marketplace continue to be dominated by rather large vehicles? Will there be an increase in 2-wheelers? Or perhaps smaller vehicles combined with more ‘paddywagons’? Would there be a market in the USA for a much smaller version of the Carbon E7 that may be contemplated in the future for export markets?
5. Residual Values – what happens to the residual value of all the existing gas-guzzling law enforcement vehicles when they are decommissioned and the used market for them has collapsed?

Although it seems that the public is, at times, surprised by the rate of change recently, we have had more than our fair share of warning shots. We cannot continue to do the same old thing expecting a different result, especially when those same old business models, technologies, and thought patterns are not delivering today – and are likely to deliver much less in the future.

With a fresh, new, environmentally responsible approach that creates thousands of new jobs, some systems thinking, a bit of relentless passion for doing good by our law enforcement First Responders – plus your support – we will all have a brighter day!

Tagged: carbon motors, american automaker, e7, bill li, william santana li, oportunity in chaos, economy, officer safety, purpose built law enforcement patrol vehicle, police car, police cars, police, cop, cops, cop car, cop cars

Take Action

Get involved on a local level and help us spread the word.

Sign Up For Updates

Forward to a Friend

Pre-Orders