- With $9.1 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury and an additional $500,000 from the Make it in Michigan Competitiveness Fund, Michigan is launching the Michigan Auto Supplier Transition Program
- The funding will go to small and local auto suppliers giving them financial assistance and training for electric vehicle production
- In the attached video I spoke with Calvin Badgley of Badgley's Garage about what the EV shift looks like in his family business
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I'm your neighborhood reporter Asya Lawrence, Throughout this year Michigan has made many strides to stay on track with its 2 million electric vehicle goal by 2030. From the addition of hundreds of charging stations to the announcement of the Grand River plant transitioning to EV production
"The Badgleys have been fixing cars in Lansing pretty much since there were cars in Lansing," said Calvin Badgley, Badgleys Garage owner.
Since 1947, Badgleys Garage has been at this very location, providing services for all types of vehicles.
"We've done hybrids for a while since the Prius came out we've been working on those," Calvin said.
But now, with the steady rise of electric vehicle production in Michigan mechanics like Alec are having to learn this new side of the auto industry and all the parts that come with it.
"That's where the future is going. More cars are becoming hybrid and electric and not a lot of people work on them so somebody's got to do it" Alec said
"Has it been difficult to navigate finding parts and getting them in at a certain time period?" I asked.
"It is time-consuming.... it is harder to find the parts " Calvin responded.
To provide some assistance, the state of Michigan launched the Michigan Auto Supplier Transition Program providing over $9 million dollars to small auto suppliers
"For some of our smaller suppliers particularly in under served communities its hard for them to access those kind of resources so this program is really designed to help level the playing field and make it easier for them to compete for some of the opportunities in the future" said Jonathan Smith, Michigan LEO senior deputy director.
The auto supplier program will provide not only financial assistance to the chosen applicants but also hands on training and resources. Giving people like the Badgleys a head start on the EV trend
"The more we have available to us for financial help to buy the more expensive equipment the better it is for us to take advantage of that to make sure we're staying up to date," Calvin said.
The Michigan auto supplier program will launch in January
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