THIS JUST IN: Michigan Extends its Leadership in Global Mobility

Following a year in which Michigan saw nearly 11,000 new automotive jobs created, Governor Gretchen Whitmer today laid out her vision for securing Michigan’s continued global leadership in both the automotive manufacturing and mobility sectors.

During remarks at the 2020 MICHAuto Summit in Detroit, Governor Whitmer announced she is creating the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and the Michigan Council on Future Mobility and Electrification.

“In the state that put the world on wheels and that’s home to some of the most innovative, driven workers on the planet, we must continue to work to solidify Michigan as a global leader in mobility,” Whitmer said. “That’s why we’re harnessing our resources in state government to ensure Michigan remains the go-to state to build, test, and deploy the cars of the future. I’m excited to work with leaders in the Office of Future Mobility to build on the progress we’ve seen in the last year and cement our status as a hub for innovation and opportunity in the automotive sector.” 

Governor Whitmer today signed Executive Directive 1-2020 directing the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) to create the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and designate a Chief Mobility Officer to head the office. The Michigan Office of Future Mobility will be charged with leading the strategic coordination of all mobility-related initiatives across economic development, workforce and infrastructure efforts in the state to secure Michigan’s status as a global leader in autonomous, connected, electric, and shared future mobility. This office will also build on the state’s leadership in utilizing public/private partnerships to drive mobility solutions by facilitating increased collaboration between public and private sector partners.

Governor Whitmer also signed Executive Order 2-2020 creating the Michigan Council on Future Mobility and Electrification, housed within LEO, to serve in an advisory capacity to the governor and Legislature, providing annual recommendations on changes in state policy to ensure Michigan continues to be the world leader in future mobility, including autonomous and connected vehicle technology, electric powertrain technology and charging infrastructure, and workforce development activities within the mobility sector.

While many states continue to compete for leadership in the mobility sector, Michigan offers an ecosystem that is best positioned to meet the challenges and opportunities being created by future mobility, boasting assets that include engineering talent in abundance; a deep manufacturing heritage; elite research universities; the world’s first public-private partnership dedicated to advancing mobility; and the nation’s most extensive connected infrastructure.

These efforts build on the current successes of the state’s mobility initiatives – including PlanetM, the mobility initiative of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Michigan Department of Transportation’s ongoing work with automotive industry partners in testing and operations of connected and automated vehicles and support in the creation of Mcity at the University of Michigan and the Electric Vehicle Charger Placement Optimization project being led by the Michigan Energy Office – by developing and implementing the state’s strategic plan to secure Michigan’s status as a global leader in autonomous, connected, electric, and shared future mobility.

The full press release announcement is available on michigan.gov.

For more information on Michigan’s mobility ecosystem visit PlanetM.com.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.