Q&A with Justin Palmer

Advisory Board Member, Sales and Customer Experience

We are excited to introduce Justin Palmer, the newest member of Evolectric’s Advisory Board for Sales and Customer Experience. With a rich background in the electric vehicle industry, having held leadership roles at SEA Electric and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Justin brings invaluable expertise in driving zero-emission vehicle adoption. His deep understanding of fleet electrification and customer success will help guide Evolectric as we scale our CircularEV solutions, transforming the way fleets transition to sustainable, electric mobility.

Tell us about your journey in the automotive industry, particularly your experience in leading companies like SEA Electric and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America. How has this shaped your
perspective on the future of Zero-emission vehicles?

I started my journey in the Automotive/Trucking industry, at Mitsubishi Fuso trucks of America, where I had the opportunity to closely learn the “old school” Medium Duty Truck market, which was mostly Diesel based. This included getting to know the different players in the market, their motivation and expectations as well as the traditional ways business was and, in most cases, is still conducted. Then, back in the beginning of 2016, I was lucky to be exposed to Daimler’s first test electric truck, called the e-Cell.

I immediately understood that the electric truck is the future as it allowed OEMs to avoid the continuous struggle to improve emissions on an annual basis, and directly skip to the end of the process. I also understood that this is not just a change of a powertrain. It’s a true ecosystem game changer that will force everyone to move away from their comfort zones. It was clear to me many traditional stakeholders within the industry will push back and explain why electrification won’t work… But at the same time, I believed no one really wants to continue polluting our air the way our industry is doing! I got hooked. So, I started working hard in promoting the electric truck at Daimler. Later, at SEA Electric I had the opportunity to learn and experience the same task, but from within a startup environment: The mission was similar but with all the added challenges that are tied to a new technology company: new technology, new product, new brand, no legacy and limited resources.  

What drew you to Evolectric, and what do you see as the most exciting aspect of their CircularEV solutions?

First of all, I liked the people. From the first moment I met Jakson, Bill and their team it was clear to me they are on a mission to create quick pragmatic solutions. Not sophisticated technology that nobody needs. Not copy-paste electric vehicles like we see all around, but pragmatic solution.

Second point I find exciting about EVO is its unique business model: I know that converting an older and heavily-polluting truck into a clean electric vehicle may not appear to be the sexiest task, but I find it the most pragmatic and quickest way to lower the industry’s carbon footprint as it doesn’t only increase the number of clean units, entering the market, but it also ensures the quick reduction of the most polluting vehicles that are in service. It also makes it affordable, for many fleet operators, whose business model is not based on operating new vehicles. And last but not least, Evo’s solution may be adopted quickly, because unlike the classic OEMs’ new and expensive products, Evo’s has the true potential to add value and new revenue streams for many other stakeholders within the industry: Dealers, Garages and Service Centers – all industry stakeholders that currently are afraid that the electrification trend will cut the branch they are sitting on.

With your background in the OEM space, what do you believe are the key challenges and opportunities for fleet operators transitioning to electric vehicles?

Let’s face it. Most fleets don’t want to change anything. They are comfortable doing the same thing they have done for the last 100+ years. In most cases they are good at what they are doing and its profitable. Why change? Why make new risky investments? And in many ways, as they are independent businesses that don’t care so much for the environment, they are right! Luckily, businesses are beginning to accept the fact that they must change. At the same time. They are still going to face some significant challenges along their transition, starting with the most basic topics:  

• Charging Infrastructure:  Available charging solutions which will ensure 100% uptime.  
• Range and Payload ratios: Optimizing routes without completely changing the business models.
• Upfront cost: In most cases operational savings (and incentives) will cover the additional upfront cost and fleets will witness TCO savings, but the upfront cost increase can deter many fleet owners.  
• Unknown residual price of the assets: Unlike the traditional ICE powertrains, it is currently unclear what will be the price of the electric vehicle in another 3-5-10 years!

Naturally, all these challenges are also creating opportunities: Charging solutions and services, Software and OTA tools, Financing and Leasing are just some examples of developing solutions and technologies, that are creating new exciting business opportunities!

Can you share your thoughts on the scalability of retrofit solutions in the EV industry, and what key factors do you think will influence their adoption?

As for all new technology companies, scaling is the main challenge. It’s not enough to have a good, mature and reliable product. To scale you need resources, a large number of orders, a strong and reliable supply chain, a good and fast learning production/assembly solution, and a strong engaged after sales and customer service network. I think that Evo’s unique business model, which is based on partnering with many installation centers, is a great concept allowing many interested players in the industry to benefit from the energy transition trend and allowing Evo to quickly scale up installations with relatively low CAPEX investment, however, this can only work if the Evo product is designed and developed with a “simple and bullet proof” assembly concept in mind, and if the aftersales customer experience with the end product is positive. As to the scalability of the electric retrofit industry and will it happen? If incentives for new and repowered electric CVs will be equaled (or altogether canceled), we will see the electric retrofit industry booming, just because it is the most pragmatic solution.

What excites you most about joining Evolectric’s Advisory Board, and what impact do you hope to make during your tenure?

Working with a team that wants to build pragmatic solutions for the very traditional trucking industry, without attempting to re-invent the wheel is extremely refreshing. I hope I will be able to contribute by bridging the gap between the cutting-edge technology minds and the market-stakeholders’ expectations and assist in building a pragmatic commercial solution that ensures the best customer success stories.

What hobbies or interests do you enjoy that contribute to your well-rounded perspective on life and business?
So, I am a long-distance runner. Not only in sports but in life. In my eyes, a true long-distance runner must develop many qualities that are good for life and important for business. Now let’s be clear! A long-distance runner is not necessarily a slow runner! Same thing is true for life and business. Sprints must be part of every good plan!!!

To be a true long-distance runner, you need to set yourself goals and make a good plan to get there. You need to have some talent, but even more important, you need to be self-disciplined and work hard day in and day out in order to follow the plan. To make a good plan, you must gather data in advance. You need to monitor your performance and your surroundings all the time. You need to be agile: make changes if required or if there is an unexpected opportunity, and at the end of every day you need to look back at what you did and find ways to improve. Just like in business.

Is there a quote that motivates you? 
Muhammad Ali: “Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing”