| | | | | | | Presented By Robin Powered | | | | Axios What's Next | | By Jennifer A. Kingson, Joann Muller and Alex Fitzpatrick · May 27, 2022 | | What's Next will be off Monday for Memorial Day. Safe travels and we'll see you after the break. - Alex here, and speaking of traveling: Based on the numbers Joann Muller crunched below, I've never been more jealous of you EV owners out there. My VW Golf SportWagen gets solid mileage, but when it's time for something new, I'll almost certainly go electric.
- If you're making a big EV road trip this weekend, tell us how it goes: whatsnext@axios.com.
- Today's reader photos come from Steven Okun, who spotted some robot helpers during his travels in Asia. See something cool over the weekend that speaks to the way we'll live, work, play or get around? Email us for a chance to be featured.
Today's Smart Brevity count: 1,189 words ... 4½ minutes. | | | | | | 1 big thing: The great American road trip, electrified |  Data: ZETA; Chart: Axios Visuals More Americans than ever will be hitting the road in an electric vehicle this Memorial Day weekend, avoiding the pain at the pump squeezing so many other families heading into the busy summer travel season, Joann writes. The big picture: The United States is still in the early stages of a historic shift to electric transportation, with EVs accounting for just 4.6% of new car sales — up from 2.4% a year ago. But with gas prices soaring and longer-range EVs hitting the market, road-tripping in an EV is becoming more acceptable for many. Driving the news: AAA predicts 39.2 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday weekend, nearly 90% of them by car. - But they'll shell out 50% more than last year to fill up their gas tanks.
- The national average for a gallon of gas is $4.60, up $1.56 from last year, per AAA.
State of play: EVs generally cost more to purchase than gasoline-powered vehicles. That's one big reason people have been reluctant to switch — besides charging concerns. Yes, but: EVs are often cheaper to operate over the vehicle's lifetime thanks to fuel and maintenance savings. - Consumer Reports, for example, says EV owners could save between $1,800 and $2,600 in operating and maintenance costs driving an average 15,000 miles a year, compared to drivers of gas-powered vehicles.
- A more extensive study from Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology, a nonpartisan climate think tank, concluded that in most states, it is cheaper on a monthly basis to finance and own an EV than the equivalent gasoline car, despite EVs' higher sticker prices.
The intrigue: So what if you made your holiday weekend road trip in an EV instead of a gasoline vehicle? - We compared the cost of a 200-mile road trip in a gas-powered Ford F-150 pickup (America's best-selling model) with the cost of the same trip in an electric F-150 Lightning, using data from the Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA), an industry coalition.
- At $4.60 per gallon, it would cost $119.60 to fill a gas-powered F-150's 26-gallon tank. We assumed the truck would get 24 mpg, based on Ford's specifications.
- Over 200 miles, our internal-combustion truck would burn 8.3 gallons of gas, costing roughly $38, or about 20 cents per mile.
- The same trip in the electric F-150 Lightning would cost about $12, or 6 cents per mile, based on national average electricity prices of 14 cents per kWh.
The bottom line: With gas flirting with the $5 mark and high-quality EVs from GM, Volkswagen and others hitting dealerships this year, electrification could be on many a car owner's mind over the next few days. Share this story. |     | | | | | | 2. Electric air taxis inch closer to takeoff |  | | | Joby Aviation's eVTOL aircraft. Photo courtesy Joby Aviation | | | | Electric air taxi startup Joby has been approved to carry paying passengers aboard conventional aircraft, the company tells Axios Generate's Andrew Freedman. The big picture: Joby's insect-like, ultra-quiet electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are still undergoing testing. So for the time being, any Joby commercial flights will be limited to four-seat, gas-powered Cirrus planes. - The new Federal Aviation Administration certification, says Joby product chief Eric Allison, will help the company develop a customer-facing booking app, pilot workflow software and maintenance data reporting tools.
- That experience, company reps say, will make it easier to deploy the eVTOL aircraft if and when Joby is cleared to fly passengers aboard them.
What they're saying: "Think of us as an airline. And, when an airline adds a new aircraft to their fleet, there's work to be done, but you don't start from scratch and build a whole new airline," Bonny Simi, head of Joby's airline operations, told Andrew. What's next: Joby has a partnership with aviation training company CAE to develop a fleet of eVTOL simulators. It's also working with the U.S. Air Force to establish a training program. | | | | | | | | 3. Piercing-mania is retail's hot new thing |  | | | Rowan's new piercings-only store on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Photo: Jennifer A. Kingson | | | | Ear-piercing startups are popping up in pricey storefronts in New York City and elsewhere, even as big retailers like Target, CVS, Walmart and more also go big on piercing, Jennifer A. Kingson writes. Why it matters: Piercing-mania shows no sign of slowing down, and retailers are seeking to capitalize on the next big thing in beauty. They're using ear piercing as a draw to attract younger shoppers and as an incentive to purchase jewelry. - Five Below, which sells items under $5 aimed at kids, is rolling out piercing services this year.
- Rowan — a 3-year-old startup and Target's ear-piercing partner — sells subscription boxes with a new pair of designer earrings each month; it says most subscribers are 8-14 years old.
Having your ears pierced is memorable — particularly the first time — and retailers want to capitalize on that. "The notion of providing a milestone experience is frequently discussed when it comes to retail and ear piercing," says Retail Dive, a trade publication. Details: Two high-end chains — Studs and Rowan — were founded in 2019 as an alternative to mall staple Claire's. - They're trying to gain traction for their unique products and systems.
- Studs, for instance, has trademarked the term "Earscape," which it defines as "the combined art and science of decorating one's ear with personalized piercings and earrings, resulting in a form of extreme self-expression."
What's popular: Women's magazines are writing about the craze for "ear curation," which Glamour describes as "multiple piercings all over the ear in different formations unique to each person." - One hot style called "Snakebite" involves "two piercings stacked close together on your ear," per Studs, which trademarked the name.
- "It's our most popular piercing," Studs co-founder Lisa Bubbers told Seventeen; the magazine says model Kaia Gerber and singer Dixie D'Amelio are prominent fans.
Share this story. | | | | | | | | A message from Robin Powered | | The steps to hybrid success | | |  | | | | Hybrid teams need connection and clearly defined expectations to thrive. The proof: Robin polled more than 300 hybrid employees, and 56% believe communication is key to successful leadership. Download the report to learn more about what people want from their hybrid employers. | | | | | | 4. Get some rest |  | | | Illustration: Megan Robinson/Axios | | | | Your computer isn't the only thing that benefits from a little sleep, Axios' Erica Pandey writes. Why it matters: 1 in 3 American adults don't get enough sleep (defined as seven or more hours a night), per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. - The average American adult slept 7.9 hours a night in the 1940s. That has since dropped to 6.8 hours a night.
The stakes: Going without enough sleep can dramatically increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer, Francesco Cappuccio, a heart health and sleep expert at the University of Warwick, told Erica. "Sleep is not a dead state," says Cappuccio. "It's like pressing the 'save' button on a computer." Find tips for a better night's sleep here — and try to get a little extra shut-eye over the holiday weekend, if you can. | | | | | | | | 5. Reader photo of the day: Airport robots |  | | | Steven Okun with a robot at the Bangalore airport. Photo courtesy of Steven Okun | | | | What's Next reader Steven Okun "came across this robot airport guide at the Bengaluru (Bangalore) airport," he writes. - "Basically, it shows you a list of all the shops, you choose where you want to go, and then it takes you there," says Steven. "Pretty cool," he says, adding that he's the one in the Cubs shirt.
Steven also sent us a photo from a business trip in India, where he came across a tea-serving robot — or "robot chai wala." A robot selling tea in the Indore airport. Photo courtesy of Steven Okun | | | | | | | | A message from Robin Powered | | This is what great hybrid leadership looks like | | |  | | | | The stakes are high to create thriving hybrid teams, so Robin polled 300 employees to learn what it takes. The results: 56% say communication is critical. Employees want leaders who intentionally build trust and relationships and establish a shared purpose. Read our report to discover what kinds of communication resonate best. | | | | Was this email forwarded to you? Get your daily dose of What's Next magic by signing up for our free newsletter here. |  | It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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