Michigan charges up to achieve President Obama's goal of 1 million plug-in and hybrid vehicles on the roads of the U.S. by 2015. Under the guidance of Gov. Granholm, Michigan aims to provide energy solutions to eliminate fossil fuel dependency and work towards roads filled with clean, efficient vehicles and they intend to do so by becoming the largest battery producer in the nation.
With the downturn in the economy, and the drop in sales of the Big Three, Michigan as a state has decided to follow its manufacturing roots and heritage, but shift the focus to energy efficient solutions.
Michigan has adopted several new technologies including production of solar panels, wind turbines, biofuels derived from vegetables, wood pulp, algae, and so on. But now the attention turns to battery cells. Michigan intends to become the leading producer of advanced battery cells in the U.S. and possibly throughout the world.
Gov. Granholm has pursued the battery technology tremendously as of late. She devoted her entire weekly radio address to batteries and batteries only last week. She wrote a column for Newsweek magazine on batteries. And she will likely announce on Tuesday, three companies that will receive a $100 million tax credit for the production of batteries.
Battery technology could be what holds Michigan together in the future. The added benefit for automotive companies such as the Big Three, batteries produced locally will cost less due to low shipping costs.
If Granholm is right, Michigan may one day be the battery capital of the world.
Source: Detroit Free Press
