Given that the heart of the auto industry lies in Michigan, it’s no surprise that the state wants to be considered a springboard of another form of transportation: air mobility.
Michigan is working to be a launchpad for aerospace and aerial development, bolstered by its strong manufacturing core and robust automotive supply chain.
The state has invested in air mobility technologies over the past several years. Consulting firm PwC named Michigan the eighth-most friendly place for aerospace manufacturing attractiveness last year. Add to that, Michigan has been drawing more software engineering talent that once flew — no pun intended — to Silicon Valley.
But there’s still progress to be made, said Trevor Pawl, who leads the state’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification.
“There are a lot of different assets that we have that we just need to begin to stitch together and communicate more frequently,” Pawl told Automotive News.
“To continue to be a part of the conversation and allow the technology to advance, it’s important that states like Michigan and other states in the Midwest find their way into this room.”
Michigan can leverage its clear advantage in land-based transportation and apply it to air-based technologies, Pawl said.
“The near-future approach that we’re taking as it relates to aerial mobility is looking at various synergies between what the [automakers] are doing with autonomous, connected, shared and electric and what is possible in the air with those,” Pawl said.
The state is home to multiple ground and aerial test sites and training programs, including the University of Michigan’s drone testing lab M-Air, and the Michigan Unmanned Aerial Systems Consortium in Alpena.
Another part of Michigan’s push to become a leader is fostering startups, said Lisa Peterson, vice president of marketing at Airspace Link, a Detroit-based company helping governments create guardrails and regulations for drone flights.
“Obviously the future of mobility is very important to the state, and this is just a natural extension, or an addition to, the future of mobility,” she said. “This is the next dimension.”
Gavin Brown, executive director of the Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association, said much of the role Michigan can play in advancing all forms of mobility, including air, is through space-enabled 5G.
“Part of what our mission is, is to make Michigan a space state,” Brown said of his association. “Look at who is going to be the main user of low orbit space technology for 5G. The main user is going to be the automotive industry for autonomous technology to be deployed anywhere. Whoever gets this gets to be the leader both domestically and internationally.
“By enabling autonomous technology to be present here — as opposed to being either Silicon Valley, Texas, or on the East Coast,” Brown added, “we then become a state that will lead not only the ground vehicle and autonomous, EV marketplace, but also the marketplace of communications for 5G autonomous technology.”
Ultimately, Brown said Michigan is positioned well to become the leader in this space. But only if it continues to invest in advanced technology and attract talent.
“We don’t have to find an incumbent source,” Brown said. “We’re not displacing anyone right now because there isn’t an incumbent source. We’re saying, let’s be leaders in retaining that talent, bringing that focus of what’s needed technologically, to the state.”