Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the formal launch of the state's Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME).
The governor's office said the new office will work across state government, academia, and private industry to enhance Michigan’s mobility ecosystem, including developing dynamic mobility and electrification policies and supporting the startup and scale up of emerging technologies and businesses.
The OFME will focus on six objectives:
- Increase mobility investment in Michigan
- Expand Michigan’s smart infrastructure
- Engage more mobility startups
- Further enable Michigan’s mobility workforce
- Accelerate electric vehicle adoption in Michigan
- Bolster Michigan’s mobility manufacturing core
The governor's office says the creation of the OFME is a recognition of the changing landscape for automotive manufacturing and the need for a comprehensive statewide approach to help government, education, and the private sector succeed in an evolving mobility industry. The state of Michigan is also targeting new jobs related to mobility and electrification as part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s strategic plan to create long term economic opportunity throughout Michigan.
"Michigan put the world on wheels, and as we move into the next generation of transportation technologies, we need to assure we remain the global hub for the mobility industry. The Office of Future Mobility and Electrification will leverage our competitive advantages to make sure our state isn’t only a place where mobility solutions are born, it’s also where companies will find long-term success and support,” Trevor Pawl, Chief Mobility Officer, said in a statement. “While Michigan remains an undisputed leader in mobility, there is more work to be done, including increasing the state’s share of electric vehicle production, building a stronger pipeline of software engineering talent, and leveraging technology to reduce traffic crashes and fatalities.”
The state says the OFME will build on and expand the current successes of the state’s mobility initiatives—including the Michigan DOT’s ongoing work with automotive industry partners in developing smart infrastructure. The OFME will build on Michigan’s leadership in smart infrastructure and through active public policy initiatives, as well as grants and services to help activate new technologies across Michigan. There have been almost 10,000 fatal automobile crashes in Michigan in the last decade—94% of which are attributed to human error.
To date, the Michigan DOT has constructed nearly 500 miles of tech-enabled corridors as part of the largest vehicle-to-infrastructure technology deployment in the U.S.
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SOURCE: Office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
