Michigan’s Office Of Future Mobility And Electrification (OFME) is building a stronger state economy through safer, more equitable, and environmentally conscious transportation for all Michigan residents. This office works across state government, academia, and private industry to enhance Michigan’s mobility ecosystem, including developing dynamic mobility and electrification policies and supporting the startup and scale-up of emerging technologies and businesses. Michigan’s competitive advantages make this state a place where advanced mobility solutions are born, and companies find long-term success and support. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Charlie Tyson, Technology Activation Director at OFME, to learn more.
Charlie Tyson’s Background
In 2016, Tyson started with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) as a program specialist via the Pure Michigan Business Connect (PMBC) program. Tyson said:
“Over the past six years, I’ve had the opportunity to hold a handful of positions that led to my current role as Technology Activation Director.”
“Prior to joining MEDC, I worked as a project manager at Invent@NMU in Marquette, an idea incubator based at Northern Michigan University (NMU) powered by students and led by professionals. In that role, I managed the full scope of the incubator’s projects, ranging from validation and ideation to production, commercialization, and operations. I was also responsible for networking with state and local economic development organizations to build a resource base and mutually beneficial relationships that could help boost Michigan’s economy. This role grew my passion for supporting businesses and startups that are trying to make a difference in the world, and that is a big focus in my current role.”
“I was born and raised in Michigan, earned a degree from NMU, and I want to see the state continue to successfully grow and revolutionize its mobility ecosystems so it can support my 10 million friends and neighbors who also call this state home.”
“In my role, I develop and nurture relationships with key mobility stakeholders — including automotive OEMs, suppliers, startups, investors, academia, NGOs, municipalities, government agencies, and philanthropic organizations — with the goal of bringing innovative mobility companies, projects, and talent to Michigan. I believe everyone should be able to enjoy the best parts of Michigan for generations to come, and to ensure that enjoyment, we need a future-proofed, sustainable mobility ecosystem that all of the state’s residents can use easily. Everything that I do in my role ladders up to this broader goal.”
Favorite Memory Working For The OFME
What has been Tyson’s favorite memory working for OFME so far? Tyson shared:
“OFME has achieved so much since it was established in 2020, from building dynamic public-private partnerships to creating safer, more equitable, and environmentally sound transportation for all Michiganders.”
“My favorite memories of working for OFME have been the moments where brilliant, innovative solutions are incorporated into Michigan’s mobility ecosystems, and we can see the positive impact they have on our communities. For example:
– The Ford Launchpad for Innovative Technologies and Entrepreneurship (FLITE) is one of the first airport-based initiatives in the nation that provides funding to encourage the development and implementation of new mobility-related solutions in a live airport environment. The program has provided 12 grants and pilot-testing opportunities to companies, like Sunflower Labs and Dataspeed, that are focused on bringing emerging air travel technology solutions to market.
– OFME has completed multiple rounds of funding through the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform (MMFP), which provides grants to mobility and electrification companies looking to deploy their technology solutions in Michigan. From our first round of grant recipients, including KUHMUTE and Michigan Flyer in 2021, to our latest round of funding, it’s been wonderful to see the innovative solutions budding in Michigan’s mobility ecosystem.
– I’ve also enjoyed seeing the Detroit Smart Parking Lab (DSPL) come to life. The DSPL is the nation’s first-of-its-kind, real-world test site for parking-related technologies, such as parking spots that can charge an EV without a plug. The lab officially opened in September 2021, and since then, mobility and smart infrastructure pioneers, as well as real-estate innovators and startups, have been testing their parking-related technologies.
– Summer always makes Michigan’s outdoor recreation industry shine. OFME is playing a key role in accelerating the outdoor experience as well as Michigan’s recreation and mobility market through the Mobility Public-Private Partnership & Programming (MP4) Grant program, a new resource that will bolster the state’s already thriving outdoor recreation sector and EV leadership. The grant program awarded three companies (Polaris Inc., Electric Outdoors, and Snowbotix) grant funding to support the research and development of first-of-their-kind outdoor recreation mobility solutions and the electrification of tech-enabled outdoor vehicles. Michigan’s outdoor recreation industry is creating jobs, attracting company investments and helping to revitalize communities. In fact, outdoor recreation contributed more than $10 billion to the state’s economy in 2021 and provided more than 100,000 jobs. The MP4 grant program acknowledges the vital role that outdoor recreation plays in the state’s economy and will further advance mobility-related offerings in recreation areas.
– We’ve also recently announced an exciting collaboration with Daimler Truck North America and DTE Energy that explores what the truck stop of the future will look like. Michigan secured $13 million — including $8.5 million in federal funding — to develop a new Mobility Charging Hub location for freight trucking designed to enable the transition of companies’ fleets to EVs and modernize the truck stop experience.”
Challenges Faced
What are some of the challenges in building and maintaining the OFME? Tyson acknowledged:
“Overall, the biggest challenge OFME faces is the scope of what it’s trying to tackle. We need to ensure that Michigan is shoring up its infrastructure, pursuing new technology innovations, and finding and growing relevant public/private partnerships, all while making sure the state’s regulations will enable environments that are friendly to the testing of future mobility solutions.”
“Under the guidance of the Michigan Healthy Climate Plan, the state aims to ensure more sustainable, carbon-neutral operations by 2030 — and the mobility industry plays a big role in this goal. However, the challenge in bringing clean mobility tech from concept to reality is twofold. First is continuing the work in the face of public dissonance. Seventy-seven percent of U.S. adults want to live greener, and the majority of people agree urgent actions must be taken by governments, companies, communities and people to address climate change. Yet less than 10% of Americans drive EVs, and more than half (53%) say they still prefer gas cars. The second is that money is not enough on its own. The kind of innovation that impacts public spaces, resources, and daily life needs strategic partnerships that bring together different expertise and align on a shared vision.”
(Research reported by PBS News, CBS News, and Forbes)
Evolution Of OFME
How has the OFME evolved since launching? Tyson noted:
“Before OFME was created in 2020, PlanetM existed as a global marketing campaign to showcase Michigan’s autonomous, connected, electrified, and shared vehicle ecosystem. PlanetM was a coalition between public and private sectors, along with government organizations and academic institutions, such as the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), MICHAuto, and Business Leaders for Michigan. Between 2017 and 2020, PlanetM facilitated more than $91 million in investments by connecting next-generation mobility companies to Michigan’s automotive community. Notable projects included Google’s investment in a Novi-based 53,000-square-foot facility to develop self-driving vehicle technology, as well as the establishment of the American Center for Mobility, a 335-acre site at the former Willow Run facility. To this day, the Center serves as a testing and validation facility for automakers and suppliers to test technologies for autonomous vehicles to help ensure that they can operate safely on public roads.”
“Recognizing that the automotive industry and the transportation sector at large were undergoing unprecedented change, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and her administration knew Michigan’s position as a global leader in mobility could be positively impacted by strategic collaboration between the various organizations in charge of developing Michigan’s mobility industry, infrastructure and workforce, as well as climate sustainability solutions. As a result, Governor Whitmer established the OFME to serve as a dedicated resource to create and support these collaborations.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of OFME’s most significant milestones? Tyson cited:
“OFME has had so many milestones since its inception in 2020 that have demonstrated the value of the office and the investment created (about $500 million) in three years. Here are just a few notable ones:
– In 2022, OFME partnered with Google and Ford to announce the launch of Michigan Central in Detroit, an innovation hub for technology companies built in the shell of the old Michigan Central Station. In April, the Michigan mobility community came together to celebrate the opening of Newlab on Michigan Central’s campus in the newly restored, historic Book Depository Building. Newlab will take on new life as a convener of people and a center for innovation and create a place where all are invited to develop solutions for society’s greatest mobility challenges.
– With the support of OFME, Michigan secured historic investments with GM and Ford over the past couple of years that are creating thousands of manufacturing jobs and securing critical EV production in Michigan, further positioning the state as the home for the future of EVs.
– OFME spearheaded a collaboration between Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin to establish the Lake MI EV Circuit, which, once completed, will serve as America’s next iconic road trip route, specifically for EVs. The ‘Electric Route 66’ will be a network of EV chargers spanning more than 1,100 miles of drivable shoreline around Lake Michigan, connecting many Midwest travelers to places they might not have been able to go before in an EV.
– We have several ongoing grant programs and funding options — including MMFP, FLITE, the Fresh Coast Maritime Challenge, and the Mobility Wallet Challenge — that have brought real solutions to mobility challenges throughout the state, helping to improve accessibility and equity to transportation offerings.
– The creation of the MI Future Mobility Plan was a massive undertaking that ensures Michigan remains a global leader in mobility and electrification as the mobility industry continues to evolve. The plan creates guidelines for a stronger state economy through safer, more equitable and environmentally sound transportation for all Michigan residents.
Customer Success Stories
Upon asking Tyson about customer success stories, he replied:
“I could share so many success stories, but here are a few of my favorites.
1.) My Universal Vision for Everyone (MUVE) is a tech startup venture dedicated to providing accessible transit services to people of all abilities, as well as their extended family and caregivers. MUVE piloted its mobility solution in the U.P. throughout 2019 and worked with local partners to pilot a rideshare platform focused on increasing accessible transportation options and efficiencies, as well as reducing isolation for those facing mobility challenges. In September 2021, MUVE received an MMFP grant to help bolster its mobility solution, and the company used the funds to enhance the operational efficiencies of its technology. With proof of concept deployed across both of Michigan’s peninsulas, we’re confident that MUVE’s inclusive technology will continue to grow in, and impact, more areas of Michigan.
2.) In August 2020, Governor Whitmer announced an initiative to develop a first-of-its-kind corridor for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) designed to improve transportation for communities in Southeast Michigan. A key goal of the CAV Corridor is to identify a way to future-proof Michigan’s roads for autonomous vehicles. Cavnue, a leading developer of connected roadway and infrastructure technology, is the Master Developer of the Corridor and works closely with OFME, MDOT, MEDC, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), as well as various industry and local project partners, on the roadway’s development. Through its work on the CAV Corridor, Cavnue has also strengthened partnerships with industry leaders like Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, May Mobility, Stellantis and Toyota, among others. Cavnue is harnessing the power of technology to ensure safer roads for vehicles of the future, and we’re excited to see what they do next.
3.) We don’t just work with cars! Due to the rise of drone popularity, drone management company AirSpace Link recognized the growing need for a corresponding aerial mapping and routing system, like an aerial Waze or Google Maps. Michigan emerged as both the logical and ideal place to turn AirSpace Link’s concept into a business. Through OFME’s support, AirSpace Link grew from three employees to 40, connected with investors, beta tested with live customers, and commercialized and developed a case study that it could take to other states and agencies. AirSpace Link is paving the way for the upcoming drone economy right here in Michigan, and we’re glad to be a part of it.”
Differentiation From Other Organizations
What differentiates OFME from other similar organizations? Tyson affirmed:
“OFME is unique in that, with its establishment in 2020 came the creation of the Chief Mobility Officer (CMO) position, which was the first of its kind in the nation. Michigan’s CMO works across state government, academia, and private industry to enhance Michigan’s mobility ecosystem, including supporting the development of dynamic mobility and electrification policies as well as the scale-up of emerging technologies and businesses. Our first CMO, Trevor Pawl, advanced the competitiveness of Michigan’s mobility ecosystem and grew it around the new companies and technology reshaping the mobility industry. His successor, Justine Johnson, recently stepped into the role and will continue that important work. Another aspect that differentiates OFME is how we work across state governments to support economic development, transit, talent, sustainability, infrastructure, and policy.”
Future Organization Goals
What are some of OFME’s future company goals? Tyson emphasized:
“OFME is committed to ensuring that Michigan remains a global leader in mobility and electrification as the mobility industry continues to evolve. To that end, all of OFME’s goals ladder back to the state’s Future Mobility Plan, which aims to create a stronger state economy through safer, more equitable, and environmentally sound transportation for all Michigan residents.
Our goals can be organized into three pillars:
1.) Transition and grow our mobility industry and workforce. This includes achieving strong employment growth in mobility and automotive-focused sectors by creating 20,000 new jobs by 2026 while increasing the median wage of mobility sector jobs; adding 7,000 workers with mobility credentials by 2030 while increasing diversity in the sector’s workforce; and ensuring Michigan maintains a resilient automotive and parts manufacturing sector that supports at least 170,000 jobs through 2030.
2.) Provide safer, greener, and more accessible transportation infrastructure. This includes employing 100,000 EV chargers to support two million EVs and improve access to Hydrogen infrastructure by 2030; maintaining at least 80% of EV charging off-peak to minimize impacts to the grid; reducing congestion and traffic crash rates statewide by 2026; and providing residents with consistent access to mobility-as-a-service options across Michigan’s 77 transit agencies by 2025.
3.) Lead the world in mobility and electrification policy and innovation. This includes maintaining Michigan’s #1 state ranking for mobility and electrification R&D spend; becoming a top 10 state for growth in venture capital funding by 2026; becoming a top 10 state for federal investments related to mobility and vehicle electrification; and leading the nation in electric and automated vehicle friendliness through responsive policies.
Additional Thoughts
Are there any other topics you would like to discuss? Tyson concluded:
We’re looking forward to another beautiful Michigan season filled with exhilarating travel. Michigan is such a great destination for summer and fall road trips, and more people are learning that having an EV will not only allow you to continue those road trip traditions but can provide many added benefits. In fact, technology and automotive enthusiasts Jon Rettinger and Judner Aura recently explored not only Michigan’s beautiful sights but also our culture of mobility innovation.
Of course, we’re excited about this year’s Detroit Auto Show, which is returning to the Motor City this September. There will be so many opportunities for automotive enthusiasts, whether professionals or hobbyists, to learn about the state’s EV ecosystem progress while also experiencing Detroit as a wonderful travel destination.
