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New Michigan Electric Vehicle Center Could Train Future Ford Workers

Ford is in the midst of a major electrification push as it plans to spend billions in an effort to produce two million EVs annually by 2026. A large part of that effort lies in the construction of multiple new facilities, including the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, where the Ford F-150 Lightning is built, as well as the new BlueOval City and BlueOvalSK Battery Park in Tennessee and Kentucky, which are currently under construction. Needless to say, FoMoCo will need plenty of workers trained in the finer details of electric vehicles to staff those facilities in the coming years, and many of them could come from the newly-announced Michigan Electric Vehicle Center, according to Crain’s Detroit Business.

The Michigan Electric Vehicle Center will be located on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, and is a collaborative effort between that school and the state. With a goal of providing training, teaching, and development for future EV workers, the state of Michigan just approved a new $77 billion dollar budget that includes $130 million earmarked specifically for the new center, which will be used for its construction and programming.

“The creation of the Michigan Electric Vehicle Center will allow the state to leverage the existing resources at U-M and the state’s other educational institutions to focus on the future of electric vehicle technology and workforce development,” said University of Michigan spokesman Rick Fitzgerald. “It will be designed to leverage the existing facilities within or near the College of Engineering on North Campus. This state investment is critical to solidifying the leadership position of our state – and our nation – in the electric vehicle industry.”

The new EV center will coexist with the university’s existing robotics program, battery lab, Mcity, and UM Transportation Research Institute, providing plenty of high-tech training for those looking to break into this particular field. However, as Fitzgerald explained, there are still plenty of details that need to be ironed out, including an expected timetable for the center’s construction.

“While there are many details to be addressed in the coming months, we are confident this new center will be critical to creating the research, technology, and highly skilled workforce needed for the rapidly emerging electric vehicle industry, keeping our state at the center of the mobility industry.”

We’ll have more on this new facility soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

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