Michigan EIBC Report outlines strategy for vehicle electrification in Michigan

Report outlines strategy for vehicle electrification in Michigan

More than 70 organizations convene to determine next steps for Michigan’s fledgling advanced mobility industry

LANSING – The Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council today released a report that details recommendations for policymakers, organizations and businesses to help drive Michigan’s advanced mobility industry and position the state for success in the rapidly changing auto industry. The report is the culmination of five stakeholder sessions that took place over the past year in which auto industry leaders, utility companies, policymakers, regulators and other key players came together to discuss the future of Michigan’s advanced mobility industry and share ideas on positioning Michigan for success.

“As the Advanced Mobility State, the answer to ‘What’s going on in Michigan?’ needs to be that we’re creating the premiere EV program in the nation,” said Liesl Eichler ClarkMichigan EIBC president. “Mobility is and will continue to be an essential part of Michigan’s economy, and the future of the industry, from shared rides, automated and connected mobility, will hinge on electrified vehicles.”

Approximately 140 stakeholders participated in the five EV convenings. Participants represented 74 organizations from a wide variety of sectors. The meetings were sponsored by Advanced Energy Economy, DTE Energy, Consumers Energy, the Michigan Agency for Energy, CLEAResult, the Ecology Center and Lyft.

“The convergence of the energy and mobility sectors represents significant opportunities to merge our state’s engineering and auto expertise with the power industry,” said Glenn Stevens, executive director of MICHauto. “The report’s recommendations provide a roadmap for the future success of Michigan’s advanced mobility industry, and we are eager to get to work implementing these strategies.”

The convenings were organized to inform industry leaders of the economic opportunities and benefits of an accelerated advanced mobility sector in Michigan. The consensus of the experts assembled is that automated, connected, and shared vehicles will not hit Michigan roads without wide-scale vehicle electrification.

“Transportation is becoming more connected, more automated, and more shared, particularly in urban environments,” said Patti Poppe, President and CEO of Consumers Energy. “That makes electric vehicles more than an alternative to gasoline or internal combustion engines. It makes them the platform for the next phase of human mobility.”

The five convenings focused on the following issue areas:

1) Utility pilot programs and the Volkswagen settlement

2) Customer education and awareness

3) Long-dwell and DC fast charging infrastructure

4) Fleet electrification

5) Rate design

“Vehicle electrification creates a new and dynamic electricity load that needs to be integrated into the grid to provide benefits to all of our customers,” said Camilo Serna, Vice President of Corporate Strategy at DTE Energy. “We appreciated the excellent turnout at the meetings and the opportunity to discuss how we can all work together to forge a robust strategy for vehicle electrification in Michigan.”