DETROIT – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive directive Tuesday, Dec. 5, to get Michigan’s 8,000-vehicle state fleet to EV by 2040.
Currently, the state has only three EVs in the fleet, so there’s a long way to go.
It’s the latest push from the state to advance EV tech here in Michigan. Both the governor and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation have been hunting EV jobs and developments for the state to position Michigan as the top place for new auto EV tech. However, the road to more EVs on the road has been a rocky one and you can see it throughout the state.
Ford’s investment in its Blue Oval Battery Park in Marshal is being scaled back from 2,500 jobs to 1,700 jobs. GM is pushing back production of its two EV pickup trucks at its Orion Township Assembly by a year. The answer is simple: sales of EVs, which are growing, are not growing as fast as automakers had anticipated.
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, made it clear this week the transition must be customer-led.
“I think we’re at the point right now and we’re going to be making this transition is EV’s must first of all be beautiful and they have to be affordable and there has to be the right range and there has to be a charging infrastructure,” Barra said.
The automakers insist the future is EVs, it’s just going to take longer than originally anticipated.
Related: GM CEO Mary Barra puts focus on building for the future