While you might not know it from all the budget news out of Lansing, the last couple weeks have seen some big news at the crossroads of economic growth and the environment. First, today’s Great Lakes IT Report is reporting that Chrysler is setting up a new entrepreneurial engineering division to focus the company’s efforts in designing and producing electric and hybrid vehicles. The new division – which is being dubbed “ENVI” and will be located here in Michigan at Chrysler’s tech center in Auburn Hills – is charged with everything from electric vehicles and hybrids to perhaps eventually bringing to market fuel cell vehicles. This follows last week’s news that Chrysler had hired Jim Press, who was largely responsible for what GLITR calls “Toyota Motor Corp.’s aggressive hybrid push in the United States.”
Meanwhile WWJ’s Jeff Gilbert blogged about his trip to the Frankfurt Auto Show held last week in Germany, and the trend to develop and manufacture more environmentally friendly vehicles could not have been clearer. (So clear, in fact, that Gilbert’s opening line from the last day of the auto show was “Sorry, Kermit, but it’s easier than you think being green.”) Some of the highlights of the show included BMW introducing its first hybrid, Mercedes-Benz rolling out 19 models it touts as “environmentally friendly” (including seven hybrids), Audi’s announcement of a new hybrid SUV, and the new Ford Kuga, a crossover vehicle destined for Europe. Why so much innovation at this show? Jeff Gilbert has the answer: “As the U.S. debates new fuel economy regulations, here in Europe they are already implementing new rules to fight global warming. The auto industry has apparently decided that the train was leaving the station, and it had better get on board.”
Last week also brought us news that Michigan-based Uni-Solar has been selected to install solar panels on to roof of a 300,000 square foot GM warehouse in Fontana, California. The project, one of the largest solar projects ever, will generate 1.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year once it’s completed this December. And finally, at least for now, last week also saw a sold out conference on the potential business opportunities for wind power in Michigan. The conference, entitled “Manufacturing and Developing Wind Energy Systems in Michigan,” helped connect Michigan’s traditional manufacturing base with new opportunities in wind energy. Attendees included Governor Granholm; American Wind Energy Association president-elect James Walker; Lisa Daniels, Executive Director of Windustry; and Mark Willers, a director at MinWind LLC in Lucerne, Minn., a company set up by 66 farmers with interests in wind power, corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel. (You can read a write-up of the festivities here.) The agenda also featured a local connection, with a breakout session dedicated to the local zoning and planning issues related to the Manistee County wind energy planning project.
The common thread of all these stories is that companies are in many cases way out in front of our political leaders when it comes to making the most of the green opportunities in today’s economy. It also highlights how economic growth opportunities in these areas offer real potential for Michigan. It’s time to bring these too-often disparate strands together and develop a real blueprint of how we can bring jobs to Michigan and spur economic growth by taking a leadership role in combining environmentally friendly opportunities with an economic gameplan for Michigan’s future.
