Michigan’s electric vehicle industry is praising the Biden administration for its latest investments in EV manufacturing.
About $650 million will go toward retooling auto plants in Lansing and Marysville to produce newer EV models. It’s part of the Inflation Reduction Act, and funds will also go to seven other states to make more EVs.
Sophia Schuster with the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council says this money should help the state fight brain drain. She notes Michigan is 49th in the U.S. in population growth since 1990.
“I think it’s exciting to show that investments like these not only encourage people to stay in Michigan, but that there is a lot of potential for the clean energy workforce, particularly in the auto manufacturing space,” Schuster said.
In Michigan, the plans are expected to retain more than 1,000 jobs and create a few dozen new ones.
Billions of dollars have already been spent during the Biden administration to reduce vehicle emissions and combat climate change. Transportation is the top source of emissions in the U.S.