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Area Development

The Global Epicenter of Mobility

In the Detroit Region, the mobility revolution keeps rolling — and it’s cutting-edge.

Q1 2023
State and regional leaders celebrate Our Next Energy’s gigafactory ribbon-cutting in Novi, Michigan.
State and regional leaders celebrate Our Next Energy’s gigafactory ribbon-cutting in Novi, Michigan.
Editor's Note: This article was paid for and written by the Detroit Regional Partnership and approved by Area Development.


In 1913, one of history’s most important mobility revolutions unfolded in the hands of Detroit auto workers. The revolutionary assembly line slashed manufacturing time of Ford’s Model-T from 12.5 hours to 1.5, thrusting itself into the market at a lower price and leading to widespread vehicle ownership by a new American middle class. Over a century later, another revolution is brewing in the Detroit Region. Advanced mobility and electrification are at the forefront, and the Motor City has over 100 years of experience and 400 regional assets to usher in a new era of mobility.

In 2022, the Detroit Regional Partnership assisted 18 companies in the mobility and automotive industry that invested $2.2 billion dollars and created 4,030 jobs in the region. Leading these investments are pioneers of the mobility revolution, like Our Next Energy (ONE) CEO Mujeeb Ijaz. Last year, ONE, a homegrown energy storage company, invested $1.6 billion in a gigafactory in southeast Michigan to manufacture its groundbreaking dual-chemistry battery. ONE’s new battery technology doubles the range of electric vehicles while cutting down on battery cell costs by 50% thanks to the use of abundant, sustainable materials.

In 2022, the Detroit Regional Partnership assisted 18 companies in the mobility and automotive industry that invested $2.2 billion dollars and created 4,030 jobs in the region. There are 10 assembly plants in the Detroit Region producing 1.8 million vehicles annually, with six EV and hybrid vehicle models currently produced and five new EV models to be assembled in the region by 2027. Building on this advanced manufacturing prowess are additional investments like Magna’s three Michigan expansion projects totaling $526 million and Dunamis Charge’s opening of an EV charger manufacturing facility.

In addition to the fresh crop of electrification projects, the Detroit Region is a hotspot for novel autonomous mobility technologies like the world’s first autonomous wheel. Norwegian company wheel.me opened its first U.S. location in the Detroit Region to produce its autonomous wheel, which can be mounted to any object and convert existing infrastructure into autonomous robots.

From manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles to developing autonomous mobility technology, the reason companies like ONE, Magna, Dunamis, and wheel.me chose to establish or expand their footprint in the Detroit Region is the unparalleled access to mobility assets. From the 80,000 annual engineering graduates to the 29 OEM headquarters and tech centers, there’s no mobility ecosystem in the world like the Detroit Region.

The Detroit Region’s mobility assets will be strengthened by a $52.2 million U.S. Economic Development Administration award to the Global Epicenter of Mobility (GEM) initiative. The Detroit Region’s mobility assets will be strengthened by a $52.2 million U.S. Economic Development Administration award to the Global Epicenter of Mobility (GEM) initiative. Whether it’s verifying site readiness for new manufacturing facilities, building up talent and workforce pipelines, or helping existing manufacturers transition to electric, GEM ensures that the road to future mobility continues to go through the Detroit Region.

The Detroit Region was built upon entrepreneurial grit and innovative spirit. Whether it was Henry Ford transforming the assembly line in 1913 or ONE CEO Mujeeb Ijaz revolutionizing electric vehicle battery technology in 2022, ingenuity in the mobility sector is a part of the Detroit Region’s DNA. As key investments continue to land in the Detroit Region and the GEM initiative ramps up, the Detroit Region is proving to once again be the Global Epicenter of Mobility.

Learn more about the mobility revolution in the Detroit Region: detroitregionalpartnership.com.

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