Strong Mobility & EV Ecosystem
03
From university investment in autonomous vehicle testing sites to Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, Michigan institutions are building on the state’s existing auto industry ecosystem to create an epicenter of mobility technology.
“We are the leaders in automotive—that’s our heritage,” says Michigan’s chief mobility officer Trevor Pawl, “but we’re repackaging our leadership to encompass things like autonomous, connected, shared and electric, to create a multimodal future.”
The state passed the first self-driving legislation in the United States
in 2016 and is home to the world’s first factory dedicated to producing level-four autonomous vehicles, which can operate without human interaction with some restrictions. The state is also home to multiple autonomous vehicle testing sites, including drone testing.
“Michigan’s expertise in manufacturing simply can’t be replicated in most other places around the world,” Pawl says. “And manufacturing companies want to be closer to sales. You can start your business development conversation in a lab in Silicon Valley, but in most cases, if you want to end up in a vehicle, on a vehicle, around a vehicle, that path still runs to Michigan.”
in automotive and mobility R&D, with 73% of total
U.S. spend taking place
in the state.
Source: MEDC
“Expertise in manufacturing simply can't be replicated in most other places around the world, and I believe that primes us for partnership with places like Austin, Boston, Silicon Valley and Israel.”
Trevor Pawl,
Michigan’s Chief Mobility Officer
High Quality of Life
04
Overall livability is a key consideration for many entrepreneurs in the state. Guenther, for example, values the easy access to nature.
“I have so many friends in San Francisco, Manhattan and these other big cities, and they were stuck in their shoe-box apartments for months,” she says. “I could still get out and go on long walks, and that really helped save my mental health during a pandemic.”
Michigan’s cost of living is also 10% below the national average,
and it ranks as the fourth most affordable state in the country. In the remote work landscape, companies can choose to prioritize livability instead of proximity to expensive coastal economic hubs.
If Healander had to move back to California to launch Airspace Link, he would have. But the innovation-centric environment in Michigan allowed his family and business to stay in their home state.
“It would have made it a lot harder on myself and my family to move,” he says. “Once I saw that there was investment here, I leaned in. The network here, this business community, allowed us to feel comfortable enough to do it.”
of executives believe livability of a city or region—including access to cultural institutions and walkability—is key
to maintaining a strong talent pool.
“We have over 3,000 miles of coastlines. So there's just a huge quality-of-life thing there.”
Kylee Guenther,
CEO of
Pivot Materials
Source: Forbes Insights
& MEDC survey
Michigan ranks