Altruistic or Just Business? | Green Energy News

November 16, 2003 – Vol.8 No.34

ALTRUISTIC OR JUST BUSINESS?

DaimlerChrysler has announced that it has donated 352 GEM neighborhood electric vehicles to New York City to be used by the Parks and Recreation Department. It is anticipated by DaimlerChrysler and the City that the zero-emission, low-speed vehicles will replace polluting combustion-engined vehicles - least on a per trip basis - in many tasks and projects already underway within city parks and other facilities.

The City has not said whether it will retire 352 conventional vehicles that the GEM’s could displace.

Even if the conventional vehicle isn’t retired, substituting a zero-emission vehicle for a polluting vehicle for a particular task does help clean the air and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

But is DaimlerChrysler being entirely altruistic in this green giving?

There’s no doubt that putting zero-emission vehicles in service anywhere is a good thing. But a donation of this magnitude is also good public relations (another form of advertising and marketing) in a time when the company is facing stiff competition from Toyota and Honda. Both of those companies are becoming known for their positive green vehicle attitude.

With this donation DaimlerChrysler may be seeking a greener image, and will attempt to attract new customers as a result. (The company has also put out a number of press releases lately regarding the volume of alternative fuel vehicles it has developed and sold in the last few years.)

And while the following notion can’t possibly be confirmed, DaimlerChrysler may also be using the GEM donation to help reduce its CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) numbers. Auto manufacturers often use the greater credit earned for alternative fuel vehicles in CAFE calculations as a way to reduce CAFE numbers and avoid stiff penalties with the U.S. government.

Visit DaimlerChrysler at http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com/