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Ford's 'Built to Connect' event will be in Republic Square Park until Oct. 24. (Laura Figi)
The outdoor driving event is free, open to the public and will stay in the park from now until Oct. 24, offering rides on Bronco Mountain, a 0-40 mph zip in the 2022 all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning and a chance to win an original Ford Bronco.
The event kicked off with a panel of speakers, including Austin Director of Transportation Rob Spillar, Ford General Manager Darren Palmer and engineering specialists discussing Ford's goals to make it so that 50% of the vehicles on the road are electric by 2030.
As an eco-conscious city, Spillar said that around 4,000 vehicles, or 22% of the Texas electric vehicle market, as well as over 15,000 plugins lie in Austin, meaning driving electric just got accessible.
"Austin, as you know, is a fast-growing modern city that is committed to protecting the long term health and viability of our communities and strategies that reduce greenhouse gases, mitigate the effects of climate change and improve the drone quality of life here in Central Texas for all of our residents," Spillar said.
And Ford's electric vehicles are putting up some steep competition for newly-Austin-based company Tesla. The new electric Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lighting offer amenities that used to be exclusive to Musk's brand, such as the BlueCruise self-driving network. The cars also boast a 300-mile range on a single charge, assisted reverse technology and access to the biggest charging network outside of the home.
Plus, Ford's got affordability on its side. The F-150 Lightning starts at $39,974 and the Mustang Mach-E starts at $42,895, while the cheapest Tesla model, the Model 3, starts at $41,990 and averages 262 miles on a single charge.
Speaking of price, the numbers on the electric vehicles may look like a little more than you'd like to pay for your transport, but Palmer promises it will pay off. In addition to a $7,500 tax credit you can earn for your sustainability, you'll never have to buy a pricey tank of gas again.
"Personally, I have not found one customer ever, who would go back to gas so that says something," Palmer said. "I realized, at $51,000, that car outruns every childhood hero car I ever had."
Texas buyers: take note. The Ford Lightning can power your house for three to 10 days, just in case the statewide power grid fails. You can take it glamping with you, so you don't have to leave the comfort of modern life behind, and in a pinch, Palmer said he's even seen a wedding party powered by the truck.
Ford is investing $30 billion into the U.S. market to meet demand by 2025 and the new electric truck already has over 150,000 reservations.
"I think they're going to take off much faster than you expect—they're going to be extremely, extremely popular next year," Palmer said. "With the incentives that are available today, this is starting to become more mainstream and viable for more and more families. We couldn't have done that before, we didn't have the technology, or the technology at that price."
The event is ongoing through next weekend from 12-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.- 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
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The transition out of remote-only work started in early summer for some companies, but some tech giants such as Dell Technologies, Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon have pushed their reopen dates back to either January or another undetermined date due to Delta variant concerns seen over the summer.
Trying to find the happy medium between high productivity, social interaction, and offering flexibility is leading most companies to go in the route of—or at least consider—a hybrid model of work.
"Going in a couple of times a week but being virtual two to three times a week would be a good mix of seeing people in-person and doing meetings, but also having this nice work-from-home atmosphere as well," said Scott, who asked his last name not be used for potentially violating Facebook's media policy.
Employees want a balance
Scott says staying motivated was the main adjustment he had to make when going fully remote last March. He isn't alone—76% of employees typically enjoy working remotely, according to a survey conducted by Morning Consult published this month. An extra perk is getting to avoid a 20-30 minute commute to the office in Austin traffic.
Workers like Isaac Garza, a senior software engineer for a remote tech startup, operate more efficiently when working remotely. At the developing startup, he says he felt like he could easily work without being interrupted.
Issac Garza finds himself more productive working from home, but is also dealing with burnout. (Issac Garza)
In Central Texas, remote work and the flexibility it offers had a positive impact on employees' productivity, according to a study conducted by Movability and Texas State University, with 52% of the 732 respondents finding themselves to be more productive.
While it means great results for employers, the hybrid model would supply workers with what they miss from the office: talking with coworkers. It's that social interaction that makes company culture and was stripped from the work environment when businesses began working from home.
There's also the issue of work-life balance. Some employees like Garza have felt burnout from remote work. "I got into the habit of, at five o'clock, just closing the laptop," Garza said. "We don't have lives on our hands, so it's not necessary for things to be done right then and there all the time."
Companies weigh their options
Though hybrid models seem to be the perfect balance between the pros and cons of remote work versus in-person work, some companies are rejecting these hybrid setups. According to a survey conducted by Robert Half, only 18% of managers in the tech industry hope to implement hybrid models for their workplace, and 72% expect to be fully back in-office once COVID-19 restrictions lift.
In a Bloomberg article, Thomas Vick—a regional director at Robert Half—found that most companies in Austin have leaned toward either one end of the spectrum or the other: being fully remote or fully in-person. Some companies are pursuing long-term remote work as they aren't resigning leases on office spaces to help eliminate large costs. Others are pining for a return-to-office date because larger tech companies spent billions of dollars on these new office spaces and want a return on their investment.
As COVID cases decrease and more are vaccinated, it could mean the tech industry has its eyes on retuning to the office. But the conversation of weighing costs—both financially and morally—and productivity levels will be just as relevant to find a meet-in-the-middle solution that could be hybrid work.
