Global Challenges Sharpen Michigan's Focus on the Future of Mobility

This year is shaping up to be a year like no other. In the first six months of 2022, we continued to see global supply chain disruptions, demands for more corporate responsibility, and once-in-a-generation inflation on virtually everything. Most notably on the price of cars and gasoline. Another reminder that the urgency to find new mobility solutions, and more sustainable ways of doing business, has never been greater.

Here in Michigan, this urgency drives us forward. As the leader in automotive production, we continue to build on our strong foundation of manufacturing excellence as we prepare for a new age of technology-driven innovation. And as demand for better mobility options grows, our focus on finding solutions has only become sharper.

Building a World-Class Workforce

In my last LinkedIn post a few months ago, I detailed the plan Michigan has put in place to attract, train and retain the world’s leading mobility workforce. Our multi-pronged approach to growing our talent pool will ensure we can continue providing good-paying manufacturing jobs while educating and attracting the best high-tech talent.

Now that we’re at the halfway mark of 2022, it is a good time to reflect on progress. Since the year began, Michigan has notched a number of exciting wins in the mobility and electrification space. In January, we announced a $7 billion investment by General Motors as part of its ongoing commitment to electric and autonomous vehicles. The investment will create or retain 5,000 jobs, convert an existing GM assembly plant to produce EV pickups and build a new battery-cell plant in the state.

We’re also working to shape the future of mobility innovation through the Michigan Central Innovation District, which brings together the State of Michigan, Ford, and the City of Detroit in a public-private partnership. Together, they’ve created the Michigan Central Innovation District, a $740 million, 1.2 million-square-foot innovation hub that will hold 5,000 high-tech workers. This initiative will, among other things, work to attract the world's top tech companies and train Detroiters for software-focused jobs of the future.

Solidifying a Sustainable EV Future

As part of ongoing efforts to expand electric vehicle production capacity and create new EV-focused jobs, we’ve secured a multi-million dollar investment from Canada’s leading EV charging network operator, FLO. The project will include construction of the company’s first U.S. manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills, creating 133 jobs next year. We also announced a $1.7 billion investment by EV battery component maker LG Energy Solution that will create 1,200 jobs at its current location in Holland and quintuple the plant’s capacity.

Beyond batteries, we’re updating our state’s EV ecosystem to encourage and support cleaner and more sustainable transportation options.?We’ve partnered with the U.S. National Park Service to deploy EV charging stations and other mobility solutions that will make national parks in Michigan more accessible and less congested.?For our state parks, we’re collaborating with nonprofit Adopt a Charger and EV automaker Rivian to install 15 EV charging sites – at no cost to the state or the taxpayers – that will be part of the Lake Michigan EV Charging Circuit.

Through our Michigan Mobility Funding Platform (MMFP), we’ve awarded more than $1.7 million in grants to support local governments as they encourage electric vehicle adoption and charging infrastructure buildout. Our goal with this program is to increase access to clean, affordable and reliable transportation options. Bus stop by bus stop. Intersection by intersection. That’s how you make a difference. ?

Michigan is also preparing for a day in the not-too-distant future when EVs become untethered from charging cables. In March, we awarded a first-in-the-nation contract to Electreon to pilot a public wireless in-road charging system on a one-mile section of road in Detroit. The system will enable EVs to charge while in motion and while stationary.

Reaching for the Sky

We’re also aiming higher, in the most literal sense, with our aerial mobility initiatives. In January, we announced that Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario are collaborating on a first-ever aerial mobility corridor study that will test the feasibility of commercial drones and other aerial systems in three areas, including across the U.S. and Canadian border. Over time, we expect similar collaborations with our partners in the Midwest and Canada on mobility ecosystems that extend beyond roadways and cars.

?In another high-flying initiative, we’ve teamed with Southwest Airlines and the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority in Grand Rapids to support the FLITE program, one of the first programs to provide grants and testing opportunities to companies focused on bringing emerging, high-tech passenger air travel technology solutions to market. From self-driving wheelchairs and flying security cameras...to a complete 3D model of Gerald R. Ford International Airport to support planning for any concourse or tarmac scenario.

Looking Ahead

As we look ahead to the second half of 2022 and beyond, we’ll continue to spearhead mobility and electrification initiatives around six key priorities.?

• Increasing mobility investment: We’re creating new opportunities and looking to invest in projects that will generate new investment and job creation from tech companies focused on future mobility, including autonomous and electric vehicle innovation.
• Expanding smart infrastructure: We’re committed to further developing systems that will help develop and deploy autonomous and shared transportation.
• Engaging more mobility startups: We seek to establish Michigan as a premier location for young companies to start, scale, commercialize and grow technologies redefining the movement of people and goods.
• Further enabling our mobility workforce: We are pioneering new and innovative ways to develop and attract workers with the skills and talent necessary to meet the new demands of the mobility sector.
• Accelerating EV adoption: We are supporting the transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles and expanding access to charging infrastructure.
• Bolstering our mobility manufacturing core: As we build on Michigan’s long history of manufacturing excellence, we’re working to protect the state’s competitiveness in electric and autonomous vehicle manufacturing and its ability to move technologies into industrial scale manufacturing.

All of these accomplishments have been possible because Michigan remains focused on creating a mobility future that is sustainable, comprehensive and designed with our state’s communities in mind. This focus is only becoming clearer and more ambitious over time. I’m extremely proud of how far we’ve come, and I’m equally as excited about what the future holds.

You can learn more about Michigan’s next mobility revolution by visiting michiganbusiness.org/ofme.