Innovation

The innovation this company is implementing into their business would be electric limousines. The owner of the company is aiming to transition their combustion engine fleet of limousines to entirely electric models by no later than 2030. The owner of the company is looking at models of vehicles such as Teslas and other electric vehicle makers to slowly transition their fleet. Periodically they are discarding high mileage, older, combustion engine vehicles and replacing them with new electric vehicles. Rather than discarding the entire fleet, they have chosen to periodically purchase new electric vehicles, as replacing the entire fleet at once would be too costly.

The innovation this business is trying to implement into their company would be the use of electric vehicles. The concept of the electric car has been around for nearly 100 years but it wasn’t practical until recently. Highly sophisticated battery technology and significant improvements to battery technology have made electric vehicles just as dependable and practical as their petrol-guzzling counterparts. By implementing these electric vehicles into their business, this company is doing something truly revolutionary, as electric vehicles have rarely been implemented commercially. As this company transitions their fleet to electric vehicles, they are meeting the UN’s goal of having businesses reduce their carbon footprint and overall impact on the atmosphere. Going forward, hopefully other businesses will implement this technology into their company and meet the UN’s goal of reducing carbon emission as well.

CEO, Andrew Falastin

Inspiration

Andrew was initially inspired to go through this innovation because he began to realize the amount of harm he and his company were doing to the environment. During our interview he stated, “I saw that I was harming the world around me, and I was destroying the home for my future children, so I knew that I had to do something.” The innovation emerged for this organization when Andrew was reading an article about what the carbon dioxide emissions were doing to the environment and the ozone layer. He realized that since he had the ability to change what he was doing to the environment, he has the responsibility to do so. Andrew was motivated to convert his limousine company to a greener company because he began to realize that his company was harming and destroying the environment. The innovation directly relates to the company’s mission. Ever since the company started this innovation, their mission has been to provide the clients with a safe and comfortable ride. This innovation is related to the mission since it falls under the word safe within the mission statement for the company. They have kept in mind that safety does not only apply to the customers directly, but to the harm they are doing to the environment. We spoke to one of the company’s drivers and he said that he feels good that he is starting to drive electric and hybrid vehicles. The driver stated, “I feel like I’m starting to make a difference in the world that I am living in. I am taking care of the environment that I am living in, not only for me, but for the future generations of the world."

Overall impact

The overall impact of the innovation is by protecting the climate by decreasing the amount of carbon emission into our planet's atmosphere. Many forms of transportation contribute to the harmful gases released, which causes our planet to become warmer. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, transportation takes up 29% of all greenhouse gas emissions and generates the most significant share out of all other emissions. These gases are produced from the burning of fossil fuels from vehicles. The agency states, "Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation primarily come from burning fossil fuel for our cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes. Over 90 percent of the fuel used for transportation is petroleum-based, which includes primarily gasoline and diesel." (epa.gov) Without the necessary innovation, the environment of our planet is at risk.

With Jersey Limousine converting their gasoline-operated vehicles to electric and hybrid, they can lower their carbon emission. The owner and CEO of the company, Andrew Falastin, confidently stated during the team's meeting with him, "Making the change to electric and hybrid vehicles reflects that Jersey Limousine cares for the environment and for the future generations to come. A small change like that is a huge step for the years to come, and hopefully, we influence other companies to make the change." Falastin acknowledged that by making the switch to emission-friendly vehicles, they would lower their carbon emissions and potentially motivate other companies. Short-term effects for the innovation include the costs of gasoline the company saves with hybrid and electric vehicles. During the team meeting with the owner, Falstin mentioned his gasoline-operated vehicles filled up for roughly $80 and he spent thousands yearly just on gasoline. With this innovation, Jersey Limousine can save a considerable portion of its profits annually. The long-term effect for the innovation is the amount of carbon emission the company procures and lowers their carbon footprint for the environment which is Jersey Limousine’s main goal with this innovation.

Business benefit

Innovation is the process of making more effective products as well as ideas. First, it helps the business solve problems more easily. Innovation makes it easier for the company to make their product, store their inventories and look for creative solutions to make their business better. Secondly, the invention has led to increased revenue. For the past years, the company's revenue has increased. Research shows that the company's revenues have increased to about 3 million American dollars from 2012 to date. Therefore, the companies have benefited much from the innovation.

Innovation has also led to increased productivity. Innovation leads to the development of new products as well as a broad range of products. For instance, according to an interview done by Limo CEO, innovation has contributed to renting limos, especially for all kinds of events. Innovation has also contributed to new transportation networks in Limo Company hence resulting in increased productivity. Through innovation, customers can book vehicles through online portals hence resulting in increased productivity.

In addition, the invention led to more worker retention. Innovation has contributed to worker retention at Limo Company. Through innovation, many people have been employed and feel free to work in a conducive environment. Limo retention score is "A" by 1000 workers. This category assists in understanding that Limo is more committed to worker retention. Over the past four months, Limo's retention score has been 780/100. It retains workers by building trusting relationships with workers, paying workers on time, and increasing their salaries. As a result, workers' retention has increased.

Social and environmental benefit

This innovation has a huge benefit for society and the environment. CEO Andrew Falastin, stated that the purpose of this innovation was to protect the climate and the business by lowering some of their expenses. Falastin stated that they used to spend thousands of dollars on gas every year for their vehicles. However, having electric and hybrid vehicles they now are allowed to not only save money but also protect the climate by lowering carbon emissions. Falastin stated that when doing his research he was very surprised to hear the large amounts of carbon dioxide in the air we, and many other living organisms breathe in. “It was very heartbreaking to hear that the gas cars burn can negatively impact our environments and cause lots of long term damage. I wanted to create something that can help lower the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere” stated Falastin (Falastin). Falastin also hoped that this innovation can also motivate other companies to do the same.

He got rid of the gas vehicles by trading them in and getting hybrid and electric vehicles. By trading in the old vehicles he was able to lower his expense on the new vehicles. Falastin had the bright idea of this innovation two years ago, “I was sitting in my office on a monday morning reading articles on climate change and how it was terribly impacting our environment” he stated (Falastin). As a CEO, he's always looking for ways to improve his business and that's when he was inspired to change his vehicles for the well being of our environment.

Interview

Andrew Falastin, CEO