Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced that Michigan has tied for the third spot in sustainable development practices by Site Selection magazine, congratulating the state’s commitment to green energy practices and leadership in business growth and development.

Along with this recognition, Michigan also ranked 2nd for East North Central regional rankings, ahead of Ohio (3rd), Wisconsin (4th) and Indiana (5th). Four Michigan metro regions were recognized in the Top 10 in the East North Central region’s rankings: Grand Rapids-Wyoming (2nd), Lansing- East Lansing (3rd), Ann Arbor (7th) and Kalamazoo-Portage (9th).

Site Selection’s rankings are based on a mix of green metrics like LEED-certified buildings, renewable energy use and green building incentives with additional factors like corporate social responsibility and brownfield redevelopment. Michigan’s success comes as the state continues to implement projects to revitalize communities with efforts like the Community Revitalization Program and the Michigan Business Development Program.

The American Center for Mobility (ACM) in Ypsilanti has reached a key moment in time in the facility’s four-year history with CEO Reuben Sarkar, looking to financial stability and creativity to lead the sustainable future ACM is working toward.

“We want to be more than a test track,” Sarkar said. “We want to be an ecosystem that brings you value, connections, networking, business opportunity. Small startups want exposure. They want to be able to walk around and meet new people and get new business.”

The University of Michigan‘s MCity gave 7 Actions News a peak behind the scenes of its unique testing facility on a ride in one of the autonomous vehicles used for testing. 

As MCity makes progress toward creating technology for cars to safely drive themselves, work remains on issues around cybersecurity, public policy and insurance.

Click below to learn more about MCity’s testing facility and its work with the transportation solutions of tomorrow in the 4-minute segment.

The Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) have partnered to launch the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform aimed at providing vital grant funding to mobility and electrification companies of all sizes looking to deploy their technology in Michigan.

The funding platform is designed to accelerate investment in solutions that create safer, more equitable and environmental conscious transportation for all Michiganders, as well as fostering mobility and electrification companies with high trajectories in Michigan and want to play a key role in the state’s mobility ecosystem. Grants are focused in three primary areas:

• Sustainable Futures: Improve environmental sustainability by encouraging electric vehicle adoption and the buildout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure
• Equitable Futures: Alleviate mobility barriers and increase access to affordable and reliable transportation options
• Multimodal Transportation: Modernize existing transportation systems and keep Michigan at the forefront across all connected and autonomous transportation modes

Click below to learn more about eligibility for testing environments and real-world deployments, rolling application periods through September 2021, and past grant recipients.

Troy-based Electric Last Mile became the latest electric vehicle startup to go public, directing attention to the launch of its commercial electric van aimed at last-mile deliveries, “Urban Delivery.” It will be the first electric van of its size to launch in the U.S and is expected to have a range of about 150 miles.

“Today is an important achievement for ELMS and a significant milestone in our mission to transform last mile productivity for our customers with efficient, sustainable and connected e-mobility workstations intended to improve their bottom line,” said founder and CEO Jim Taylor.

Meanwhile, the startup is also planning a second vehicle – the Urban Utility – an electric medium-duty forward truck, with a working prototype planned to be released later this summer.

Join MICHauto and the MEDC for the virtual mobility meetup on Wednesday, July 14 from 4-5 PM EDT. Registration now open!

During this meeting, attendees will hear from Mike Kenhard, chief technology officer and vice president of engineering for XL Fleet. XL Fleet is a leading company in fleet electrification solutions for commercial and municipal vehicles. The company focuses on developing and producing technology that converts vehicles into hybrids. Learn more about the company’s recently announced expansion in Wixom here.

Joining the Meetup
A confirmation email with the link to join the meeting will be sent upon registration. Following the opening remarks and presentation, the event will open up for facilitated networking.

Keep the conversation going with Connect Space
Virtual Mobility Meetup Connect is an ongoing connection platform through Connect Space. Separate but complementary from the virtual mobility meetup webinar, mobility meetup attendees can register in the platform at any time and connect with others via the PlanetM app. Users can set up meetings within the app or take things offline.

For more information, please contact Devon O’Reilly by phone at (313) 402-0371.