
Are Workplace Policies Ready to Issue Electric Vehicles and Chargers to Employees?

The Essential Economy is made up of 95 million workers across 3 million businesses in construction, manufacturing, service, energy, and logistics, and it is crucial for building, moving and maintaining our country. However, this sector faces a critical challenge: significant labor shortages and declining productivity. This threatens our economic resilience and growth.
Building on the conversation he started with Walter Isaacson at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Ford President and CEO Jim Farley is convening a group of leaders to discuss productivity solutions at Ford Pro Accelerate in Detroit on September 30 at the newly restored Michigan Central Station.
"We will need to summon all the best ideas and to convene the disrupters and innovators – and set them to work on solving problems too often overlooked but that persist right under our noses,” said Jim Farley. “Doing so isn’t just a smart investment for America’s future, it’s absolutely essential."
Aspen Economic Strategy Group research underscores the urgency:
“The Aspen Institute is proud to partner with Ford on Accelerate. This important series of conversations on the Essential Economy will convene leaders from business, government, and civil society, responding to the call to action issued by Jim Farley at the Aspen Ideas Festival this summer,” said Dan Porterfield, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute. “Through our programming, we share Ford’s commitment to bringing people together across generations, geographies, and viewpoints to explore what it takes to build an economy that embraces innovation and where essential industries can thrive.”
A common thread among many of these industries is their dependence on vehicles to do the critical jobs we all rely on. With over 40% share across all fleet – size segments in the U.S., Ford owns work – and Ford Pro customers are the beating heart of the Essential Economy. Ford Pro’s mission is to accelerate their productivity with an integrated platform of vehicles, software, and services, helping them navigate the diverse and demanding challenges they face today.
The working session will bring a powerful coalition of leaders from the heart of these essential industries to identify solutions to shared productivity barriers.
Click here for the full list of Ford Pro Accelerate speakers.