Hello  -

I recently had the pleasure of checking out a mobility demo by Orange Sparkle Ball (OSB), one of our most recent Michigan Mobility Funding Platform (MMFP) grant recipients. OSB launched an autonomous delivery pilot to explore logistics around transporting food waste to a composting facility. This real-world deployment will operate within the City of Detroit’s Transportation Innovation Zone and serves as the latest example of how the state’s commitment to mobility expands beyond the movement of people to find real world solutions to challenges impacting our communities. The sustainable benefits of investments in mobility solutions continue to manifest in new, groundbreaking ways and Michigan is proud to be at the forefront of autonomous robotic pickup with the support of OSB.

Justine Johnson
Chief Mobility Officer, MEDC
[email protected]

The Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM) is partnering with the Detroit Revitalization Fellows, the State of Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) and Michigan Central to launch the Michigan (MI) Mobility Fellows Program. The program is a highly selective 15-month fellowship that will allow participants to gain real-world experience in transportation planning and mobility innovation through two unique career tracks, exposing them to the public and private sectors to advance and grow mobility innovation in Michigan. The initial cohort will launch this year, hosting four fellows from October 2024 to December 2025. Applications close July 22.

VentureWell is searching for Michigan-based founders in the energy or mobility sectors to apply for the Ascend Energy & Mobility Accelerator, specifically designed to prepare startups for funding. Powered by VentureWell, TechTown Detroit and the U.S. Department of Energy’s EPIC Prize, this eight-week intensive hybrid program will be hosted online with an in-person session taking place in Detroit. Startups will be able to get one-on-one time with mentors, validate their business model and collaborate with other founders. Applications are due July 15, and the program will run from Sept. 3 to Oct. 24.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and German mobility testing company DEKRA announced a $22.8 million investment to establish its Automotive Test Center of Excellence in Plymouth, which will focus on testing the latest technologies for the electrification of mobility, automotive communications technology and cybersecurity. Testing services include electromagnetic compatibility testing, EV battery testing, EV charging testing, cybersecurity and environmental testing. In its initial phase, the project will create 18 qualified new jobs, including test technicians and engineers.

The Michigan-backed clean hydrogen hub project, Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2), has been awarded up to $1 billion by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop regional supply chains for the production, distribution and use of hydrogen in trucks and heavy-duty vehicles as well as other high-potential mobility applications.

As part of the project, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has issued a Request For Information (RFI) seeking preliminary feedback on issues pertaining to the deployment of a hydrogen refueling station based in Detroit, including for the hydrogen technology supply chain as well as from organizations with expertise to offer regarding equity, labor and environmental justice concerns. Vendors interested in submitting to the RFI should do so by Friday, July 26. The RFI can be found in the state’s SIGMA Vendor Self-Service portal by selecting “View Published Solicitations” and searching for RFI# 240000000007.

The Forth Roadmap Conference, coming to Detroit Sept. 24-26, is the nation's premier electric transportation conference and an essential event for anyone interested in the future of electric transportation. Roadmap includes over 100 national and international speakers, dozens of exhibits, high-energy breakout sessions, smart mobility tours and plenty of networking opportunities with representatives from every area of transportation electrification.

Forth is helping to organize a Diverse Supplier Workshop on Sept. 24 that will bring together leading regional Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (MWDBE) companies and entrepreneurs interested in expanding business opportunities in the transportation electrification industry. The workshop will help exchange insights and lessons learned, provide training, and make connections for integration into the industry.

2024

• July 17: SAE International Connected Vehicles Digital Summit
• Sept. 20-27: Ann Arbor SPARK’s a2Tech360
• Sept. 24-25: Move America
• Sept. 24-26 Forth Roadmap Conference
• Oct. 2-3: SAE International Thermal Management Systems Symposium
• Oct. 7-10: The Battery Show North America
• Oct. 21-23: Reuters Automotive USA 2024
• Nov. 12-13: American Automotive Summit

First look: America's Smartest Highway | Axios
A three-mile stretch of I-94 in Michigan offers a glimpse of America's future highways, with tech-enabled lanes for connected and automated vehicles that could one day let drivers sit back and relax. Cavnue just finished construction on the pilot phase of a first-of-its-kind connected corridor in Michigan.

Four New Startups Join the Detroit Smart Parking Lab | Detroit News
Four companies were selected to join the Detroit-based mobility incubator Smart Parking Lab, made possible by a grant from the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform. All four startups aligned well with the incubator’s recent Autonomous Movement Initiative, working towards solutions in autonomous movement as well as additional focus areas such as smart parking technology, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and first and last-mile logistics.

Michigan International Speedway Is Taken Over by Electric Vehicles Built by College Students | FOX 47
Seventy-five colleges from around the world came to Michigan International Speedway to test the EVs they built in the Formula SAE Competition. The four-day event tests each car's design, acceleration, skid pad and autocross, giving students a chance to see how their cars match up to the competition.

• DriveElectric.gov – Information on all federal EV-related news and opportunities
• DOE Bipartisan Infrastructure Funding Opportunities – The latest notices and RFP opportunities for programs related to clean energy and lower carbon emissions
• Elemental Excelerator – Provides funding and in-depth support to promising climate technology startups with social impact potential
• The Ford Launchpad for Innovative Technologies and Entrepreneurship (FLITE) – Provides grants and pilot-testing opportunities to companies focused on bringing emerging air travel technology solutions to market
• Global Epicenter of Mobility (GEM) – A consortium bed by the Detroit Regional Partnership that is designed to help build an inclusive and prosperous 21st-century mobility sector
• H2 Matchmaker – An online resource to help hydrogen suppliers and users identify stakeholders across the supply chain
• MICHauto – Organization that promotes, retains, and grows Michigan’s signature industry as the state’s only automotive and mobility cluster association. View the MICHauto Automobility Asset Map for a look at the 250 locations that are active contributors to the EV industry.
• Michigan Mobility Funding Platform – Test site deployments and real-world deployments 
• Michigan EGLE: Charge Up Michigan – Opportunity to apply for funding 
• Mobility Makers – Community of professionals dedicated to sustainable mobility
• MotorCites National Heritage Area Events – A nonprofit corporation affiliated with the National Park Service that preserves, interprets and promotes the region’s rich automotive and labor heritage
• Plug and Play Tech Center Detroit – Resources for startups looking to reach OEMs and Tier 1 Suppliers
• URBAN-X Accelerator Program – Supports founders building businesses to solve cities’ toughest challenges in areas such as transportation and mobility, the built environment, food, waste and water and the energy grid

Stay connected to the resources dedicated to Michigan’s evolution of transportation mobility and electrification by following @MobilityMI on X and LinkedIn, and by visiting michiganbusiness.org/mobility. Keep up with the latest in mobility ecosystem development and mobility policy at the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) by visiting michiganbusiness.org/ofme.