Michigan Council of Future Mobility and Electrification Report Released
Embarking on the first anniversary of Governor Whitmer’s executive order to create the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) and Council on Future Mobility and Electrification (CFME), the Council has released a comprehensive report assessing the state’s current mobility landscape.
The report analyzes the status of Michigan’s industry and non-state & state mobility assets through the lens of the question: “Why is Michigan still a global leader in the future of mobility?” Michigan continues to be a leader in mobility and electrification, but with additional states starting to catch up, there is critical work to be done. Even through the adversity of COVID-19, Michigan is picking up steam in mobility investment in manufacturing and R&D across the state which is setting up for a strong EV position in the coming decade for the Great Lakes State.
Click below to read the report and learn more about how the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification and the Council on Future Mobility and Electrification will put forth policy recommendations to maintain Michigan’s status as the vanguard of the Mobility Revolution.
Magna’s investment in St. Clair creating more than 300 jobs, strengthening Michigan as leader in EV manufacturing
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced this week Magna International is constructing a new manufacturing facility in St. Clair to build complex battery enclosures, a project supported by the Michigan Strategic Fund that will generate $70.1 million in private investment and create 304 jobs for Michigan workers.
Magna Electric Vehicle Structures-Michigan, Inc. is a newly created entity of Magna International, Inc, formed for the purpose of implementing and operating a new facility that will produce complex structural battery enclosures for electric propulsion vehicles. The company has been awarded a new program for the all-new 2022 GMC Hummer EV, set to begin initial production at GM’s Factory Zero facility in Detroit-Hamtramck this fall. The program will support Magna’s electrification strategy, which is a key priority for the company to increase its leadership position in the battery frame market.
Mobility Spotlight: Assembly Ventures brings Motown Muscle to Guide Mobility Startups
Assembly Ventures, a venture capital firm co-headquartered in Detroit and Berlin, has brought on some heavy hitting automotive and mobility executives to lead the way in the white-hot mobility startup space. Additions to the firms includes Joe Hinrichs, former Ford automotive president; Tony Posawatz, former CEO of Fisker Automotive; and Jessica Robinson, co-founder of the Detroit Mobility lab and former Ford mobility executive.
While many VCs are chasing tailwinds of Tesla, Assembly aims to keep Detroit and Germany – the birthplaces of original automotive age – at the frontline of the transportation evolution.
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$10m Investment in Perrone Robotics Inc. Leads to ACM Expansion
CapStone Holdings, a Florida-based business incubator, invested $10M in Perrone Robotics Inc., a Virginia-based autonomous vehicle provider, in part to establish an AV testing facility at the American Center for Mobility (ACM) in Ypsilanti.
The new testing facility will be designed to handle advanced, high-speed and continuous testing of autonomous transit vans, shuttles and other vehicles supported by Perrone’s technology. The company recently announced the deployment of an all-electric, fully autonomous paratransit vehicle which travels at speeds up to 65 mph in Florida. Perrone also developed one of the earliest driverless vehicles in AV/EV space using its patented software called MAX.
The investment and expansion further solidify both Michigan and ACM as a catalyst in next generation transportation solutions and industry sector growth.
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Amesite Inc. and Wayne State University Partner on Six-Week AV Tech Certification Program
Amesite Inc., a Detroit-based AI software company, has announced an expansion of its partnership with Wayne State University to offer six-week autonomous vehicle technology course certifications, designed to target Wayne State’s alumni and university community.
The courses are supported by Amesite’s most advanced online learning platform and will include modules on AV technologies, data science, EV technologies, Mobility-as-a-service and programming for autonomous systems.
The new courses launched on February 22.
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Resources and Opportunities
- Hear the latest from Trevor Pawl: Wunder Mobility Podcast – Ep. 10
- Newlab: Accessible Streets Studio – February 24 Deadline
- Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation: Call for proposals – March 1 deadline
- MEDC Whitepaper: When It Comes To Mobility, Michigan Is Where The Action Is
- EGLE offers clean fuel grants to upgrade trucks, commercial buses, off-road work vehicles
Upcoming Events
- March 8: Michigan Australia Exchange in Mobility Ep. 8
- March 16-20: South by Southwest (SXSW)
- March 24: Detroit Regional Chamber: State of Automobility
In the News
The electrification of the auto industry is speeding up-and shaking up the energy economy
On a sunny day 18 years ago this month, I found myself in a Sacramento park, surrounded by tall trees, shiny cars, and green hype. Nearby loomed the California Capitol, the granite-based bunker from which lawmakers in the environmentally pesky state were pummeling U.S. automakers with legislative bombs designed to force them to crank out climate-friendlier cars. Seeking to persuade the politicians it really was trying to clean up its act, the biggest of Detroit’s Big Three, General Motors, had invited a posse of reporters to take a spin behind the wheel of its latest laboratory prototype: the Hy-wire, a rakish ride powered by a fuel cell, a device that converts hydrogen into electricity to make a car move in ostensible harmony with Mother Nature.
The Sacramento event featured food, fanfare, and an unforgettable flub. For more than an hour, as we scribes looked on in disbelief, the Hy-wire wouldn’t start. The world’s biggest automaker had pitched the car as a plausible vision of a clean-transport future. What we saw looked more like a broken chunk of vaporware.
I just tested Cadillac’s hands-free Super Cruise on a 500+ mile trip. Here’s how it went.
Self-driving cars just got meaningfully closer to reality.
How much closer? I touched the steering wheel of a 2021 Cadillac Escalade just three times in 280 miles from when I entered I-96 in Detroit to exiting I-94 in Hammond, Indiana. I touched the wheel four times driving the same route home; the fourth was to avoid a tractor-trailer drifting into my lane on a curve in a snowy Chicago rush hour.
Regardless of what you’re heard, General Motors’ Super Cruise is the only hands-free self-driving system you can buy. Ignore the death cult of Tesla drivers posting videos of themselves napping behind the wheel at 70 mph. Tesla’s misleadingly named Auto Pilot “is intended for use only with a fully attentive driver who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time,” in the electric car specialist’s own words.
Planning 500,000 charging points for EVs by 2025, Shell becomes the latest company swept up in EV charging boom
Shell’s plan to roll out 500,000 electric charging stations in just four years is the latest sign of an EV charging infrastructure boom that has prompted investors to pour cash into the industry and inspired a few companies to become public companies in search of the capital needed to meet demand.
Since the beginning of the year, three companies have been acquired by special purpose acquisition vehicles and are on a path to go public, while a third has raised tens of millions from some of the biggest names in private equity investing for its own path to commercial viability.
Whitmer makes appointments to Council on Climate Solutions
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday announced her appointments to the state’s new Council on Climate Solutions.
Back in September, the governor signed an executive order creating the council, which acts in an advisory capacity to Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). Members formulate and oversee the implementation of the MI Healthy Climate Plan, which will serve as the action plan for the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition toward economywide carbon neutrality by 2050.
BorgWarner Acquires Lithium-Ion Battery Systems Supplier Akasol
BorgWarner announced acquisition of Akasol, a German developer and manufacturer of customizable lithium-ion battery systems for use in buses (including Mercedes-Benz eCitaro), commercial vehicles, rail vehicles and industrial vehicles, as well as in ships and boats.
According to the press release, the total enterprise value of Akasol is estimated at €754 million, which includes the assumption of €27 million of net debt. BorgWarner acquire 59 percent of Akasol at €120.00 per share.
Electric pickup truck maker Rivian aims for $50 billion IPO
Over the last few months, there has been a strong trend of electric vehicle companies going public through reverse merger SPAC deals.
Fisker, Arrival, Lion Electric, Lordstown Motors, Proterra, Faraday Future, and others have all completed or announced SPAC deals. The trend started amid Tesla having incredible performance on the stock market and other EV companies attempting to ride the momentum and raise more money.
Ford’s future of infotainment will run on Google’s Android
Ford’s betting big on Android to power its future in-car technologies. On Monday, the automaker announced a new partnership with Google that will see the tech giant’s Android operating system power future Ford vehicles. The digital experience will begin rolling out to new Ford and Lincoln cars in 2023 and provide Google services built directly into the car. For Blackberry faithful, that means saying goodbye to QNX, which powered Sync for years now.
It’s a route we continue to see automakers take, most notably with Volvo and cousin division Polestar. Ford didn’t entirely detail what will make the partnership “unique” for drivers, but what will come to its cars in two years will be transformative. For example, Google Maps will be the primary navigation system, Google Assistant will be ready and willing to execute commands from the car and Google Play will provide optimized apps for Ford vehicles for music, podcasts and more. On a media call Monday, Ford declined to speak to what kind of branding this package will take, but it sounds like Sync will stick around in some form still. And don’t worry, you’ll still be able to use Apple CarPlay, should you desire.
General Motors Aims To Be Carbon Neutral By 2040
Automaker General Motors has announced aspirations of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040. On the way to that goal, the company hopes to eliminate tailpipe emissions by 2035.
GM said Thursday it will take a science-based approach to become carbon neutral, balancing carbon dioxide emissions and removal efforts. Furthermore, it plans to eliminate gas-powered, light-duty vehicle production by 2035, it said. It intends that by 2025, 40% of its vehicles will be battery powered.
Toyota teams up with Aurora and Denso on robotaxi development
It’s 2021 and we’re still finding unique ways to pair up to develop self-driving cars. The latest is between Toyota, AV startup Aurora, and auto part supplier Denso. The three companies will join forces to develop a fleet of robotaxis, with the first hitting the road by the end of this year.
It’s a big get for Aurora, the scrappy AV startup founded by Chris Urmson, the former head engineer of Google’s self-driving car project, among others. Toyota, which outsold Volkswagen in 2020 to reclaim its status as the biggest automaker in the world, is one of the few car companies that has yet to pair up with an autonomous vehicle startup. Denso, which spun out of Toyota in the mid-20th century, is one of the largest auto suppliers on the planet. So Aurora is now officially rolling with the big dogs.
Michigan leaders seek to further business ties with Israel
Interest by Israeli businesses, particularly technology-focused ones, in establishing a presence in Southeast Michigan continues to percolate.
In the early weeks and months last year leading up to the coronavirus outbreak that brought much economic activity to a halt for a time, Israeli companies were clamoring to get a foothold in the region, particularly within the expanding autonomous and connected vehicle sector.
