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ICYMI: PBS NewsHour: What will the EV revolution mean for Detroit?
October 20, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 20, 2022
Contact: press@michigan.gov
ICYMI: PBS NewsHour: What will the EV revolution mean for Detroit?
LANSING, Mich. – Since taking office, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has made historic investments to build on Michigan’s legendary manufacturing heritage, grow the economy, and put Michigan in the lead on future mobility. Whether investing in Michigan’s talented workforce to compete for the jobs of the future, building out charging infrastructure and lowering costs, or bringing supply chains back from overseas to communities in Michigan, Governor Whitmer will work with anyone and compete with everyone to make Michigan the epicenter of the new electric vehicle (EV) revolution.
What will the EV revolution mean for Detroit? | PBS NewsHour
Key Points:
Detroit and the global auto industry are on the cusp of a radical transformation. How the city and the industry navigate the electric vehicle revolution will have consequences for Detroit auto workers, car buyers and people across the nation.
[…]
For many automakers, a shift to electric vehicles means more investment in U.S. manufacturing. For Jeep, building EVs means investment in Detroit, Morrison explained.
The automaker has just opened a new Mack Detroit Assembly Complex, which is the first new automobile assembly plant in Detroit in nearly 30 years. Along with Jeep’s Jefferson North Assembly plant, these are the only two automobile manufacturing facilities completely within the Detroit city limits.
“We’ve employed 3300 new employees, all Detroiters,” Morrison said. “They’re working around the clock building the new Grand Cherokee. And it’s a great facility that is high-tech. It’s a great environment. You go in there and our workers have their Jeep hats on and Jeep backpacks. They’re part of the Jeep family.”
[…]
Michigan’s state government is intentionally and strategically using state EV-related programs and support to ensure that mobility solutions are implemented throughout the entire state, specifically targeting areas that have been overlooked in the past or are lagging behind the development of neighboring regions.
“A truly inclusive mobility ecosystem needs to be built as a resource for everyone, not just those in high-income or regularly traveled areas, and our state has made a conscious effort to ensure lower-income and underserved communities have the same mobility opportunities that other regions do,” Michigan’s Chief Mobility Officer Trevor Pawl told the NewsHour, “With EV mobility solutions available, we can better support residents as they move around to live, work and play while still enabling a world that is greener and more sustainable.”
In early October, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced two new electric vehicle battery projects that she said will bring in almost $4 billion in capital investment and create almost 4500 new jobs in Michigan. According to the governor’s office, these jobs are part of 30,000 good-paying automotive jobs — from line workers to engineers — that Michigan companies have announced in the past four years as the state builds upon its experience in automotive manufacturing and moves toward mobility and electrification in the future.
Governor Whitmer’s Accomplishments
Governor Whitmer has helped Michigan build on its legacy and leadership in mobility. Since she took office, the state has announced over 30,000 good-paying auto jobs, with 15,000 auto jobs and $10 billion of investment in just the last 12 months alone.
Last year, Governor Whitmer worked across the aisle to enact a historic, bipartisan economic development package empowering Michigan to win big projects and create thousands of good-paying jobs. In addition to a $7 billion investment from GM, creating and retaining 5,000 jobs, and a $2 billion investment from Ford creating more than 3,200 jobs, Michigan has attracted the following investments in EV manufacturing:
- Gotion, $2.36 billion, 2,350 jobs: world-leading battery maker announces plant in Big Rapids, largest economic development investment in Northern Michigan ever.
- Our Next Energy, $1.6 billion, 2,112 jobs: Novi-based battery maker announces new factory in Van Buren Township, building supply chain in Michigan using more sustainable materials.
- LG Energy Solution, $1.7 billion, 1,200 jobs: manufacturer of large lithium-ion polymer battery cells and packs for electric vehicles quintuples production capacity at their Holland plant.
- Rivian, $4.6 million, 100 jobs: manufacturer of electric adventure vehicles builds state-of-the-art, high tech service support operations center in Plymouth.
- Magna, $70.1 million, 304 jobs: producer of complex structural battery enclosures for electric vehicles builds new facility in St. Clair.
- AKASOL, $40 million, 224 jobs: manufacturer of high-performance lithium-ion battery systems for commercial applications such as buses, commercial, rail and industrial vehicles, ships and boats builds battery facility in metro Detroit.
- FLO, $3 million, 133 jobs: electric vehicle charging solution company expects to produce 250,000 EV chargers by 2028, builds new facility in Auburn Hills.
- XL Fleet, $1.2 million, 49 jobs: high-growth commercial vehicle technology company focusing on developing and producing cutting-edge technology to convert conventional vehicles into hybrids establishes R&D center in Wixom.
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