Michigan Makes Pre-Emptive Strike for Fuel Cell Commercialization, Manufacturing

What are you doing to protect your state or local economy from technological advances that will completely overturn an industry 10, 20, 30 years from now? 



With the prospect of someday losing 27,000 high-paying tech jobs at 15 automotive engine and powertrain plants, Michigan has unveiled a plan to position the state as a leader when automotive applications of fuel cell technology make the internal combustion engine obsolete. 



Commissioned by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Michigan Automotive Partnership, the strategic plan and market study call for the state and automotive industry to jointly: 

• Create a Michigan Advanced Automotive Powertrain Technology Alliance;  
• Investigate the feasibility of creating a power electronics Center of Excellence; 
• Establish a Michigan Hydrogen Infrastructure Working Group to include the investigation of necessary changes and lead time requirements for service and repair of infrastructure related to fuel cell and alternative technology vehicles; 
• Promote the demonstration and testing of prototype fuel cell vehicles and support the commercialization of fuel cells for vehicle and stationary power generation applications; and, 
• Conduct an economic study to determine the most appropriate financial incentives for the development and commercialization of fuel cell and other advanced technology vehicles. 

The study, prepared for MEDC by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) within the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM) in Ann Arbor, is available online at http://medc.michigan.org