The State of Michigan has a new mobility strategy. Here's why and what's in it.

It's been more than a month since the Detroit Auto Show returned after a three-year absence. And regardless of how much you loved the show, there is one thing almost all of us can agree on. The value of whole industries (and the public) coming together for a few days cannot be overstated during times like these.

Shows like Detroit's shine during times of rapid social, economic and technological change because they democratize innovation. They are the frontlines for making new technologies feel attainable to the public. For understanding how a new technology might fit into someone's life.

This is why the Detroit Auto Show was the ideal backdrop for Governor Whitmer to roll out Michigan's new state mobility strategy, the MI Future Mobility Plan.

This new strategy focuses on doing two things. Securing Michigan’s role as a leader in the future of transportation during these times of change. And bringing new technology to the people in a way that makes Michigan communities safer, greener, and more vibrant.

Now the creation of a new state strategy doesn't mean the state didn't have one. In fact we've had many, some have focused on job creation and workforce training, while others have charted the course for road design and charging infrastructure. And these state department-level strategies have worked. They have helped Michigan’s mobility industry support one in every five jobs in our state, which still makes us the densest mobility cluster in North America at a time when it matters most.

In fact, under Governor Whitmer’s leadership, Michigan has created 28,000 new jobs in the auto industry and maintained its position as America’s top automotive R&D state. We’ve made the largest education investment in state history to prepare future generations for careers in mobility. We’ve set Michigan on a path to carbon neutrality by 2050, which includes a worry-free, statewide EV charging network before 2030. And we’ve continued to fix Michigan’s roads, while also futureproofing them with multiple American firsts, like the first road in North America that will charge EVs as they are in motion.

But there are challenges ahead. From unrelenting global competition for new mobility jobs, new investments, and risk capital. To the unprecedented urgency around preparing both Michigan's workforce and infrastructure for mass AV and EV adoption. And over time, these challenges have become so relevant and intertwined that it's hard to have a substantive economic development or talent conversation without talking about infrastructure, energy, or transit.

The MI Future Mobility Plan was created to address these challenges by leaning into the momentum Michigan has built over the last four years. This meant taking a whole-of-government approach when designing the plan's vision and goals. And this meant pulling together all the different, more targeted strategies into one recipe with guidance from eight state departments, industry, academia, and community leaders.

Our vision is simple and direct – to create a stronger state economy through safer, more equitable and environmentally sound transportation for all people.

Under this vision, we lay out three pillars.

Pillar 1 is focused on transitioning and growing our industry and workforce. Goals include:

• Creating 20,000 new mobility jobs by 2026, while increasing median incomes for mobility jobs.
• Adding 7,000 workers with mobility credentials by 2030, while also increasing diversity in the industry.
• Ensuring that Michigan maintains a resilient automotive manufacturing sector that supports at least 170K jobs through 2030.

While Pillar 1's goals are ambitious, there are early signs that they are achievable. Earlier this year, General Motors made a $7 billion investment – the biggest investment in its history – that will create and retain more than 5,000 Michigan jobs. In Detroit, Ford, Google, the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit invested over $1 billion collectively to build out a 1.2 million-square-foot global mobility hub that will attract 5,000 high-tech talent workers.

Michigan added two new investments to that list just this month. The power lithium battery-maker Gotion will invest $2.36 billion and create 2,350 jobs in the city of Big Rapids. It is the biggest-ever industry investment in Northern Michigan and will create more than $11.5 billion in new personal income by direct, indirect and induced jobs over the next 20 years.

The second project was by Our Next Energy, a home-grown Michigan company that will build its first-ever battery manufacturing campus in Van Buren Township in Wayne County. The $1.6 billion facility will create 2,112 new jobs, and more than $13 billion in new personal income over the next 20 years. Once built, the factory will develop next-generation batteries that will provide EVs with enough range to drive roundtrip from Detroit to major cities like Chicago, Toronto and Cincinnati without another charge.

Pillar 2 of the plan involves providing safer, greener and more accessible transportation infrastructure. Goals here include:

• Deploying 100,000 EV chargers to support 2 million EVs and setting targets for clean hydrogen fueling.
• Maintaining at least 80% of EV charging off-peak to minimize impacts on the grid.
• Reducing congestion and traffic crash rates statewide by 2026.
• Providing residents with consistent access to mobility-as-a-service options across Michigan’s 77 transit agencies by 2025.

There are also early signs that the goals in this pillar are achievable. Enacted under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the $5 billion National EV Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI) was designed to create a network of fast chargers across the country. Michigan is set to receive $110 million to install charging stations along most of the state’s interstates.

Additionally, work continues by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Cavnue on the first road in North America custom-built for AVs. The first phase of the project will be constructed between Detroit and Ann Arbor on Interstate 94, and will focus on improving safety, congestion and supply chain productivity.

And, to spur transit innovation, MDOT and the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification have launched a first-of-its-kind Michigan Mobility Wallet Challenge. Paying for public transit can be hard. Payment systems can be different across communities and provide little incentive to take the next ride. So, we’ve launched this challenge to look for solutions that help solve payment issues for transit riders across the state.

Lastly, Pillar 3 of the plan is focused on leading the world in mobility policy and innovation. Goals under this pillar include:

• Maintaining Michigan's #1 state ranking for mobility and electrification R&D spend.
• Becoming a top 10 state for growth in venture capital funding by 2026.
• Becoming a top 10 state for federal investments related to mobility and vehicle electrification.
• Leading the nation in EV an AV friendliness through responsive policies.

There are, again, early signs that these goals are achievable. Michigan has seen sizeable and recent federal funding wins. The Detroit Regional Partnership led a coalition of 65 local organizations to compete for and win $52.2 million in federal support from the U.S. Department of Commerce to bolster Southeast Michigan’s mobility ecosystem. These dollars will go toward site readiness for company attraction projects, increasing the usage of local mobility testing sites, attracting high-tech mobility talent, helping legacy manufacturers compete in the digital age, and accelerating the growth of mobility startups.

And, speaking of startups, over the summer, Detroit was voted the world’s top emerging startup ecosystem, leading a list that included Hong Kong, Dublin, Minneapolis and Houston. Detroit scored 10/10 in Performance, Market Reach, Talent and Experience.

The MI Future Mobility Plan signals to the nation – and the world – that our state departments are united behind a single, forward-focused vision. And this vision will help prioritize our efforts, and effectively allocate resources to reach our goals.

We are excited to share more about this plan in the coming months, and to engage more public and private sector partners to ensure we get this right.

For more information on the MI Future Mobility Plan, click here.?