REDFORD, Mich. (WWJ) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants to make it easier for Michiganders to “go electric,” she said during Wednesday night’s State of the State address, as she proposed a pair of combined rebates that would give $2,500 back to Michigan families who purchase electric vehicles.
Whitmer said she’s proposing a $2,000 rebate for the EV and a $500 rebate for in-home charging equipment.
That would build on the federal government’s $7,500 EV credit, she said.
“If we get this done, we can lower the cost of electric vehicles by nearly $10,000. We can make it easier for Michiganders to go electric,” Whitmer said.
She delivered Wednesday’s address not at the Capitol, but remotely, due to concerns over COVID-19, at Detroit Diesel, a a facility in Redford that Whitmer said “helped us win WWII” and will play a role in the future of electric vehicle technology.
Her speech came a day after General Motors announced a $7 billion investment in the future of electric vehicles in Michigan, a move she says solidifies that “the future of the auto industry is being built in Michigan.”
And we’re just getting started, according to the governor.
“Every year, thousands more electric vehicles are sold in Michigan and all our major automakers have committed to electrifying 100% of their fleets over the next 10-15 years,” she said. “Electric vehicles cost half as much to fuel and maintain as gas powered cars. Switching to electric will save families thousands of dollars a year.”
Last fall Whitmer introduced plans to improve the state’s EV infrastructure, including a series of charging stations along the coast of Lake Michigan that she says will make “the best new road trip” for EV owners in the country.
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Whitmer’s proposal to make it easier for Michiganders to go electric was just one of many talking points in Wednesday’s address. The governor, now in a re-election year, touted her progress on the state’s infrastructure, including more than 13,000 lane miles of roads in all parts of the state and 900 new bridges while supporting nearly 82,000 jobs.
“In 2021 alone, we fixed Gratiot in Macomb; I-496 in Lansing; 196 in Allegan; 69 in Genesee; 94 in Kalamazoo; US-41 in Marquette; and we’re forging ahead on the Gordie Howe Bridge in Detroit, which will be taller than the Statue of Liberty when it’s completed,” Whitmer said.
So when you see those orange barrels, Whitmer says, “sloe down – there are people working.”
“And those barrels mean we’re moving dirt and fixing the damn roads,” she said, invoking her 2018 campaign slogan.
Whitmer also spoke on plans to cut taxes for Michiganders, including a proposal to increase Michigan’s Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Increasing the EITC, a tax cut for working families, would deliver an average combined tax refund of $3,000 to 730,000 Michiganders, helping them pay the bills and put food on the table, according to the governor's office.
She also proposed repealing the retirement tax, which she says would save half a million households $1,000 a year.
Whitmer also addressed many other hot topics for Michiganders, including the COVID-19 pandemic and education, noting while the past two years have been frustrating for all, that she knows kids belong in school.
“We know it’s where they learn best. Remote learning is not as fulfilling or conducive to a child’s growth. In-person learning is critical to social development and mental health. That’s why we will do everything we can to keep kids in the classroom.”
Stay tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest reaction on Gov. Whitmer’s State of the State address. >>> LISTEN LIVE!
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