Yamaha Marine President Ben Speciale Advocates for Multi-Tech Carbon Neutrality
At the 2024 Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum on August 15, Ben Speciale, President of Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit, joined a diverse panel of industry executives to discuss strategies for achieving carbon neutrality. The panel, which featured leaders from the automotive, oil, marine, and automotive supplier sectors, reached a consensus that a single electric-only approach is impractical. They called for a multi-faceted strategy that includes sustainable fuels, electric technologies, and innovative solutions like hydrogen.
Speciale emphasized the importance of a broad coalition to help policymakers understand that carbon neutrality requires a variety of technologies. “We need more than just ‘us’ talking to legislators; our retailers, dealers, and customers must also voice their support at the local level,” he said. “The more engagement we have, the quicker we can implement effective policies for both current and future vehicles and boats.”
Panelists included Jim Baumbick from Ford Motor Company, Cooper Erickson of Toyota Motor North America, Tracey Gardiner of American Lubricants, and Mike Spagnola of SEMA. Richard Varner from The Petersen Museum moderated the discussion, which was presented by Alliant Insurance and co-produced by SEMA and The Petersen Museum.
The discussion highlighted California’s Advanced Clean Cars II regulations, which mandate zero-emission vehicles for new passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs by 2035. This mandate has been adopted by 16 states, with similar goals for reducing internal combustion engine sales. The panel stressed the need for better legislative education on the impacts these mandates have on consumers and businesses.
With 280 million automobiles and 12 million boats in operation, the panel suggested using sustainable fuels to reduce carbon emissions in the current fleet and discussed hydrogen as a viable alternative. They also stressed the importance of maintaining customer choice in vehicle and boat selection.
Baumbick highlighted the need for a diverse portfolio of solutions, saying, “The mission is clear: reduce carbon emissions. The challenge is how to do this sustainably while keeping the customer’s needs in mind.” He noted that imposing an overnight switch to electric vehicles could create significant challenges for users, such as those who tow.
For highlights from the 2024 Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum, “It’s Not Politics, It’s Innovation: The Future of Automotive Technologies,” click here.
Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit, located in Kennesaw, GA, markets and sells a range of marine outboard motors and associated products, including boat control systems and personal watercraft. It operates divisions like Yamaha Marine Systems Co., Inc., Kracor, Bennett Marine, and Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers. The unit is part of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., based in Cypress, CA.
This document may contain trademarks of Yamaha and other companies. References to other companies are for identification purposes only and do not imply endorsement.
Always follow boating laws and safety guidelines. © 2024 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved.
