Michigan EV industry on a knife-edge as energy project delays mount across region

Catch the latest energy news from around the Great Lakes region. Check back for these biweekly Energy News Roundups. 

Michigan’s investments in electric vehicle manufacturing are in jeopardy following what the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency called the “most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history.” Michigan has spent $1 billion on five proposed EV plants in the state and has promised millions more to automakers to support the transition. The sweeping rollbacks announced last week — which would have wide-ranging effects on energy and manufacturing — include plans to loosen tailpipe emission standards that have spurred the transition to EVs.

Plans for a $400 million hydrogen plant in Detroit are on hold due to “new market conditions,” Norwegian energy company Nel Hydrogen US said in its 2024 annual report. State leaders announced in late 2023 that the facility, which would produce hydrogen from water and renewable energy, was expected to create more than 500 jobs. A company spokesperson told Bridge Michigan that it is still interested in the project but is waiting to make investment decisions until “the incentives are fully clarified and market demand solidifies.”

In central Michigan, though, the company building a $900 million solar component manufacturing facility that’s set to open by the end of this year said it is making “excellent progress” and is in the process of hiring more than 1,000 workers. Corning, the semiconductor materials supplier building the plant, announced a deal with solar companies Suniva and Heliene this month to make solar modules domestically.

And in other big solar news, Illinois saw some of the fastest solar growth in the country last year. The state added 2.5 gigawatts of solar capacity in 2024, almost doubling its solar capacity, a report from the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie said. That’s more new capacity than any other state except Texas, California and Florida. Illinois also saw an increase in residential solar installations even as the rate of rooftop solar adoption slowed elsewhere.

Cleveland is taking aim at its carbon footprint, too. As part of a citywide push, the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has set a target of eliminating all of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The airport plans to expand EV charging options and rely more on renewable energy, while using carbon offsets to fill in the gaps. It also intends to work with airlines to reduce emissions from planes.

More energy news, in case you missed it:

• With tariffs on Canadian imports still in flux, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he apologized to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for threatening to “shut the electricity off completely” if the U.S. continued to escalate.
• An Ohio appeals court rejected a lawsuit by environmental groups seeking to block leases for oil and gas drilling under state parks and wildlife areas.
• Northern Illinois electric utility ComEd is preparing to roll out voluntary time-based rates for Chicago-area residents in 2026.
• Minneapolis plans to open the first North American biochar facility owned and operated by a city later this year.
• Two Indiana electric cooperatives are acquiring the gas-fired St. Joseph Energy Center outside South Bend, citing the need for more power generation.

Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:

Oil and gas projects fast-tracked, while Minnesota Power plans to quit fossil fuels

From Madigan’s Conviction to ComEd’s EV Rebate Program: How Illinois is Shaping Its Energy Future

Featured image: Close-up view of hand holding an electric vehicle charging gun connector and plugging it into charger port of electric car. (Photo Credit: iStock)