NASCAR And Sprint Participate In Department Of Energy's Workplace Charging Challenge

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NASCAR And Sprint Participate In Department Of Energy’s Workplace Charging Challenge

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
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Initiative aims to increase popularity of workplace charging; supports efforts to make plug-in electric vehicles more affordable and convenient.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – At the NASCAR Plaza in Charlotte, N.C., officials from the U.S. Department of Energy, NASCAR and Sprint Corp. announced the companies’ participation in the Department’s Workplace Charging Challenge – a collaborative effort to increase the number of U.S. employers offering workplace charging. The initiative also supports the broader efforts of the Department’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge to make plug-in electric vehicles more affordable and convenient.

“As the market for electric vehicles continues to grow, partners in the Workplace Charging Challenge are giving drivers more transportation options that save money and benefit the environment,” said Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Danielson.

As part of this announcement, NASCAR unveiled five Eaton Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at its Charlotte location, bringing the total number of EV charging stations to 20 across NASCAR facilities located in Daytona Beach, Concord, Charlotte and at Michigan International Speedway. The charging stations power electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles of NASCAR employees and guests.

Last year, NASCAR entered a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Energy to jointly promote clean, efficient energy technologies that strengthen U.S. competitiveness. NASCAR says its participation in the Workplace Charging Challenge is the latest example of these ongoing collaborative efforts to build a cleaner, more sustainable energy economy.

“Working with the Department of Energy to help build out an EV charging infrastructure was critical given its benefits which include lowering greenhouse gas emissions, improving public health, increasing energy security and lowering operating cost per mile,” said Dr. Mike Lynch, NASCAR vice president of green innovation. “Our commitment to better the environment has positioned NASCAR as the leader in sports sustainability, and we hope to influence other partners to follow our lead by joining the challenge.”

Through the Workplace Charging Challenge, Sprint is installing an EV charging station in each of the 14 parking garages on its headquarters campus in Overland Park, Kan. Each station will be able to charge two cars at once and will be available to Sprint employees, contractors, campus tenants and visitors. Additionally, four of the stations, funded by Kansas City Power & Light, will be available for public use. Installation has already begun and all of the stations should be ready to use by the end of March.

“Sprint is proud to support the U.S. Department of Energy’s EV Everywhere vision by joining The Workplace Charging Challenge. It is also a pleasure to make this announcement today with fellow challenge member and long-term partner NASCAR,” said Gene Agee, Sprint vice president of procurement and real estate. “This year, more than a dozen electric vehicle charging stations will be installed at Sprint’s headquarters campus, benefitting employees, contractors, campus tenants and visitors. The stations are enabled by Sprint’s mobile broadband technology to monitor and control use.”

More than 55 employers have already committed to the Workplace Charging Challenge, including a number of NASCAR Official Partners such as 3M, Coca-Cola Co., Ford Motor Co. and General Motors. Find additional information on the Workplace Charging Challenge at www.electricvehicles.energy.gov.

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Auto Industry

Customer Service: How It’s Done

Customer service should be your number one priority, and it all starts with the greeting.

Eric Garbe
By Eric Garbe
Eric Garbe is a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology. He has extensive independent and dealership field experience as a technician and shop owner and is an ASE Certified Master Technician and former Adjunct Automotive Professor. He has been professionally writing automotive technical articles and documents for many years and in his free time enjoys restoring old cars and creating custom interiors and upholstery.
Published:

This is always an important topic to discuss, because I consider excellent customer service one of the most important tools you can have to earn trust, respect and repeat business from the customers that come through your door. Whether that customer is do-it-yourselfer from across town or the professional repair shop across the street, your business depends on a solid relationship.It’s a subject that I am passionate about, and it’s one that many people are losing touch with. Whether you are communicating to someone in person, on the phone or using some type of social media, good customer service and bad can both exist. You can’t afford the latter, so this is the first in a series of topics which can and should be shared from the front of the shop to the back. No matter which role you hold, you represent the shop and yourself. Customer service should be your number one priority.First on the list is the greeting. From the second a customer walks in the door, they need to know you appreciate them coming in and how important they are to your business. First impressions are everything and here’s the correct way to do it each and every time: look them directly in the eye, smile and say hello!Of course, you can say “Good morning” or “Welcome to Joe’s Autocare,” but it should be a formal greeting and the most important thing is that you have smiled, looked them in the eye and recognized that they have walked through the door.You should always retain a formal greeting until you are on a first-name basis with a customer. Only once you have established that level of relationship is it OK to use the less formal greeting of “Hi,” followed by the person’s name.This greeting does more than just indicate respect and appreciation for someone walking through the door. Most likely there are customers both new and old who are in earshot of your conversation. For newer customers, this continues to build rapport and reinforce their positive view of your shop; they see that you demonstrate respect and treat everyone in the same manner. For repeat customers, even ones that have been coming for years, the greeting is important because the way you treat them is the reason they continue to come.And when a long-time customer comes in and you greet them with “Hi [First Name],” this indicates your appreciation for them and that you’re glad to see them as a person, more than just a customer. New customers that witness this will see that your repeat customers are comfortable enough to be on a first-name basis, another indication of the trust they have in you.

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