Governor Gretchen Whitmer officially announced the formation of the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), naming Trevor Pawl as the state’s Chief Mobility Officer. The newly established office will work across the state with governmental bodies, academia and the private sector to enhance Michigan’s mobility capabilities, including work on developing dynamic mobility and electrification policies and supporting the startup and scale-up of emerging technologies and businesses throughout the state.
“Now more than ever, it is critical that Michigan strengthen opportunities for economic growth and job creation while securing our continued leadership in mobility and electrification through forward-thinking policies, innovative partnerships and smarter infrastructure,” Governor Whitmer said. “Trevor has a proven track record of building and scaling state programs like Pure Michigan Business Connect and PlanetM. He is the right person to bring Michigan’s mobility ecosystem together under a common vision and generate meaningful results.”
“Michigan put the world on wheels, and as we move into the next generation of transportation technologies, we need to assure we remain the global hub for the mobility industry. The Office of Future Mobility and Electrification will leverage our competitive advantages to make sure our state isn’t only a place where mobility solutions are born, it’s also where companies will find long-term success and support,” said Trevor Pawl, Chief Mobility Officer. “While Michigan remains an undisputed leader in mobility, there is more work to be done, including increasing the state’s share of electric vehicle production, building a stronger pipeline of software engineering talent, and leveraging technology to reduce traffic crashes and fatalities.”
The OFME will focus on the following six objectives:
- 1. Increase Mobility Investment in Michigan: Generate new investment and job creation from tech companies focused on future mobility, including autonomous and electric vehicle innovation.
- 1. Expand Michigan’s Smart Infrastructure: Further develop systems for deploying autonomous and shared transportation.
- 1. Engage More Mobility Startups: Establish Michigan as a premier location for young companies to start, scale, commercialize and grow technologies redefining the movement of people and goods.
- 1. Further Enable Michigan’s Mobility Workforce: Develop and attract the skills and talent necessary to meet the changing demands of the mobility sector.
- 1. Accelerate Electric Vehicle Adoption in Michigan: Support the transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles and expand access to charging infrastructure.
- 1. Bolster Michigan’s Mobility Manufacturing Core: Protect the state’s competitiveness in electric and autonomous vehicle manufacturing and ability to move technologies into industrial-scale manufacturing.
Before coming into this role, Trevor Pawl previously served as Senior Vice President of Business Innovation at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) where he helped lead the State of Michigan’s economic development programs focused on the future of mobility [PlanetM]. supply chain [Pure Michigan Business Connect], entrepreneurship and international trade.
Under Pawl’s leadership, The OFME will focus on building off Michigan’s existing leadership in smart infrastructure and through active public policy initiatives.
The group plans to work with existing institutions including the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT), which is undertaking ongoing work with automotive industry partners to develop smart infrastructure, the Labor and Economic Opportunity’s [LEO] work on economic competitiveness as well as attracting and developing talent, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s (EGLE) work on electric vehicle charging infrastructure and MEDC’s business development programs to support automotive and mobility assemblers and suppliers.
